People wore dull coloured clothes

When you think of medieval commoners, you probably think of people wearing brown and grey sackcloth in unbecoming styles. The truth is that in the Middle Ages, all classes of people wore colourful garments. Contrary to popular belief, colours such as Royal Purple were not forbidden for all but the nobility. In truth, the concept of Royal Purple (which was closer to blue than purple anyway) dates to the days of the Roman Empire when purple was made from a rare mollusk, the Murex. By the Middle Ages, this mollusk was extinct and even peasants could make a fine purple from a mixture of madder root (red) and woad (indigo) or certain lichens that grew on rocks. Many bright colours were available for common folk to wear. Unlike today, clothing was not only sewn in the home, but the materials needed to make the cloth were also produced by the women of the family. Everyone had flax growing in her back yard. From this they spun linen yarn which they wove into cloth. Most people also had sheep. Sheep were shorn a once or twice a year and their fur was spun into wool yarn and woven into fabric. Using only homespun textiles did not preclude commoners from having nice clothing. We often think of wool are being scratchy and linen as being tablecloth material. The itchiness associated with wool is actually a product of the chemicals we modern people use to finish the fabric, not the wool itself. Most people who are "allergic to wool" are actually allergic to these chemicals. Both wool and linen can be made into many varieties of cloth, from very thick and rough to fine and even sheer and every texture in between.

Clothing did not have to remain the colour of the original fiber. Plants from the garden were boiled to make many colourful dyes: purples, blues, yellows, reds, even some greens. Clothing was sometimes left " natural," but it was more often bleached white or dyed. Linen turns white if left out in the sun yet it does not dye well. Dyed linen often faded nearly to white, so it was left white more often than not. This made it ideal for underclothes. When white linen got dirty or stained, it was simply hung out in the sunlight and became white again. Wool, on the other hand, takes dye very well. Outer clothing was usually made from wool and dyed bright colours. Subtle pastel colours, such as those prevalent today, were simply not prevalent in the Middle Ages. When dyeing fabric, timing and heating are essential. In order to produce consistent colours, these factors must be carefully controlled. Even today, colour can vary greatly from dyelot to dyelot. Medieval people dyed fabric in pots over open fires. They did not have timers or temperature gauges. Therefore, they used as much dye as possible to impart colour to the cloth. Pastel colours were not nearly as common as brights.

Truth be told, medieval people would have rarely worn brown or grey clothing. Browns and greys are much more difficult to dye than the bright colours they did wear.

People smelled bad/People never washed their clothes

While it is true that medieval people rarely washed their outer garments, their inner garments were washed quite frequently. In the days before dry cleaning, the brocade and gold embroidered outer garments of the nobility could not be laundered without being severely damaged. However, peasants and nobles alike wore linen undershirts under all their clothing. These shirts had long sleeves and extended to mid-calf protecting the outer garments from sweat and oil. These shirts were usually white and washed often.

People wore uncomfortable corsets and bulky garments

Unlike the corsets of the nineteenth century, the more properly termed "stays" of the 16^th century were quite comfortable. These whale-boned or wood-reinforced bodices were made to keep a woman's bust flat and, therefore, stationary. Some re-enactors consider them more comfortable than a modern bra! However, the corset/stay is NOT a medieval garment. It began to be worn during the Renaissance. Medieval clothing was even more comfortable than that. The medieval nobility and peasants alike wore garments that were reasonably unrestrictive. Medieval people did not wear bodices or complex undergarments. In the Middle Ages, underclothing for men and women consisted of a gown in the same style as the overclothing. This underdress was often white linen and served to protect the outer clothing from sweat and oil.

Medieval garments were quite comfortable. The bulk and ridiculous dimensions of Renaissance garments had not yet come into fashion in the Middle Ages. Also, men and women dressed very similarly. The difference was that women's garments were floor length and men's garments were usually shorter. In some areas, men wore pants under their "gowns." In most other ways, the clothing was the same. In the early Middle Ages (before the Norman Invasion of England), garments for men and women consisted of two rectangles sewn together at the sides and top with an opening for the head and arms. Sometimes other rectangles were attached as sleeves. The rectangles had to be large enough to allow free movement of the arms and legs. Therefore, full loom widths were used. Unlike today, fabric was not 45"-60" wide. In Western Europe, looms were only as wide as the distance between a person's arms when throwing the shuttle. This amounts to 24"-30" wide cloth. Weaving was a time-consuming process, so cloth was often not cut but clothing was sewn from full loom widths. This produced a tunic with a circumference of 48"-60", quite roomy for the average size person.

The invention of the treadle loom in the 10^th century made for faster cloth production and people were more likely to cut their cloth to shape. In the Middle Ages, people still cut cloth using sheep shearing shears. These shears enabled clothing makers to cut straight lines, but not curves or elaborate designs that were possible in the Renaissance. Clothing of the Medieval Period is marked by long flowing lines that followed the natural figure. Men's and women's gowns were made from long rectangular pieces and triangles formed by cutting the rectangles in half diagonally. The rectangular pieces formed the body of the garment. The triangles were used as gores, sewn into the side seams at the waist of the garment to make the skirt and bustline fuller while preserving the slim waistline. Sleeves were made from rectangular pieces with smaller, square pieces sewn on diagonally to join them to the body of the garment. These small square pieces, called gussets, allowed for greater arm movement from tighter sleeves.

The strange shapes of Renaissance garments were possible because of an innovation in scissor technology. These new shears allowed tailors to cut peculiar garments that had not been possible with the sheep shears. The Renaissance also brought a divergence between men's and women's clothing styles. This is the first period in history where clothing of the sexes was radically different.