![]() Hose varied in length from thigh-high to just below the knee. Stockings with feet had an additional piece of fabric for the sole. Instead, each one was sewn from two pieces of woven fabric, most commonly wool but sometimes linen, cut against the bias to give it some stretch. Styles varied according to necessity and personal preference. The tubes could also have straps underneath to secure them to the feet without completely covering them. These might be stockings with complete feet, or they might be merely tubes that stopped at the ankle. There's no evidence one way or the other, so it's entirely possible that, at times, medieval women wore loincloths or short braies.īoth men and women would often keep their legs covered with hose, or hosen. On the other hand, some form of snug underpants could make life a little easier once a month. Since the dresses medieval women wore were so long, it could be very inconvenient to remove underwear when answering nature's call. No one really knows whether or not medieval women wore underpants before the 15th century. These could be worn well below the knees and tied to the wearer's waist to keep them out of the way. In the Middle Ages, braies were not only used as underwear, they were frequently worn by laborers with little else when doing hot work. Braies were usually made of linen, most likely in its natural off-white color, but they could also be sewn from finely woven wool, especially in colder climes. Varying in length from upper-thigh to below the knee, braies could be closed with a drawstring at the waist or cinched with a separate belt around which the top of the garment would be tucked. Medieval men's underpants were fairly loose drawers known as braies, breies, breeks, or breeches. Historical Picture Archive / Getty Images ![]() ![]() The question remains as to whether they were used in earlier centuries, and whether only the privileged few could afford them. This exciting find in medieval underwear revealed that such garments were in use as far back as the 15th century. A cache of feminine delicates was preserved in a sealed-off vault, and the items included garments very similar to modern-day brassieres and underpants. One such archaeological find took place in an Austrian castle in 2012. ![]() Therefore, most of what historians know about medieval undergarments has been pieced together from period artwork and the occasional archaeological find. People didn't write much about their underwear, and natural (as opposed to synthetic) cloth doesn't usually survive for more than a few hundred years. It's entirely possible that the use of these undergarments continued into medieval times (especially the strophium, or something similar), but there is little direct evidence to support this theory. Just like today, those competing in sports could benefit from wearing confining garments that correspond with modern sports bras, dance belts, or jock straps. Women of the period might have worn a breast band called a strophium or mamillare made from linen or leather. In addition to loincloths, medieval men wore an entirely different type of underpants called braies. There was, of course, no universal rule in undergarments people wore what was comfortable, available, or necessary for modesty-or nothing at all. What did medieval men and women wear under their clothes? In imperial Rome, both men and women were known to wear simply wrapped loin-cloths, probably made from linen, under their outer garments.
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