Історія одягу Британії в період Середньовіччя

Abstract

The article contains the investigation of clothing in the medieval Britain. It highlights the social role of clothing during the named period and studies various articles of clothes. The history of fashion is viewed alongside the history of clothing taking into consideration that these events mark the observable beginning of the Western fashion system. The dynamics, the changing of the fabrics, colors, types of tailoring have been pointed out. The described period starts with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and goes up to the rise of the Renaissance in Italian city-states in the middle of the 15th century. It has been noted that the Britons greatly adopted the language, clothing manners and customs of Romans that occupied the territory before. Strengthening of the local nobility of the period contributed to the development of different crafts. Though handicrafts lost their national character on the northern territories the original Celtic ornament survived, which influenced the further clothing manufacturing. As both, medieval man and woman occupied a certain place in the social hierarchy, peculiarities of clothing, food and housing, were given unconditional social significance as each person had to wear clothes appropriate to his position and not offending public morals. Christianity with its moral and view of life was another factor that influenced people’s clothing. The religious view, associated uniformity in clothing with the purity of mind thus demonstrating that people do not spend much time and money on the decoration of the body. Consequently, this impact was well observed, especially in women’s clothes. The article contains the description of church administration, clergy and priests from the point of view of their clothing. The origin of the terms «fashion» and «silhouette» applied to the period have been studied. Peculiarities of clothing and its colors as the «signs and tools for the formation of the collective identity of local social groups» have been observed. The images of a medieval scholar and student have been noted. The presence of a single stable style of women's clothing for many centuries has been described. Changes in the forms of costumes during the Middle Ages period, their acquisition of much greater splendor and luxury, invention of new materials have been studied.