Little Voice : All About The Dark Age

The Dark Ages as a term has experienced numerous developments; its definition relies on upon who is characterizing it. In reality, presently, historians no more utilize the term on account of its negative implication. For the most part, the Dark Ages was usually the timeframe introduced by the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This occurred when the last Western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was removed by Odoacer. 476 AD was the time of this event.

The tough times that were faced, due to the fall of the Romans, art and design also took a turn. At this time , all the artists were completely controlled by the Church and were kept in Monasteries and different religious houses. The main reflection to be seen was more of Christian subjects and there was a strict no no to real landscapes, naturalistic art or even sculptures. This period only permitted the usage of art, frescoes, illuminated manuscripts, and mosaics to be created and these were all done in extremely toned down hues and were solely Church related. Violation of these strictures could prompt banning (basically a capital punishment), or even execution in some compelling cases.

As far as fashion goes during that age and time, it was largely determined by the class that people belonged to . The people wore clothes that were influenced by the styles worn by the kings and queens of their kingdom. It was all based on the social status of that person in his/her kingdom. Medieval attire did not change as fast then as they did in the Late Middle Ages. Pieces of clothing made of intense, solid materials could endure forever. Yet, well off individuals and the privileged took pride in their appearance by wearing appealing attires.

Fashion that was worn by the royal, was actually restricted by the laws across Europe. Edward the third had stated a law that only the royals were allowed to were clothes made of pure purple, silk and gold. The clothes worn by the wealthier and upper class had been very elaborately placed jeweled and there was a lot of emphasis on the sleeves of the garment. The early medieval period saw fashion that was simple and with long shapes, wide gowns and embroidered edges. Tunics were the basic item of the clothes.

The wealthy wore garments that were made up of finer fabrics. Under tunics which were of linen was lighter as compared to wool that made them long lasting and comfortable and also, easy to wash. As linen was a product of fibers from the flax plant, it was obvious that it would be more expensive to purchase it making it difficult to be accessed by the commoners. Professional weavers and tailors were coming up at this age as they helped make the garments exclusively for the nobles and aristocracy. As for the women, they used to sew their shirts and gowns at times and add embellishments. The royals also had their silk imported from Byzantium that was scarce and costly.

The commoners, serfs, peasant and workers wore a very basic tunic which was made up of thick cloth or leather (in winters). They had sandals or were barefoot. The laws directed by the Church restricted the types of clothes that had to be worn by the lower ranks. The clothes were generally made of wool or fabrics which were self woven at home. Because of this, there was very little difference between the attires worn n by men and women, although, we can differentiate it by the women’s tunic which appeared to be longer and had a gown like structure. In the winter they wore sheepskin cloaks and mittens and hats made out of wool

The men wore trousers under their tunics and this particular style was the reason for the differentiation between the northern European dress to Rome and Byzantium. Straps were made of either leather or straw which was then wrapped around the lower part of the legs and trouser to ensure minimal damage.