Underdresses

General

The Wrinkle-sleeved Under-dress

The Straight-sleeved Under-dress

Literary Evidence

General

   In most of the illustrations it appears that two dresses are worn, as longer sleeves are visible under the shorter gown sleeves, and there is a line along the bottom of the gown, which could be decoration or another dress underneath.
   Both gown and under-dress necklines are obscured by the head-dress, so the neckline is down to personal preference, as it is not going to be seen.
   The under-dress needn't be left in its natural colour. Remember though that any colours you use must be within your class range. Where they are visible under the dress, they are usually coloured white, but the colours in the manuscripts are not very reliable (when you consider that most men have blue hair and beards).
   As we have no textile remains, it is difficult to say what the under-dress would be made from. It is feasible to suggest that it was linen, as there are references to very pious people wearing only wool next to their skin, which suggests that most people wore something in between.

Fig 1. Figure from London, BL MS Cotton Claudius B iv, fol. 66v.

The under-dress length is a matter of conjecture. All of the figures wear dresses that come to at least the ankle or longer, though some gowns have a line along the bottom that may be decoration or the edge of a dress underneath. If your gown does not reach to your ankles, then your under-dress should.
Most of the gowns shown are fairly shapeless and it is safe to assume the under-dress would follow the same pattern as the gown. Towards the end of the tenth century dresses were becoming slightly tailored, as they are not as shapeless as previously, and seem to cover the body smoothly. (See Gowns guide).

Fig 2. Bottom of dress (Anglo-Saxon Nun c.800 costume).


A: The basic pattern for a dress. With the addition of side panels, the skirt can be made much wider. The sleeves shown are just an approximation and can be any length. I tend to add in an under-arm triangle, to give more movement and make the seam here stronger.	B: The same pattern, but with the front split to take an extra panel front and back, making the skirt very much fuller. Remember that the more fabric in your clothes, the richer you are.	C: If you are tailoring the dress, this should be done by curving the side seams and not using darts (shown by the dotted line). You can either measure very carefully and mark out or, better still, tack the dress together and pin it while it's on. Remember the narrowest point must be wide enough so you can still get it on over your head.

Inside seams can be machine sewn, but hems should be hand-stitched. If your over-dress does not reach to your ankles, this dress should.

The Wrinkle-sleeved Under-dress

The most typical sleeve of the Saxon's costume was the long sleeve that wrinkled around the wrist and forearm. The wrinkled effect was achieved by making the sleeves the length of the arm to the fingertips and then some, with the wrist opening just wide enough for the hand. The sleeve would then be pushed back to the wrist where the excess fabric would wrinkle up around the forearm. This further alludes to the fact that manuscripts show wealthy figures, as more cloth would be needed for this type of sleeve.
Use the basic dress pattern for your under-dress, but extend the

sleeves by about 6 to 8 inches (for the wrinkles), if you are playing a rich character.

Fig 3. Queen Emma from the Encomium of Queen Emma - 11th century (London, BL MS Stowe 944, fol. 6).

A: The first version of the sleeve (my favourite).

B: The second version, for the wider arm.

Point 1 is the wrist, point 2 the elbow. When I make wrinkled sleeves I leave the first 6 to 8 inches straight and then angle away to the elbow, because most people's arms get wider towards that point.
Make the wrist opening just wide enough for your hand, by trying the sleeve on and pinning round your hand.

The Straight-sleeved Under-dress		Back to top
	There are a few figures wearing straight-sleeved under-dresses in manuscripts of this period, but they are far less common than the wrinkled-sleeved ones. I think that these sleeves belong to slightly less well off persons, who could not afford any more fabric than necessary. As above, use the basic pattern, but do not alter the length of the sleeves, simply make them tight enough to get your hand in. Follow the above for tailoring and sewing guidelines.
Fig 4. Woman with straight sleeves, from London, BL MS Cotton Claudius B iv, fol.76.

Literary Evidence	Back to top
Literary evidence gives us no words relating to under-dresses specifically, but there are several words which could be used to describe this garment, such as under-hrægel or under-reaf. Hrægel and reaf are both very common words and mean 'a garment, worn by both sexes'.

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