1. Clothing & Armor By: Kimberly Morris

2. What do your clothes say about you? Your clothes may tell someone what style you like or what you find comfortable but for the people of the middle ages their clothes defined them. Clothing was dictated by the feudal system and provided information about the status of the person wearing them..

3. Sumptuary Laws ● These laws distinguished seven social categories and made members of each class easily distinguished by their clothing. ● Also restricted the amount of funds ordinary people spent.

4. Sumptuary Laws Continued... ● English sumptuary laws of the middle ages were well known by all of the English people. ● Penalties for violating Sumptuary Laws could be harsh - fines, the loss of property, title, and even life. ● Clothing was an immediate way to distinguish ‘Who was Who.’

5. Ladies Clothing ● Ladies clothing changed every 100 years or so throughout the middle ages. ● During the early middle ages ladies dresses were mainly influenced by Greek & Roman women. ● Dresses were very tight to show of the elegance of the woman wearing it. ● Early middle ages women wore headdresses that covered their hair & later no headdresses were worn, hair was plaited and ornamented in gold, silver, or pearls.

6. Ladies Clothing

7. Kings & Lords ● Just like ladies clothing the clothing of kings and lords changed every 100 years or so. ● Clothing was influenced by classical styles of the Romans. ● Clothing was loose and short. ● A person's social position was determined by the hat or headdress that they wore. ● Around the 1200s luxury became a big thing, clothing was lavished in gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones. ● Around the 1400s Italian fashions were introduced.

8. Knight in Shining Armor ● Medieval knights suit of armor consisted of garments, chain mail, and iron plate. ● The parts of a knights suit of armor covered the most vulnerable parts of the body. ● Suits of armor were very expensive to produce and had to be custom fitted to the knight, any wrong fitting could be dangerous to the knight when fighting ● Knights armor also showed status, the better the quality of the armor the more important the knight

9. Woman’s Clothing ● Clothing was basic and practical. ● Dress was fastened at the waist with a girdle and was worn with a shawl. ● Colors were basic since dyes were expensive.

10. Peasant Clothing ● Also very basic and practical. ● Men in the lowest ranks always had clothing that was short and tight. ● They wore cloaks or capes that were made of coarse brown wool. ● Wore tunics that were fastened by belts, in these belts a knife, a purse, and sometimes working tools were suspended.

11. Monks ● Monks wore clothing called habits. ● The color of the habits varied according to their order. ● Habits were generally greyish- white and sometimes brown. ● Each medieval monk had two tunics, two cowls, a scapular for work, and shoes & stockings. ● Some monks also wore a cross around their neck.

12. Nuns ● Same rules applied to the Nuns clothing as it did the monks, except that the main color that prevailed over time was black instead of brown and white, although there were some who wore those colors. ● Each nun had two habits, two wimples or veils, a scapular for work, stockings, and shoes. ● Some nuns also wore crosses around their neck.

13. Bibliography "Middle Ages Clothing." Middle Ages. Web. 28 Feb. 2011..