Historian Uncovers Unusual Rewards for Victory in Late Medieval Spain
In 1483, Queen Isabel I and King Fernando of Castile granted royal garments as perpetual rewards for battlefield victories. A new study uncovers how these unusual gifts became lasting symbols of favour, power, and memory in late medieval Spain.
The Debate about Underwear among Medieval Monks
What did medieval monks wear under their habits? This study explores how underwear became a source of debate, modesty, and controversy in monastic life.
New Medieval Books: Byzantine Dress
This book presents eleven essays exploring clothing and fashion in the Byzantine Empire. Together, they reveal the diverse ways medieval people dressed—and how their garments often carried deep cultural, social, and symbolic significance.
What Did Brides Wear in the Middle Ages? A Guide to Medieval Wedding Dresses
Discover what brides really wore in the Middle Ages—from colourful gowns and luxurious fabrics to silver belts and floral accessories—in this guide to medieval wedding dresses.
Inside Eleanor de Montfort’s Lavish Medieval Wardrobe
In the 13th century, noblewomen like Eleanor de Montfort used fashion to display power, status, and wealth. From rich wool and fine linen to opulent furs and intricate accessories, her medieval wardrobe was a statement of prestige and influence.
New Medieval Books: Cross-dressing in the Middle Ages
Whether it’s Joan of Arc donning armor or women disguising themselves as monks to enter monasteries, gender-crossing attire appears in medieval history more often than you might expect. This book explores the subject in depth.
Explore Medieval Fashion at Swedish Museum
The Swedish History Museum is offering visitors a unique glimpse into medieval fashion with its ongoing exhibition, Medieval Fashion.
Medieval African Fashion to be Showcased at Berlin’s Bode-Museum
Starting February 6th, Berlin’s Bode-Museum will host Dress to Impress: Reconstructions of Medieval Robes from Nubia, an exhibition highlighting the artistry and elegance of medieval African fashion.
Medieval Nubian Fashion Brought to Life
Recreating history through fashion, researchers have revived the majestic attire of medieval Nubian royalty and clergy, showcased for the first time at the Louvre in Paris.
Animating Albrecht Dürer’s Cloaks
Analyzes the artwork of Albrecht Dürer to uncover insights into clothing styles, particularly focusing on coats and cloaks, and what they reveal about fashion and societal influences of his time.
From Tunics to Headdresses: Exploring Medieval Fashion Trends
Fashion in the Middle Ages was anything but static. It was a vibrant, evolving tapestry that reflected the era’s cultural shifts, political changes, and social hierarchies
New Medieval Books: Textiles of the Viking North Atlantic
The eleven essays in this book examine what we know about clothing and textiles in the Viking Age. The first part is based on archaeological evidence, while the second makes use of practical experiments to recreate what the Norse in the North Atlantic might have worn.
Overlooked and Undervalued: Underwear in the Middle Ages
Despite being one of the most important garments, underwear is the part of medieval clothing that is often ignored and unexplored in historical fiction and costuming.
The emperor’s clothing and public appearances, with Maria Parani
A conversation with Maria Parani on the emperor’s clothing and the staging of his public appearances. We talk about his most formal garments, what he wore on the battlefield, his military banner, how he changed, and much more.
Why Viking clothing was so bold and colourful
How did the Norse dress in the Viking Age? It might surprise readers to find out that the Vikings wore vivid colours, flowing silk ribbons, and glittering bits of mirrors.
Medieval Wedding Dresses: A Guide
If you are a bride wanting to have a medieval look on your wedding day, what should you wear? While evidence about medieval wedding dresses is scattered in the sources, there are a few details we can learn. They reveal the brides would wear a lot of colour and several kinds of accessories.
Fashion for Fighting: Fabric Armor in the Latter Middle Ages
In this talk, we will discuss some of the types of defensive garments that existed in the 15th century through discussion and analysis of five different extant examples.
Shoes in the Middle Ages
What were medieval shoes like? What dictated medieval shoe styles?
Fashion Trends from the Middle Ages
How did fashion change during the Middle Ages? Using images from medieval manuscripts, we can track some of the changes in fashion over the centuries.
The Famous Headdress of Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir
One of the most famous pieces of clothing in Icelandic saga literature is the headdress that appears in Laxdæla saga.
Elite Vikings wore beaver furs, study finds
Beaver fur was a symbol of wealth and an important trade item in 10th-century Denmark, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
Byzantine dress and fashion, with Jennifer Ball and Elizabeth Dospěl Williams
A conversation with Jen Ball and Betsy Williams on the study of Byzantine dress and fashion. How do we know what people wore? Was clothing gendered? Why are dress and jewelry studied separately? And can we talk about fashion in Byzantium, or was fashion, as some believe, a modern development?
Medieval Noble Ladies and Their Servants: Who Wore What and Why
How clothing instantly messaged status, wealth, and place in noble society – from the royal ladies through the ranks of their household servants.
Rose de Burford and English Embroidery
My new book, How to Survive in Medieval England, published by Pen & Sword, is a guide to travelling in history: what to expect, how to dress, how to stay safe and what to look for on the menu.
