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Headwear Men wore decorative hoods or felt hats and any good lady covered her hair. Wealthier persons might favour red, the most popular colour for hose and hoods. Women of all classes wore headcoverings. It was shocking for a woman to out bare-headed in public. Certainly it would mark her as a woman of ill-repute! Young unmarried girls did wear their hair out, but generally only while they were young. Felt hats Felt hats were usually worn by men, sometimes as well as a hood. The style tended to be a little shapeless by todays standards with the brim turned down. These hats can sometimes be picked up cheaply in Op Shops or flea markets. They do look rather nice with a badge pinned on. The bycocket or "Robin Hood" hat was also widely worn by merchant and working class men and women alike, often with a decorative pheasant's feather tucked into the upturned edge. The image detail at the top of the page is from the 14th century Luttrell Psalter and shows a man working in the fields with his hat worn in reverse over his hood. This style was also known as the heralds cap of maintenance. Hoods Both men and women wore hoods. They can be plain or decorative with daggues (the bits that hand down around the bottom) and long liripipes (the long dangly bit on the hood at the back). Hoods can be made particolour- one colour on the left, another colour on the right. Veils If you are a medieval woman, you are definately wearing a veil. If you are married, you should almost also wear a wimple. As a stallholder, you might want to skip the wimple, although it does keep the sun off your neck and chest to prevent sunburn. Only a young, unmarried girl would have her hair out, but even then she would likely have a floral wreath for a special occasion such as a tournament or festival. Veils can be made from fine lawns, linens or if you are wealthy, silk. A short veil with a circlet looks good on anyone. Ladies with long hair should wear a hairnet underneath or have hair plaited. Your circlet could also be a padded roll or, because you're at a festival, be made of flowers. Our model below shows five different way to wear a veil. Some ways to wear a veil From left to right, top to bottom: For those who don't like a whole lot of fabric, a short veil with a band is the best way to go. For those who wish to be a bit more festive, you could add a circlet of flowers. For those who like long, feminine veils, an over the shoulder veil will protect you from the sun on your forehead and chest. You can wear it over one shoulder or both. To stop it from slipping, you can wear a fabric circle underneath to pin it to, or wear a circlet over the top. On a cold day, a veil wrapped and tucked around the neck is toasty warm and better than a scarf. The twisted-around-the-head look is quite practical and easy to achieve. Using a long piece of fabric, put it over your forehead and bring it to the back of your neck. Twist each remaining part of the fabric and bring both ends up over the top of your head. The ends tuck in to the other side. You might want to pin them there for added security. For food vendors, a veil knotted at the back keeps your hair out of the way and meets workplace health & safety requirements. To make this work, pull the veil around the front of your head and make two little "bunny ears" from the fabric which you tie together. The rest of the material is secured by the knot.   VISIT OUR PARENT SITE Copyright © Rosalie Gilbert All text & photographs within this site are the property of Rosalie Gilbert unless stated. Artifact images remain the property of the owner. Images and text may not be copied and used without permission.