Anglo-Saxon Clothes
As an answer to a question. More info can probably be found at some of the more Anglo-Saxon oriented sites linked to in the archive and at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_dress (as a good start). The Anglo-Saxon clothes seems related, though not identical, to Norse clothing. However some things , like the tunic, the cloak and tight trousers (for men) seems to have been common in many medieval cultures.
My apologies to the ones of Anglo-Saxon and other Heathen traditions.
It would seem (me being Swedish) that i have been a bit Ethnocentric in my ways of portraying things. Sometimes i´m so focused on my own folklore/culture that i forget that there are many rich traditions of Heathenry and culture out there.
If this is not enough or if there are more specific questions i will consult the a friend of mine who is an Anglo-Saxon Heathen and hit the (more academic) books.
Anglo_Saxon scolars, feel free to correct me.
http://whotalking.com/flickr/Anglo-Saxon
Materials
Anglo-Saxon clothing usually utilized only three types of fabric. Wool was a coarse material which was used for most garments. Lower-class people, such as slaves (theow) and poorer peasants (gebur) could only use wool for their garments, even garments worn against the skin. Linen, harvested from the flax plant, was a finer material which was used for garments that were worn close to the skin by better-off peasants (kotsetlas and geneatas) and those above them in the social hierarchy. Silk was an extremely expensive material, and it was used only by the very rich, and then only for trim and decoration.
Fifth and sixth centuries
Seventh to tenth centuries
Women’s clothing
5th to 7th centuries
Women wore an under-dress of linen or wool with long sleeves and a draw-string neck. Sleeves were fastened with clasps for wealthier women, or drawn together with braid or string for poorer women.
The outer dress was a tube of material, rather like a pinafore, and often called a ‘peplos’. A pair of shoulder-brooches or clasps held this onto the under-dress. A belt was worn, from which various accessories were hung. There is some linguistic evidence that shawls were worn, as well as cloaks, which were fastened either centrally or to the right shoulder with a brooch. Shoes were as for men, and woollen socks were probably worn. Rings, bracelets and beaded necklaces were popular.
7th to 9th centuries
Shoulder-brooches and wrist-clasps went out of fashion, and the sleeves of the over-dress now came to just below elbow-length on the arms and calf-length around the legs. The under-dress was cut longer than the over-dress. Veils held on by headbands or fillets became more popular as Christianity spread. Centrally-fastened cloaks replaced the earlier styles, often reaching to the knee and sometimes with a hood.
10th to 11th centuries
The under-dress was now often pleated or folded, while the sleeves of the over-dress tended to flare towards the wrist. Dresses were edged with tablet-weave, and head-dresses became larger, covering the head and neck and hanging over the shoulders. They were held in place with pins. Belt accessories became far less popular, while a slight pointing of the shoes became more fashionable. Cloaks were now rectangular with a hole cut out for the head, and held in place with a belt.
5th and 6th centuriesMen wore wool or linen hip-length undershirts with long sleeves, and probably loin-cloths. Woollen trousers were held up with a belt threaded through loops. A tunic was pulled over the head, and reached down to the knees. It was usually decorated at the wrists, neck and hem, and was long-sleeved. A belt was worn at the waist, often with a decorated buckle and strap-end. Pouches, knives and other accessories might be hung from the belt. Shoes were made usually from a single piece of leather, but perhaps with an extra piece to form a sole. They were fastened with laces, toggles or loops.
7th to 11th centuries
Tunics tended to have extra pleats inserted at the front, and sleeves became fairly tight-fitting between elbow and wrist. Bands of cloth, like military ‘puttees’ were often wound around the leg from knee to ankle. Belts tended to become thinner, and money may sometimes have been carried in pouches. Cloaks, where worn, varied in length, but were rectangular in shape and fastened at the shoulder. There is evidence that shoes were sometimes fastened with buckles or buttons. Jewellery became increasingly popular. Socks were probably worn by some from earliest times, but there is hard evidence for them in the later period.
The costume of a Christian Anglo-Saxon noble woman of the ninth century.
The overdress is ankle length, wide, overdress with fairly wide sleeves reaching to mid forearm and a round neck opening. The cut of this dress resembles the tunics worn in the Late Roman and Byzantine times, like the tunic dalmatica. Beneath it a less wide, ankle length under dress is worn with long tight sleeves. The sleeves are longer then my arms to create the wrinkles on the lower part of my arms.
The veil could be colored and voluminous and it could be fastened with fillet or ribbon.
The fabrics commonly used in this period where wool and linen because of it’s rarity, silk was reserved for the very wealthy.
