Online Dress Up and Makeover Games

Online fashion games fall into a few general categories. The simplest fashion-themed games include dress up, makeover, fashion design, and room decor. More complicated games fall under the categories of puzzle solving, time management, arcade and action, and card and board games.

Girly Fashion Games

Ages 3 and up.
(GFG) posts simple dress up, makeover, and room decor games in a blog format. Special categories include fairies, dancers, and pets. Young children can easily play GFG games using only the mouse to point, click, and drag to dress and apply make up to dolls and to rearrange rooms and doll houses.

Category pages can get noisy when multiple games include music. Clicking on the title of a game isolates it on its own page and solves the noise issue.

Cartoon Doll Emporium

Ages 6 and up.
CartoonDollEmporium.com (CDE) hosts thousands of free games. Within the CDE virtual world, players can make their own doll, adopt a pet, raise a baby, decorate a room, earn cartoon dollars, form clubs, and interact with other CDE members.
In addition to games, CDE provides a platform for writing original stories and creating art projects, as well as for participating in polls, voting, a fashion design contest, and doll awards.

Read on 

CDE contains advertising and interactive components such as chat, but is fully COPPA-compliant (coppa.org) to protect children's online privacy.

Big Fish Games

Ages 6 and up.
Big Fish Games (BFG) offers popular online and downloadable fashion-themed and other games. BFG fashion games range from simple dress up, makeover, and fashion design to more complicated fashion-themed mysteries, puzzles, hidden object games, and more.
The Big Fish Games Community allows members to earn tokens by playing online games and to interact via chat, friends lists, and forums. Players use tokens to enter lotteries to win cash, prizes, and more tokens.
In addition to online games, Big Fish offers free trials of games and a game club for purchasing downloadable games at discount. Popular downloadable fashion games include Satisfashion, a fashion design time management game, Masters of Mystery - Crime of Fashion, a hidden object game, and Fashion Solitaire, a card game.
Home decor offerings include Home Sweet Home, an interior design time management game, and Dream Day First Home, a redecorating and hidden object game.

Fashion Design Schools

A Degree is Important for a Fashion Design Career

For those who are serious about working in the world of fashion design, a degree in this field is almost a necessity. Although one may have an extreme amount of raw talent in the area of design, most employers are looking for someone with a degree. Furthermore, fashion design programs teach a comprehensive curriculum, which will help fill in any gaps a person may be lacking in their own knowledge.
There are Certificate Programs, as well as two-year Associate Degrees and four-year Bachelor of Science Degrees offered in the field of fashion design. Any degree is beneficial, with the Associate's Degree including a more intensive study as it is a shorter program. However, since this is a very competitive field, a Bachelor's Degree may be the best route as it allows for more classes as well as more experience.

Another major benefit to completing a degree is that most schools and colleges offer internships to students, as well as solid networking for the job hunt. Internships provide the much needed experience to be fully prepared for a job in this field. Additionally, an internship often leads into a job with the same company, or provides contacts for related job openings.

Fashion Design Schools and Institutes

Fashion design colleges and schools are plentiful. One option is The Art Institute, which has 19 locations in major cities across the U.S., as well as online degree programs as well. Some of the other top schools offering fashion design are:

• Berkeley College, New York (online programs also available)
• International Academy of Design and Technology (online programs also available)
• Academy of Art University (online programs also available)
• American Intercontinental University
• Westwood College (online programs also available)

Examples of Fashion Design Classes

Individuals looking to get a fashion design degree may already have a basic knowledge of skills such as drawing and sewing. However, those enrolled in this type of program will be educated in a variety of areas such as sketching, art theory, color theory, fabrics, pattern making, and sewing. This is just a small sampling, and any number of fashion design schools can give examples of their curriculum.

Fashion Design2010

In the high-profile world of fashion design, the emphasis is increasingly placed on selling a dream rather than on describing the cut and construction of garments. The fashion press excels in presenting whimsical creations on models known for their beauty, poise, and exposure. Technological advancements within the field of fashion design are rarely mentioned. When one takes a closer look at the fashion industry, however, one sees how computer technology has changed the landscape and possesses the ability to transform it further.
The design and production of garments usually is the work of a team of individuals, each of whom specializes in a different process. A designer, or design team, will first produce sketches of garments or drape fabric on a dressform to obtain different styles. The artistic rendering of a garment is there to create a mood and is typically supplemented with precise line drawings that are known as "flats." With computer-aided design (CAD) software, a designer can scan a sketch and manipulate the result with image-editing software or draw directly onto the computer's …

MODEL EXPECTATIONS

I am often asked by so many aspiring models, how to break into the industry. As in any fashion trade, modeling is an extremely competitive and cutthroat business. You've seen "Americas Next Top Model" and "Janice Dickinson's Modeling Agency" which glamorize the world of fashion shoots, runway shows and designer clothing. However to get to that working model stature, it can be quite a challenge.

However, models are needed on any level, from local boutique fashion shows to regional advertising campaigns to national cover girls. The steps to get to the top can be extremely difficult but not impossible. It is important to expect to work hard, listen to industry experts and build your book.

FIND A REPUTABLE AGENT

Don't be scammed into paying thousands of dollars by an agency that promises to make you famous. If living in a small town or city, research the agencies that actually work with professional clients, such as advertising and film production companies, and show producers. Don't sign with a company that claims to bring in outside scouts from LA and NYC. A real agent will help build your book so that you are ready to actually work in those markets.

START EARLY

It's no secret that models keep getting younger and younger. Some of the freshest faces on magazine covers are as young as 13. Getting an early start is an advantage that is worthy to explore if possible. However, models of every age continue to work in the industry every day.

BUILD YOUR BOOK

When going to a "Go-See" for a potential job, the client will ask to see your book or portfolio of pictures. Make sure your book is current with all of your previous experience and has a range of different looks you can achieve. To build your book, many new models work with professional photographers on test-shoots and even offer to model for student photographers. These jobs may not pay but can give you some amazing pictures for free.

TAKE A CLASS

Ask your reputable agent where you can take a class to work on posing for the camera or walking the runway. Many agents offer classes onsite to help their clientele improve their modeling skills, while some professionals also teach classes at fashion schools or on a private level.

SALARY EXPECTATIONS

Remember an agency will take 15-20% of what you earn on a paying job. This is unavoidable if you want to book the good gigs. Based on your current market, models are often paid a flat fee for the job. For example, an advertising client may pay $250/model per day for a 2-day shoot. Your agent will take their commission before taxes and then you will receive your check.

BE A REALISTIC SUPERMODEL

Giselle and Heidi Klum didn't expect to become internationally sensations and neither should you. Clients can spot the divas a mile away and are really looking for the fresh face that will work best for them. Have a positive and confident attitude and think big and you just may be the girl on the next cover of VOGUE.

Little Black Dress

Every woman looks great wearing it, and every woman has her own. It is the default date ensemble when it is one of those "I have nothing to wear" days. In fact, it is so popular, so necessary, and so much an institution in women's fashion that we had to ask: "Where did the "little black dress" come from?"

To properly understand the fashion environment necessary to produce such a simplistically fabulous necessity for any wardrobe, we must visit the 1920's. As women shed their long, layered dresses, cut their hair and enjoyed the fast-paced party life, society slowly became more accepting of women baring slightly more of her shoulders, back, and legs. The coveted silhouette of the era was generally very slender and youthful.

It was during the 20's that the legendary fashion designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel first stitched her name into the history of women's clothing design. In fact, Chanel's designs are often considered to be the epitome of the 20's style because her work was so fresh, modern, and updated.

Chanel encouraged and inspired the style we typically envision when we think of flappers. She was fond of working with neutral colors and soft easy-to-wear jersey fabrics that were simple in shape and cut. Chanel was able to infuse comfort and sophistication into fashion, and this combination was considered revolutionary. It was during her early work, that Chanel designed and introduced the first little black dress to the world.

First introduced in 1926, black was previously considered to be a color reserved for funerals and periods of mourning. Truly simple and sexy, Chanel's design was a sleeveless sheath cut just above the knee. She could have never predicted the immediate and lasting love women would have with her simple, chic black dress.

As Chanel was quoted, "Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury." Whether a woman's little black dress cost $50 or $2,000 her intention is the same: to look effortlessly classic and appropriately sexy in just seconds. While most of us cannot afford to buy Chanel's breathtakingly beautiful pieces, we can certainly wear our trusty black dresses with the modern, sophisticated attitude she possessed.

Gym Clothes for Women

Hitting the gym and working out for hours might not be an an easy task. Wearing the right gear including clothes and footwear while you exercise is definitely helpful in adding comfort to the workout routine. Moreover, wearing one of the best exercise clothes for women will help you look perfect and stylish amongst the crowd at your gym. Whatever be the reason, comfort or style, choosing the right gym clothes for women is extremely essential. So before you go to shop for these just go through the following paragraphs. Here are the various styles of workout clothes for women and tips on picking the best piece.

Choosing the Gym Wear for Women

While choosing gym clothes for women, there are few factors that must be kept in mind. Firstly the clothes that you will be wearing while performing various exercises must be stretchable. Be it any style of clothing, you must be able to do free movements. The clothes you wear should not restrict your movements. So, gym clothes made from stretchable fabrics are best to go for. You can check this by gently stretching the piece or take a trail of this outfit.

The next essential factor that must be considered while buying gym clothes for women is the ability to absorb moisture. Sweat absorbent fabrics or breathable fabrics make the best gym clothes for women. These will help absorb sweat and avoid discomfort caused due to sweating. Skin-friendly fabrics also avoid skin chafing and reddening due to friction.

Right fit and comfort is something that you can't forget while buying women's clothes for gym. Right fitting undergarments, tops, pant and shoes as well make the best gym attire. Make sure that the sleeves are not too long, or the pant is not too short. Also pick something that you are comfortable wearing. Do you feel tank tops are too revealing? Well, in that case just shop for a stylish t-shirt from the best brands which will be equally comfortable. Are you not comfortable in long pants? Then just go for half or calf length slacks.

Options in Gym Wear for Women

If you are searching for cheap gym clothes for women, simply take one of your old tees and pair it with a new pair of slacks to look perfect. In tops, you can choose from short sleeved or sleeveless t-shirts, tank tops or spaghetti tops for exercising. Make sure you do not pick anything that has a collar. Also avoid wearing loose outfits, as I mentioned earlier, the right fit is a must.

While picking the pants, slacks made of stretchable and moisture absorbent fabrics are the best choice. No need to mention that baggy pants are a strict no-no. You can wear track pants of the desired length but not below the ankles for best comfort while you exercise. Pair of top and slacks with matching colors and prints are amongst the stylish gym clothes for women. Shorts with tank tops or tees also make cute gym clothes for women. Adding a matching headband, wristband, socks and shoes will enhance the look of your outfit.

Along with the best outfit, make sure that you wear a sports bra, which is one of the most important parts of your workout gear. Again, comfort, support, ability to absorb moisture and right fitting are the factors to be kept in mind while buying this. While you pick the gym clothes for women, fashion trends in gym wear need not be followed. Wear something that you are comfortable in and make it your style statement. Pick the best outfits, hit the gym and exercise with comfort and confidence.

Fabric for Workout Clothes for Men

Regular exercise is the best way to maintain physical fitness and overall well being. Whether it's running, jumping, weight lifting, stretching, etc., all these exercises help in losing those extra kilos and shaping the body. Besides these physical aspects, exercises also help in strengthening muscles, the cardiovascular system and boosting our immune system that helps fight different health ailments like obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, etc. Hence, considering all these benefits of exercise, it is vital for all of us to follow a regular exercise regime in order to stay fit on a long term. However, besides the different types of exercises we do in a gym or at home, workout clothes for men or women are an important element that make a huge difference in our workout.

Most of us are unaware of the fact that well choosen workout clothes for men or women can help us to exercise well and for longer duration of time. Imagine yourself exercising wearing an old jeans and a flannel shirt, i am sure after a few minutes of exercising you will see yourself drenched in sweat with no energy to exercise further. Hence, it is very important that before your start any exercise program, you should have some decent workout clothes which will help you exercising properly. You more information on workout clothing read the article on plus size workout clothing.

Fabric for Workout Clothes for Men

Usually what happens is when we go shopping for some good gym workout clothes for men, these clothes turn out to be very expensive, especially the ones which are designer made or those with special designs and fabrics. Moreover, most of us don't know what to look for while choosing workout clothes for men. Basically when you look for workout clothes, first check whether it is made of good fabric or not. Good fabric is nothing but a kind of fabric which will let you body breath and fit well.

The two most commonly used fabrics in exercising clothes are cotton or synthetic material like a polyester. Though cotton made workout clothes are excellent, especially in summers for daily activities as well as for workouts, the only disadvantage is that they collect moisture and doesn't allow the skin to breath as effectively as clothes made of other synthetic materials. This means that you will be soaked during the entire workout wearing cotton made workout clothes and since cotton shrinks these clothes are not very useful for long, regular and strenuous workouts.

However a better fabric option for workout clothes for men is polyester which is light in weight and breathable. It is soft, quick drying and resists shrinking and stretching. Likewise even nylon and spandex are good when it comes to exercise clothes. They are also light in weight, strong, quick drying and affordable too. Used alone or when blended together, all these fabrics can serve as good workout clothes materials that would be breathable, stretchable and won't shrink even after repeated use. For more assistance on women workout clothing read the article on exercise clothes for women.

Workout Clothes for Men

Below given are some of the best workout clothes for men that can be worn while exercising.

Workout Shorts: Tight and loose fitted compression shorts including lace up, flex workout shorts, made of spandex can be worn as a base layer under outer workout clothes. They benefit by providing overall support and keeping the muscles warm to avoid cramps and strains.

Workout Pants: Cotton jogging pants or workout pants for men can be a good option for walking or just lounging around the house. However, when it comes to proper workout in the gym or otherwise, workout pants like big performance pants, karate or flex tech pants, made of a polyester blend which provide a little stretch and full range of movement can be a good option to consider. You can even go for zip up or snap ankles option in your workout pants if in case you feel like removing your pants in the middle of the workout session without much of trouble.

Workout Shirts: Surely, your workout shirts cannot be your regular cotton tee shirts, rather go for something which is made of polyester or some other synthetic fiber blend. This is because tee shirts made of such fabric help in regulating your body temperature by absorbing the sweat and letting your body breath while exercising. Workout shirts for men mainly include options like tank top, sleeveless muscle tee, victory tee shirts, and many more.

Workout Sweatshirts: Sweatshirts or hokies are great workout clothes to stay warm before and after the workout. Especially in winters when you are jogging outside these sweatshirts or hokies can be very appropriate workout clothes for men.

I hope the information given in this article on best workout clothes for men proves to be useful to you all. However, along with these workout clothes for men, it is equally important to wear proper workout shoes to enjoy and attain maximum benefits of exercising. The best workout shoes for men and women is one that provides proper cushioning as well as stability to your feet.

Designing Clothes

Sumptuary Laws

In a society as rigidly structured as Medieval Europe, sumptuary laws were probably inevitable. As cities and trade developed, more untitled individuals became rich from trade and the nobility noticed a disturbing development -- mere merchants could now afford to clothe themselves in expensive material! This was unacceptable, of course. If the common rabble could afford silks and scarlets, then it was going to become increasingly difficult to tell who was who. As a result, laws sprang up all over Europe dictating who could wear what. Certain colors, materials, styles, and even decorative patterns were forbidden to anyone without a good pedigree. The laws varied from place to place, and included such eccentric details as how tall a lady's hennin could be (it was proportional to her rank), what classes of people could wear pointy shoes (no one at or below the level of "artisan"), and that peasants should never wear more than one color at once except, perhaps, a differently colored hood for special occasions.
There were other, less obvious reasons for instituting sumptuary laws, however. In some places, it was the clergy who pressed for the laws, fearing that fashion (and hence, vanity) was getting way out of hand. The clergy generally targeted fashions that were too revealing or ostentatious, e.g. men's short hemlines and women's trains. Sometimes the purpose of regulation was to keep young noblemen from bankrupting themselves in an attempt to keep up with the latest fashions at court. Being titled did not automatically mean you were rich, and young men in particular were prone to ruining their family fortunes. Finally, some places instituted sumptuary laws as a means of protecting local industry or stimulating trade. In England during the fourteenth century, for example, laws prohibited the purchase of any non-English fabric, protecting their wool industry against the threat of cheap foreign imports.

Social Markers

Clothing has meaning beyond its beauty or utility. I have already outlined how sumptuary laws helped reinforce social strata by relegating certain fashions and materials to specific segments of society. Clothing also served to send more specific messages. Just as we can identify police officers, medical workers, and even store clerks today by their uniforms, clothing differentiated certain groups in Medieval society. The wealthy were responsible for clothing their servants -- what better way to advertise one's power than to dress them all alike, in a livery based upon the colors of one's coat of arms? Some nobles even dressed their children in livery. The coat of arms itself is another example of a clothing signifier. While it never really caught on for everyday wear, coats of arms or their devices did appear occasionally on formal clothing, and were specific enough that one could immediately identify the wearer's parentage.
Members of guilds often dressed in specific colors, and were therefore readily identifiable as tailors, tanners, etc. Members of religious orders dressed in distinctive habits, which earned them nicknames -- the Franciscans, for example, were sometimes called "Cordeliers" after their distinctive belts of knotted cord (and I am amused to note that, as I write this, my spell-check not only recognizes the word "Cordeliers," but capitalizes it for me, suggesting that the name is still in use). Doctors, especially during times of plague, wore a sack-like bird mask over their heads, and the protruding beak was filled with various herbs to keep harmful vapors at bay. Pilgrims carried a distinctive staff and a bag for bread. Sometimes they wore emblems and souvenirs from the sites they visited, such as the scallop shell of Santiago de Compostela. It was important for them to be identifiable: because of their holy mission, it was a gross offense, both legally and spiritually, to harm them. Potential cutthroats were, I'm sure, grateful for the warning that killing the traveler with the staff would earn them an extra hot place in hell.
Medieval people had a horror of leprosy. Some communities tried to force lepers to wear distinctive clothing, and for a while, in the south of France, sufferers had to wear a patch in the shape of a duck's foot. Imposing standards of dress on lepers, however, proved difficult since no one wanted to get close enough to do it. Instead, lepers used a rattle or clapper to warn others of their approach, and this had one advantage over clothing -- you could tell when one was coming up behind you.
Local laws required Jews, "Saracens," and sometimes even Christian deviants to wear distinctive clothing, or markers on their clothing, so they could be readily identified. Again, the details varied from community to community. For Jews, the markers most often consisted of a round patch, usually yellow, about the size of a human palm, to be displayed prominently upon the front of the garment. They could sometimes get out of wearing it -- for a fee, of course. Muslims were marked with a yellow crescent. In fact, visible religious identification may have begun in Islamic countries as a means of identifying those who were exempt from heeding the call to prayer. In Christian Europe, however, lawmakers were more interested in segregation, in preventing intermarriage, and in increasing the revenues brought in by tolls and taxes levied exclusively on non-Christians.
The clothing worn by prostitutes was also heavily regulated. Their required markers were sometimes extremely visible: striped hoods or cloaks, black and white pointed hats, and yellow dresses are just a few variations. These later evolved into armbands of a certain color, or a hood cut in a distinctive shape. Fur, jewelry, and even embroidery were generally forbidden to prostitutes, although the reasons for this are ambiguous. It may have been because such finery was only considered appropriate for respectable women, but it may also have been for the protection of the prostitutes themselves. Such visible wealth could have made them targets for robbery, and with no male guardians, they wouldn't have had much legal recourse.

Last Thoughts

What fascinates me most about medieval clothing is how little we know. That seems to contradict what I said in the very first paragraph, I realize, but it underscores an important point -- medieval clothing is largely a matter of interpretation. Very little fabric remains from that era, thanks to Europe's climate. Writings contain references to articles of clothing that sometimes can't be identified precisely. Artwork depicts men much more frequently than women, or depicts farmhands laboring in their Sunday best, or gives us representations that are hard to understand. A painting of a woman with a butterfly veil, for example, raises more questions than it answers: if the veil is presumably held up by wires, how thick were they? Were they visible? Could you have put your eye out with one? Was the veil stiffly starched, or do the wires hold all the weight? No one knows for sure. The information has to be interpreted, and interpretations differ. This is part of why the costumes in Camelot look like they're from the 60s, and those from A Knight's Tale, when we watch it years from now, will look so very turn-of-the-millennium. We see the Middle Ages, ultimately, through the prism of our own experiences.

New Clothing

We always have a large stock of clothes for summer, winter and mix. All types of qualities and materials -cotton, polyester,wool, etc.
Our clothes are from various parts of the world besides Denmark. We have also clothing from France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and other parts of the world.
We buy our stocks from all over the world in very large quantities, which means that we often are capable of offering unique prices which in many cases are below the production price. So contact us now and make a good deal!
Our products:

• sweatshirts
• suits
• dresses
• shorts
• sports clothing
• shirts
• t-shirts
• polo shirts
• track suit
• blouses
• trousers
• jeans

We have stock return goods. Mostly in original packing

Gender Markers

During the early Middle Ages, the difference in masculine and feminine profile was not very pronounced: both sexes wore a long tunic called a "bliaut," belted at the waist, and perhaps a cloak. This is not to say men and women looked alike -- men wore beards and their hemlines sometimes crept up to the knee -- but rather that both sexes were still in skirts. It was only later, corresponding to the development of armor, that a strong differentiation began to manifest itself.
The bliaut, while compatible with chain mail, did not wear well under the more sophisticated plate armor that developed. The bliaut was too long, and its T-shape meant that its sleeves bunched up under the arms, which was uncomfortable under armor. The pourpoint or joupon, a shorter garment with a more tailored contour, was developed to replace the tunic and was worn with hose. The joupon eventually evolved into the more familiar doublet, a long sleeved, jacket-like garment, often quilted, which tapered at the waist and flared at the hips. This "skirt" didn't provide any coverage whatsoever, meaning that hose (which began life as thigh high stockings held up by straps) had to be lengthened and joined together at the top. Hose were not knit: what little stretch they had came from cutting the material on the bias (diagonally). They had to be tied to the bottom of the doublet because they didn't stay up well. They did, however, show off the legs admirably. The result is that men ended up with a different profile than women -- they now wore a form-fitting outfit with articulated limbs, while the women were still in skirts.
With this differentiation came the systematic exaggeration of other masculine characteristics. Doublets were padded for a pigeon-breasted, manly-man effect. Codpieces, one of the most comical fashions ever, grew to prominence. From their humble beginnings as the mere defenders of masculine modesty, codpieces were eventually padded, embroidered, bejeweled, and obvious. Some could be used for storage like a pocket or a purse. Shoulder padding and short capes added to a man's breadth, and even beards made a comeback after the crusades. To see all these innovations put to good use, almost any portrait of Henry VIII will do.
In 21st century America the stereotype of women being more caught up in fashion than men is still pretty common, but in the Middle Ages people considered the opposite to be true. Men, especially in the upper classes, were highly concerned with clothing and very fond of finery. It's likely that women were too, but the usual troubles with documentation occur -- men did most of the recording, and they seem to have had a lot more interest in their own clothing than in whatever the women may have been wearing. It is not uncommon to find a detailed record of what a duke was wearing on his wedding day that makes no mention whatsoever of his bride's clothing. Cautionary exempla tales decry women's predilection for fancy dress more than men's, but then, they decry all the vices in women more than in men.
The most remarkable developments in women's fashion during the Middle Ages occurred not in their clothing but in their headgear. Clothing itself changed superficially: waistlines and necklines moved up and down, sleeves alternated between voluminous and tight-fitting. Women generally dressed in two layers, an overdress (cote-hardie) and an underdress (the aforementioned bliaut). Sometimes a linen shift -- as close as a Medieval woman got to underwear -- was worn under the bliaut, but this was chiefly an affectation of the wealthy. The houppelande, a voluminous robe also worn by men (with slightly different styling), was popular until the fourteenth century and was worn on top of everything else. Headgear, however, is where Medieval women's clothing had its true distinctiveness.
Head coverings were not optional, first of all. Only young girls were permitted to go around with their heads uncovered. Hair was emblematic of feminine seductiveness -- Eve, Jezebel, Mary Magdalene, and other biblical temptresses commonly appear with their hair down. In addition, a quirk of Medieval theology encouraged women to keep their ears hidden. Some theologians believed Mary had conceived through her ear, thereby retaining her virginity, but creating an odd and, frankly, creepy sexualization of the feminine ear. Pulling off anyone's hat was considered a crime, but forcibly removing a woman's headdress, in particular, was tantamount to accusing her of being a whore.
In late antiquity and the early Medieval period, women's headdresses consisted mostly of a "couvre-chef," a large square of cloth (generally linen) draped over the head and held in place by a strip of fabric or a circlet. Hair was worn Frankish style: two long plaits entwined with ribbons or leather strips, and sporting pointy metal tips at the ends. That much sexy hair couldn't be left out where everyone could see it for long -- the braids were soon being wrapped around the ears or the back of the head, carefully tucked under where no one could see it. The coverchief turned into the wimple, which covered the head, hair, ears, neck, and sometimes even the cheeks and forehead. A variety of hats and turbans could be worn over a wimple. The wimple drifted in and out of popularity, until only nuns and widows were still wearing them. A vestige remained in the form of the barbette, a linen strap under the chin, but by and large women's throats were out in the open during the later Middle Ages.
That's when the really strange hats started appearing. It has been hypothesized that women's hats during the gothic period were intended to emulate architecture, and that makes sense in the case of the steeple-like hennin. Some headdresses, however, resembled horns more than churches. Fine linen veils became popular, supported in various winged shapes by wires. Ears eventually became visible again, but women began plucking their hairlines to give themselves what Chaucer called a "high forheed," tucking any hint of hair away under their hats.
As with men's codpieces, women's clothing engaged in the systematic exaggeration of feminine features. Padding was worn under clothing to make bellies bulge, and the bum-bolster (a late development) did exactly what its name suggests. Cosmetics, some of them highly toxic, whitened the skin and teeth. Weaves and wigs lengthened and thickened hair.
The notion of pink as feminine and blue as masculine would have been reversed in the Middle Ages. While specific colors were not assigned to gender, blue was considered a weaker color than pink (which derives from red, after all). Blue also connoted gentleness and was associated with Mary. Red stood for power, passion, wealth, and blood. Green was more ambiguous -- it could stand for envy, but also was associated with spring and youth. Yellow was generally in disfavor and associated with various vices, among them avarice and cowardice. Black was not used as a color for mourning until nearly the Renaissance, and then only by the wealthy. White stood for purity, but was not worn by brides -- whatever their station, people were simply married in the very best clothing they owned.

Medieval Clothes

We all know what the Middle Ages looked like. Medieval clothing, in particular, is easy to picture, since we've encountered it everywhere from movies to fairy tales to high school productions of King Lear. Even as a child I knew hennins, hose, pageboy haircuts, and pointy shoes. This vision of medieval Europe is highly stereotyped, of course, but that's what makes it useful. The medieval setting is a staple of fantasy novels -- it's romantic, it's picturesque, and it gives the modern, western reader a starting point in common with the author. Fashion may have changed substantially during the thousand years between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance, but there seems to be little point in a work of fiction delving too deeply into the subtleties -- even if one describes the clothing in more detail, the reader will either get snagged on strange terminology or end up picturing stereotypical Medieval clothing anyway.
This is not to say that a little bit of education about medieval clothing wouldn't be useful to the writer of speculative fiction, but in a different way than one might imagine. Clothing is never just clothing: it can carry with it a variety of social, economic, and even moral implications. The Middle Ages are foreign enough to our experience that many of their ways of thinking about clothing will be counterintuitive for us. I am going to take you on a small tour of clothing production and of the many roles that clothing played in medieval life. My hope, as always, is that you will find some odd detail that grabs you, something that might not have occurred to you otherwise. The seeds of fiction, in my experience, are almost always facts.

Materials and Manufacturing

As might be expected, wool was by far the most common raw material for medieval clothing. The quality of wool varied widely, depending on the breed of sheep and where it was raised -- British wool was, even then, considered superior due to the cool, wet climate and longer grazing season. Long, fine, white fibers were preferable to short, coarse, dark ones, since they resulted in a finer, stronger thread that could be dyed more brilliantly. Although the exact dates are unknown, the Middle Ages saw the invention of the spinning wheel, the European horizontal loom (other horizontal looms already being in use elsewhere in the world), and the fulling mill, which beat, shrank, and softened wool cloth mechanically.
Wool fabric varied widely in price, depending on the quality of wool used, the hue and darkness of the color, and the process by which it had been woven. The cheapest cloth would have been coarse, scratchy, undyed dark wool, possibly blended with linen or hemp. More expensive fabric would be lighter and finer, could involve a patterned weave instead of a straight basket weave, and would have been softened by fulling. The most expensive woolen fabric would have been nearly as fine as silk. Woad dyed wool various shades of blue or, in combination with other plants, green. The most expensive and prestigious color was red from the kermes insect, and this dye, when combined with a regimen of fulling and clipping, produced the highly luxurious Scarlet cloth (from which "scarlet," the color, derives). Black, which was so popular amongst nobility in the late Middle Ages, was produced not by simply weaving black wool, but by a complicated dying process that made it very expensive, which in turn contributed to its popularity.
We generally associate silks with China, where silk technologies originated. By the time of the Roman Empire, however, silk production had spread all the way to Persia, and it was carried still further in the early Medieval period by Muslims, crossing the north of Africa and into southern Europe. By the thirteenth century, Spain, Italy, and Sicily were producing silks of high enough quality to rival Byzantium's eastern imports. More silk on the market meant it was no longer used exclusively for liturgical purposes. Rich people could actually afford to wear it themselves, and the not-so-rich could sometimes afford a little brocade or ribbon to trim their woolen garments.
It is difficult to gauge how much linen and hemp were used since vegetable fibers decay so rapidly in Europe's wet climate. It is probably safe to assume, however, that because they were so easy to grow and process, even at the cottage level, they were widely used. Linen does not take dye very well, so most linens were left white. They were worn as head coverings and veils, underclothes, aprons, infant clothes, and work clothes for hot weather.
Europeans associated the wearing of animal skins with paganism and barbarity, so one does not see much leather clothing. Shoes, belts, gloves, artisans' aprons, and armor (or padding for armor) are about the extent of it. Fur became popular for trim or to line the inside of warm garments. The more expensive varieties were frequently a dramatic color: sable, vair, ermine, and miniver (squirrel).
The actual production of clothing took place in many different ways. The most straightforward way was to have your women do everything at home, from wool processing to weaving to sewing. This had been the tradition in classical Greece and Rome, and was continued, particularly in rural households, throughout the Middle Ages. As population centers grew, however, the production of textiles became a centralized industry, and therefore more the domain of men. Weaving and sewing became separate crafts, practiced by separate guilds.
For the wealthy, it would have been most common to employ the services of a tailor and have clothing custom-made. The customer would be responsible for providing the tailor with the fabric, but the tailor would provide the thread. If one wanted fur trim or embroidery, a furrier or embroiderer (each from a different guild) could also be employed. Royal households would have had all these craftsmen on staff, sometimes one per each adult in the household. This is not to say that the art of sewing was lost in wealthy households -- women, and not just servants, would certainly have been engaged in embroidery and lace making, if nothing else, but it is likely that some did repairs and alterations themselves as well.
Surprisingly enough, there was also some ready-made clothing available. Mercers' shops, the medieval answer to the general store, sold a variety of items. Most seem to have been accessories, like gloves, caps, and socks, but some carried simple shifts and hose as well. Tailors would also sometimes have clothing for sale that had been made but not paid for. While this was not exactly department-store convenience, it was still an interesting and unusual development for medieval Europe, where such products usually passed directly from producer to consumer.

Article of Clothing

Free Shipping on Orders Over $300 Anywhere in the Continental US

15% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER!
ENTER: PRIMETIME AT CHECKOUT!!!

Shop Now Shop Now Shop Now

Exercise has become extremely popular and sports clothes manufacturers have been quick to respond to consumer demand. Each sport has its own specific clothing requirements, but the most important consideration for the general exerciser is that clothes are comfortable, that they allow the body to breathe normally, and that they stretch to allow maximum freedom of movement. There is no need to buy expensive designer sports clothes, some of which are more suited to the poser than the exerciser. Loose-fitting cotton T-shirts, high-cut elasticated shorts, and one-piece leotards with tights which fit snugly over the legs are popular and fulfil the basic requirements. It is also important to wear a tracksuit or shell suit at the start and end of an exercise session to prevent chills. If the temperature is very low, the best way to keep warm is by wearing two or more layers of clothes. The inner layer should allow sweat to escape so that you will not get wet. The outer layer should be wind-resistant, waterproof, and ideally should also let sweat escape. Up to 40 per cent of body heat can be lost through the head, so you should wear a hat in cold weather. You should not overdress or you might overheat during exercise. It is a good idea to wear an outer layer which can be zipped open for quick cooling off.

Gloves are a very useful accessory for several sports. Weight-lifters use fingerless gloves to improve grip and to prevent blisters forming; cyclists use padded gloves to reduce the risk of injuring the delicate structures in the palm of the hand when gripping handlebars for long periods; and runners often put on thin woollen gloves to keep their hands warm in cold weather.

Probably the most important parts of the body to clothe properly are the feet. Padded socks made from cotton or a cotton-wool mixture absorb sweat and help protect the feet from blisters and other injuries. A wide range of footwear is available, but it is important to obtain shoes specifically designed for your activity and which suit your own requirements (see training shoes).

Those exercising as part of a weight reduction programme should avoid rubberized or plastic suits as they prevent heat loss and can be very dangerous. Despite claims to the contrary, these suits do not accelerate fat loss. See also clo unit.