Late Medieval Fashion
1350-1450 AD
Fashion
Explore the evolution of fashion during the Late Medieval period, from clothing and accessories to footwear and headwear. This timeline provides a detailed look at how fashion developed and changed throughout this fascinating era.
Clothing
Main garments including cotehardies, gowns, and kirtles
Accessories
Belts, purses, gloves, and other adornments
Headwear
Hoods, hats, and headdresses for men and women
Footwear
Shoes, boots, and pattens
Fashion Guides
For detailed information about creating historically accurate clothing for this period:
1340-1345
Changes in men's headwear: Simple felt caps worn over hoods decline in popularity, replaced by taller varieties often paired with scarves. Hoods are commonly worn as capes rather than head coverings. Close-fitting coifs begin their gradual decline in fashion, though still widely worn.
1345
Introduction of more elaborate hoods and hats for men, marking a shift from basic hoods. The men's cotehardie becomes popular, featuring a fitted silhouette with buttoned front closure.
1345
Essential accessories: Gloves are a standard part of outdoor attire for both men and women across all social classes. Wealthy individuals wear fine leather gloves in pale colors or matching their garments, while the working classes use heavy mittens for protection and warmth.
1345-1350
Development of outerwear: Cloaks and mantles become standardized in their cut, with most being circular in shape and typically 3/4 length or longer. Cloaks extend to the ankle for weather protection, while mantles serve as fashion items. Men's cloaks feature three-button fastenings near the neck, while women's mantles continue the late 13th-century tradition of metal 'boss' fastenings.
1345-1350
Significant changes in women's headwear: The wrapped kerchief and wimple decline in popularity, with the wimple becoming primarily worn by elderly women and nuns. Working women begin wearing open hoods. Women's hairstyles shift from the chaplet to vertical plaits worn under veils attached to filets or circlets. The frilled 'nebula' headdress emerges as a popular style.
1350
Men's accessories: Belts are worn slightly long at the hip with buckles and strap ends, often knotted over. Noblemen wear decorative 'knightly girdles' adorned with metal plaques. Kidney-shaped belt pouches become common, featuring separate internal coin bags. Gowns are worn belted at the natural waist.
1350
Footwear developments: The turnshoe style dominates footwear fashion. Both men's and women's shoes feature pointed toes in the Poulaine (or Krakow) style and are fastened with buttons and laces. Wealthy individuals protect their expensive shoes with pattens - wooden soles strapped over the shoes, shaped to match the shoe style and up to four inches high.
1350-1355
Post-plague footwear changes: Ankle-high boots with front lacing become the most common style for working people. Knee or thigh-high tight leather boots with buckled leg fastenings emerge, featuring foldable top cuffs. The pointed Poulaine style continues to be popular across all social classes.
1355
The women's cotehardie becomes fashionable, featuring a fitted bodice and full skirt. The sleeved surcote begins to phase out for both men and women.
1360
Introduction of the early version of the gown, worn by both men and women. The simple cote begins to decline in popularity.
1370
Development of the kirtle as a basic garment. The finer cote and close-fitting cote begin to phase out. Women's headwear begins to show more variety and complexity.
1370-1380
Development of women's accessories: Outer belts begin to appear in women's fashion. Inner belts continue to be used functionally to hike up clothing for walking and to carry simple drawstring purses with tassels, which hang at approximately knee height.
1380
The finer cote and close-fitting cote completely phase out. Separate hose remain popular, while joined hose begin to develop.
1395
Introduction of frocks and coats as popular outer garments. The simple cote phases out completely by 1400.
1400
Development of joined hose. Introduction of the overkirtle. The men's cotehardie phases out. Basic hoods for men begin to decline in popularity.
1400-1410
Further evolution of women's headwear: The Caul cap transitions to the cut-away Caul style. Working women adopt the Round hood. Templers emerge as a new fashion, gradually becoming larger and more ornate. Hair nets become popular, sometimes worn with padded rolls. The separate horn hat style develops in the last decades of the period.
1400-1410
Evolution of men's accessories: Velvet purses with metal frames become fashionable, replacing the earlier kidney-shaped belt pouches. The style of belts and girdles remains consistent, with continued use of decorative metal plaques for noblemen's girdles.
1420
Development of the women's-only version of the gown, featuring more elaborate decoration and silhouette.
1440
Introduction of the men's-only version of the gown, marking a distinct separation in men's and women's fashion.
1440-1445
Final evolution of men's headwear: The 'huntsman' hat with up and down brim becomes fashionable. Round knitted caps become common, while working men adopt broad-brimmed straw hats. Hoods transition into elaborate hats and eventually the Chaperon, with only the bag-hat style remaining popular. Close-fitting coifs are now primarily worn by babies and older men.
1450
Development of the waisted version of the kirtle, showing increasing sophistication in tailoring techniques.