The pictures in old manuscripts give us a good idea of
medieval dress. Naturally it varied with time and place, and according to the
social position of the wearer. Sometimes laws were passed, without much result,
to regulate the quality, shape, and cost of the costumes to be worn by
different orders of society. The moralists of the age were shocked, then as
now, when tightly fitting garments, which showed the outlines of the body, became
fashionable. The inconvenience of putting them on led to the use of buttons and
buttonholes. Women's headdresses were often of extraordinary height and shape.
Not less remarkable were the pointed shoes worn by men. The points finally got
so long that they hindered walking, unless tied by a ribbon to the knees.
BEARDS
The medieval noble of the twelfth century as a rule went
clean shaven. To wear a beard was regarded as a sign of effeminacy in a man.
The Bayeux Tapestry, for instance, shows the Normans mostly clean-shaven,
while the English wear only moustaches. The introduction of long beards seems
to have been due to contact with the East during the crusading period.
