Renaissance and medieval clothing can come in a lot of different styles and many fine colors. You have many options and questions to answer to properly prepare for your next Renaissance faire, theme based parties or medieval gathering. Renaissance clothing is very different from medieval costumes, and knowing the differences will make your outing much more fun and authentic. Here’s some information that will help you dress accordingly to the occasion the next time you put on your medieval dress or Tudor clothes and leave the house.
How to Dress for a Medieval Faire
Your choice of clothing will depend on what gender you are. Medieval men dressed very differently from medieval women, so keep the following information in mind when you are choosing your medieval costume.
Woman’s Costumes
During medieval times, women wore dresses. Depending on the social class a woman belonged to, her medieval dress fabric was either coarse of very fine. Here are the two basic types of medieval dresses available.
Peasant
If you want to dress up in a peasant or medievalwench costume, you’ll have a very easy time getting the right items together. All you need is a simple shirt with loose sleeves, a skirt, a bodice and a belt. Wear simple boots as your medieval shoes.
Royalty
Dressing like a medieval woman who is from a royal family is probably one of the most fun things you can do at a medievalfaire. Medieval princesses dressed in medieval clothing that was much more elaborate than a simple commoner. The fabric royalty wore was much finer than the coarse materials the commoner used. Usually, royal medieval dresses consisted of a loose fitting, white underdress with a colored overdress made from fine embroidered fabrics. Using gold or silver thread makes for a more authentic look. Velvet and velour were also used very frequently.
Instead of boots like a commoner, wear delicate slippers to show royal status. And of course, you can wear lots of jewels and crowns to further signify your royal status. The dress of royalty is also very similar to medieval wedding dresses, so if you’re looking for medieval wedding dresses, simply start with a princess costume.
Men’s Costumes
If you want to dress in medieval costumes for men, you’ll have to choose which level of society you want to dress up as.Look at the following information to see what medieval clothes are for you.
Peasant
Peasants in medieval times wore simple outfits. Most often, they wore leather breeches, short tunics and cloaks made from coarse cloth. Nothing they wore was decorative, opting instead to wear items of clothing that had practical value. For example, if it was cold, peasants would wear wool hats and gloves. The medieval boots and medieval shoes peasants wore were also very simple. A basic leather belt was tied around the tunic at the waist, and purses, tools and a knife were attached to this belt.
Knight
Knights wore much fancier clothing than peasants in order to visibly demonstrate their noble status. A knight’s medieval armor was the more unique item of clothing and distinguished him from other classes. During the early middle ages, knights wore chain mail armor. This includes chain mail shirts, pants and a hood. Knights from the later middle ages wore plate medieval armor. If you want to wear authentic chain mail or plate armor, expect to spend a lot of money even if you make it yourself. There are more practical, light weight solutions, though.
If you can’t find the right kind of boots to wear as a knight, you can always wear pirate boots instead. Pirate boots aren’t exactly what knights would have worn in the middle ages, but many pirate boots look similar to knights’ shoes.
Royalty
Royalty in medieval times wore a tunic and fur. Whatever period your medieval costume is representing, fur is a good way to show your wealth. Of course, purchasing real fur costumes will be expensive, so using fake fur is fine. The king’s tunic was worn loosely around his waist with a belt. Long cloaks and velvet caps are also good to distinguish royalty from common people. Gold and jewels should be added to the costume to make it as authentic as possible.

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