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Room 6
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| The 14th and 15th Centuries - Men in Tights | |||
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In the 14th century, France became the fashion trend-setter. The bourgeoisie, which was an ally of the king and supported him economically as well as militarily, had more and more influence on political and cultural life. Knighthood was facing its ruin and the aristocracy had to surrender many of its privileges to the flourishing bourgeoisie. The position of the church was weak, and the pope in Avignon was little more than a subordinate of the French kings. |
French men's fashion in the 14th century. |
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In the mid-14th century, after the Pest epidemic - which cost Europe about one-fourth of its population - died down, the changes in European clothing were particularly noticeable. The emerging doubts concerning the worldly and spiritual order led to the fact that people with money began wearing what they wanted to, regardless of class. |
Clothing of the upper classes in the 14th century - the men's skirts became visibly shorter by the end of the century. |
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Class-specific clothing of judges, bourgeoisie and peasants - merely public officers and laureates still wore long robe-like skirts at the beginning of the 15th century. |
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The traditional clothing of Patricians (the municipal upper class) defined the fashion of the 14th and 15th centuries. |
German Patricians, first half of 15th century.
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A knight and a noble young lady, early 15th century.
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German noble ladies, early 15th century. |
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The social standing and rank of people was no longer recognizable by the clothing. The standards of class and "decency" in clothing, which were valid until then, were lost and clothing became tighter and more daring. A dress code decreed by Carl VII. of France notes: "It has been presented to the king that no other nation in the world is so degenerated, so changeable, so excessive and fickle in regard to clothing as France is. The standing and rank of individuals can no longer be distinguished by the clothing - whether they are princes or noblemen, bourgeois or craftsmen - because it is accepted that everyone dresses according to their wishes, man and woman alike, in gold of silver fabrics, in silk or wool, with no regard to their class." |
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Hunting attire of knights, early 15th century.
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The clothing of the bourgeoisie was hardly different to that of the aristocracy during the second half of the 15th century. |
The clothing of princes, 15th century.
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Men's skirts became shorter and tighter. Around 1320, a major change in fashion took place, beginning in Marseilles: short skirts and stocking-like legwear replaced men's ankle-length robes, which were belted at the waist. |
Men's skirts, becoming shorter, 14th century. |
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One reason for this could be seen in the changes in suits of armor. The relatively smooth, garment-like chain-link shirt of the 12th century was replaced by the breastplate - a rigid, armor which was molded to the body. Therefore, the long under-dress had to make room for compact, two-piece clothing. Instead of the long, hanging garment of the middle ages, short, open and buttoned skirts with legwear were worn in the 14th century. The historian Lieselotte C. Eisenbarth states: "The progression of clothing soon became independent from the dictation of armors. Shapes were invented which cannot be explained by the technical terms of the breastplate alone. Clothing...shows a completely new sense of self, a whole new outlook on the body in general." |
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Garment-like chain-link shirts worn as armor, late 12th century. |
Transition from the chain-link shirt to the breastplate with leg protectors. |
Rigid, molded breastplate, early 15th century. |
Full suit of armor, mid-15th century. |
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Clothing became increasingly form-fitting, and the skirt shorter. Within just a few decades, men's dresses shrank in such a manner that the originally ankle or at least calf-length dress barely covered the knee by 1350, and by 1376, they were so short that the Mainz Chronicles reported the following: "in these days, the folly of mankind went so far that young men are wearing skirts so short that they cover neither their private parts nor their behinds."
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Italian Renaissance clothing, |
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The development of this new, incredibly body-emphasizing fashion was countered by regular decrees by the authorities - the so-called dress codes. Dress codes prior to 1350 were against luxury - the "arrogance" and "opulence" of clothing. Dress codes of the 14th and 15th centuries attempted to inhibit the new fashion. In 1356, for example, the city council of Speyer passed a law that prohibited men from wearing skirts which were not at least knee-length. Complaints and decrees could be found in almost all larger cities and carried on until the end of the 15th century. |
Italian Renaissance clothing - the leggings are tied together to make tights, 2nd half of 15th century. |
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Long, loose garments were only worn as a sign of dignity and graveness by scholars, clergy, judges and magistrates - ranks which stood up for continuity and preservation. |
Long, robe-like garment of a German scholar, first third of 16th century. |
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Long, robe-like garment of a German magistrate, first third of 16th century. |
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Until the beginning of the 15th century, bare skin is visible between the underpants and stockings. During the course of the 15th century, the idea of increasing stockings to cover the rear-end and attach them to the skirt emerged. With the appearance of the short dress, or doublet, the leggings (which were previously separate and attached to the breeches with buttons) became a single piece of clothing. The construction of the front panel was solved by the "Braguette", or codpiece. Until the 17th century, the codpiece was an integral part of men's tights, and later shorts, and continued to be criticized by the authorities. |
Obvious and visible bareness between the leggings and breeches |
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Italian Renaissance clothing, with tights, 2nd half of 15th century. |
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Codpiece, or "Braguette". The fastening on the front panel of tights and pants since the Renaissance. |
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During the Renaissance, clothing was the main consumer "luxury" good, the most effective display of individual claims to rank, power and importance. The basis for this was prosperity, which grew by leaps and bounds in the 16th century, and the subsequent boom in the textile trade. Correlating to the short skirt fashion of men - stocking fashion and production gained much importance during this time. |
German bourgeoisie clothing, |
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to room 7: The First Half of the 16th Century