Ld Alvar de la Bastida
Belts
Belts were worn by women to adjust for the length of their garments, by
men as a vehicle for carrying swords and pouches, and by both sexes as
a fashion statement. Belts were made of leather and wool, and hung to
the knees. Belts of the upper classes have additions of silver, gold,
and enamels. Various laws restricted belts to married and/or respectable
women, but prostitutes also wore them to feign a higher status. The story
is told of the "respectable" woman who, during mass, passed
the peace to the (properly belted) woman next to her; to her dismay, the
woman was revealed to be a prostitute.
Buttons
Although buttons are used in this century at the neckline and wrists,
they become more popular in the next. We know of gilded and crystal buttons,
and there are accounts that bells were used as buttons. Buttons were used
less by women.
We know that rings were worn, for in one of the chess problems a woman is gambling with her ring. Necklaces are referenced, but we have no pictures of them. Large, ornate hoop and pendant earrings are seen. Only Muslim women seem to have worn bracelets.Broaches were used to close the necklines of some garments. We know that they were made of gold and precious stones, and that horsemen used them to fasten their mantles.
13th Century Bracelets
Madrid Archeological Museum
13th Century Materials for Construction
13th Century Basic Garments
13th Century Headwear and Footwear
13th Century Bibliography
13th Century Gallery of Images
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