from 15th Century

Shirts were simple t-shaped garments with either a plain round neck or, in the 15thC, a simple split neck opening. They were rarely seen except on labouring class men working in hot conditions (though most often depicted in execution scenes). Made of linen so that they could be frequently laundered, the quality of the fabric depended on the wealth of the owner, as did the colour; fine, white linen was the choice of the wealthy, natural brown/grey heavier cloth was more affordable to working class men. Even the poorest man would have owned several shirts and they would have doubled as nightwear.

Plain neck shirt £45
Split neck shirt, hand-finished £55

Fur has been used for warmth for millenia, but in the medieval period it was often an expensive fashion statement.

Late 15thC Short Pleated Gown

Late 15thC Middle Class Gown

15thC Short Fur-Trimmed Wool Gown

15thC Short Fur-Trimmed Wool Gown – Back view

Late 15thC fur-trimmed gown

Late 15thC Burgundian Gown

Late 15thC Gown

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15thC men

Menswear at it’s simplest consisted of underwear (shirt and braies), joined hose attached with pointed ties to a doublet, a coat or gown and hat. To be seen outside of the home (or manual working environment) without these basic layers was to be improperly dressed.
Shirt £45, Braies £35
Joined hose from £110 (footed £125)
Doublets from £155
Coats from £155
Pleated Gowns from £245
Hoods £45
Hats from £15

15thC Men

15thC Man

15thC Man

15thC Men

15thC Men

15thC Men

15thC Men

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Joined Hose

Joined Hose

In the later 14th and 15th century, hose rise further up the leg until they joined in the middle, at best guess around 1420. Often footed or stirruped, early joined hose barely reached above the widest part of your bottom; only at the end of the century had they risen to normal waist level. Braies became smaller as they had less area to cover.

Joined hose – stirruped £110, footed from £125

Joined Hose - rear

Joined Hose – rear

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The final layer was the gown, full length for those that could afford it and the preferred length for the older man. Younger, more fashionable types might prefer a gown so short it barely covered the buttocks.
Wool was practical and hardwearing, silk was for showing off. Fur was used for warmth and demonstrated a certain level of wealth also.

Shorter coats were worn by poorer or working men.

Prices start from £155 for a simple short wool coat up to many hundreds for a silk gown with all the trimmings.

15thC Long Wool Gown

15thC Long Wool Gown

15thC Long Wool Gown

15thC Short Pleated Fur-trimmed Wool Gown

15thC Short Pleated Wool Gown

15thC Long Wool Gown

15thC Working Man’s Coat in undyed wool

15thC Mid-length buttoned wool coat

15thC Mid-length middle class wool gown

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