The universe of Medieval
styleIn the tailor’s workshop, garments await their purchasers, scissors and needles are ready to use, and luxurious fabrics are spread. It is thanks to these tailor’s accounts and orders that we, today, can fully appreciate the significance of fashion in the Middle Ages.
A room dedicated to colours
The historian Dominique Cardon reveals the secrets of colour in the Middle Ages and evokes the major role the dyers played within the cloth industry. Certain dyers were famous throughout Europe for their blacks, their purples, their intense blues – all extracts from plants or insects. Their recipe books are currently coming back into style.
Ladies’ ornamentation : the art of dressing
A slide show presents « Ladies’ ornamentation », a work of the medieval chronicler Olivier de la Marche. This story describes the twenty-three steps to dressing a lady at the end of the Middle Ages. A castle, a bedroom…a servant parts the bed curtains, and the lady appears bedecked. Twenty-one steps and as many miniatures depict everything from putting on bloomers to adding the final ornamental touches to the headdress, already essential for confirming the social status of a lady.
Medieval clothing : the major trends
Fashion was not invented in the 20th century: trends can already be seen as coming and going throughout the Middle Ages. The round neckline becomes oval during the second half of the 14th century, before taking on a “V” shape, and then becoming a square. The doublet allows men’s legs to be exposed in fitted tights, causing a scandal at the middle of the 14th century; women’s clothing becomes more and more fitted. Finally, the sleeve lengthens to the point of touching the ground, and is decorated with leaf-shaped fringe.
Jewellery and historical garments in the Treasury Room
Even more than the jewellery, the exhibited textiles are rare and precious. For example, the chemise of Isabel of France (Saint Louis’s sister), which is a simple linen chemise in an exceptional state of conservation, gives an idea of the undergarments worn by members of the royalty in the 13th century. Purses, rings, fibulae and earrings complete the exhibition and are evidence of medieval methods of dress and appearance.
Information: 02 47 96 72 60
Price : included in the price of the castle’s entry ticket
