- Most people in the middle ages wore clothes made of wool or linen. While many peasants made their clothes at home, kings, queens and other members of nobility had their clothes made by tailors. The higher the quality of the material, the more prominent the people who wore the clothes. Kings, queens and other nobles adorned their clothing with jewels and intricately woven silk. Nobles were often distinguished by the longer length of their jackets. Wealthy men often wore hose and jackets with pleats or skirting during the latter part of the middle ages.
- The holy order during the middle ages wore woolen habits that resembled the Roman style of clothing. Religious affiliation was distinguished by color. The Benedictines wore black and the Cistercians wore either undyed wool or white. The Poor Clare Sisters, which was an order of Franciscan nuns, petitioned the pope for permission to wear woolen socks.
- Most everyone wore tunics during the middle ages. The tunics were typically waist length but became longer at the end of the 13th century. Tunics were made of wool and worn by men and women. Early tunics for women were called kirtles and were worn waist length with a shorter kirtle worn over the longer one in public.
- Married women in the middle ages could be spotted easily. They wore tight caps or nets over their hair, which was fixed in a bun. Unmarried women could wear veils and have their hair hanging loose or braided.
- Knights wore sleeveless surcoats decorated with a coat of arms. Barbarian nomads of the time wore simple clothing of wool, fur and sometimes leather (raw animal hide). They also wore trousers. Expensive leather was worn by knights and nobles. The rich often imported silk and turbans from the Far East.
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