FABRIC NAMES & DESCRIPTIONS

SEWING TOOLS

SEWING TECHNIQUES

COLOUR NAMES

FUR & LEATHER NAMES

EMBELLISHMENTS

BUTTONS

EMBROIDERY

DYESTUFFS & DYEING

Clothing Embellishments
Finishing touches: embroidery, jeweled bands
JEWELED BANDS & HEMS - SPANGLES - PRESSED METAL SPANGLES

The finishing touches to a woman's garment defined who she was or in many cases, who she aspired to be. Sumptuary Laws fought alongside the clergy urging women to dress moderately and not above their station in life, but this was largely ignored by the rising merchant classes who were eager to mirror the fashions seen at court and worn by their social superiors. The upper classes, therefore, trimmed their clothing even more richly to combat this trend.

Buttons as embellishments are included on BUTTONS page.

Jeweled bands and hems
Many artworks from the medieval period show heavily decorated bands along the edges of cloaks and along the bottom of overgarments.

The detail at left comes from the 1410 painting from Campin of Saint Veronica and shows the typical jeweled band at the hem of her outer gown. Her brocaded undergown or kirtle can be seen underneath.

Many surcotes, like that shown in Campin's The Nativity, painted in 1420, show a similar band at the sleeves and on the deep V of the neckline. Both of these appear to have a gold, metallic band with many small gemstones attached. The Nativity painting appears to show what could possibly be pearls edging the band also.

A garment such as these would be worth quite a sum and certainly set a wealthy woman apart from the less well-off woman. Less affluent women would have had to make do with plain embroidery, although probably still in the same places.

Spangles
Looking almost identical to our sequins of today, the spangles which used to decorate medieval clothing among the upper classes are effectively exactly that. Small metal discs with a hole punched in the middle were stitched onto clothing with only a stitch or two to permit the spangle to move freely.

Pressed metal spangles
Another decorative clothing embellishment is the pressed metal decoration. Patterns were pressed or embossed onto inexpensive, thin metal plates and die cut. The decorations were then possibly sewn onto clothing or belts.

The image at right shows small metal decorations sewn onto a 14th century belt. (source not known).

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