| While times and clothes have changed so often and | | | | clothing make it impossible to determine. However, both |
| so radically, most of the concepts that birthed various | | | | men and women wore hose, medieval stockings |
| articles of clothing have more or less remained the | | | | commonly made of wool, not very stretchy but did the |
| same. The concept behind underwear was to uphold a | | | | trick against cold weather. Nevertheless, men didn't |
| degree of modesty. Like now, back then there was no | | | | have pants to wear yet at the time and only wore |
| universal underwear rule and people wore what was | | | | hose underneath long tunics. |
| comfortable, available-or nothing at all. | | | | What is known about 14th-century medieval under |
| Ancient Bare Necessities | | | | clothes for women is the chemise, a loose or slightly |
| Not much documentation or clothing survives (woolen | | | | figure-fitting garment that goes under the kyrtle, an |
| and linen garments rot after a few hundred years and | | | | under gown that can have a train for formal |
| no one ever thought writing about underwear was | | | | occasions. The chemise would continue be worn well |
| important). Getting a definite idea of what people wore | | | | into the next few centuries. |
| beneath their clothes before medieval times can only | | | | Corset - Breathe Not |
| come from what surviving mosaics or works of art | | | | While the chemise slowly varied in form and neckline, |
| there are, which aren't yet very realistic. | | | | square or high by the 17th century, the corset came |
| But in ancient times, Imperial Rome set the trend in | | | | into use in the late 14th to early 15th centuries in France |
| everything, including what one wore beneath one's | | | | and England. As medieval dresses evolved toward |
| outer wear. Men and women alike were known to | | | | more form-fitting designs, the corset helped define the |
| wear loin-cloths, probably made of linen. Women might | | | | female waist and breasts. By the 1600s Renaissance |
| have worn a lengthy band wrapped around their | | | | dresses had corsets that were shorter and might |
| chests called a strophium or mamillare. | | | | have a stiff busk at the center. Since their inception, |
| Medieval Clothing and Underpants | | | | the corset and the chemise were already considered |
| When the Middle Ages began, medieval under clothes | | | | among of the staples of women's clothing. |
| for men were called braies or breeches. Men held their | | | | Men, on the other hand, made improvements on the |
| loose drawers in place with a drawstring or a belt. | | | | breeches and the hose, which remained staples in both |
| There is little to no evidence of under clothing for | | | | medieval and Renaissance wardrobes. As new |
| medieval women. The ankle-length dresses of | | | | materials were introduced and dyes became the trend, |
| medieval women and layers of other articles of | | | | these clothing articles upgraded considerably. |