The attention which had thus far been bestowed on the other garments consisted principally in this, that they underwent a contraction. The change introduced consisted in the diminution of the unwieldy folds of the Roman tunic, with the consequent effect of better displaying the outlines of the body. The male tunic in its original width is shown in Figures I and a; the female tunic in Figure 3, from the monument of Queen Berengaria, spouse of Richard Coeur de Lion, and in Figure 5, from a sculpture in the cathedral of Naumburg.
The ladies lengthened the upper garment, so that it also touched the feet, and the one worn beneath was visible only by its narrow sleeves, for those of the upper dress were widened more and more, so that toward the end of the twelfth century their sack-like ends hung to the ground. When worn by a man the garment (fig. 4) fitted closely over the breast; in Fig ure 6 it is still closer at the top and much shortened at the bottom. We observe a new garment in course of development; the insecurity of its status is manifest from the manifold varieties of form which it at first pos sessed. In Figure 4 it is sleeveless; in Figure 6, which is copied with a slight change from the monument of Count Ludwig von Hohenlohe, it has short hanging sleeves; as the belt no longer holds the garment, it falls gracefully over the hips, wide and decorated with metal clasps, an object for ornamentation. Noteworthy are the buttons, which occur but rarely before the middle of the fourteenth century, to which our figure belongs, but which were universally used after that time for fastening the coat at the sleeves and over the breast, where it had been cut open that it might be put on. We observe the same tendency in Figure 7 (p7. 35), which repre sents the dress as close-fitting and fastened at the bosom. In order that the lower dress might be visible, the upper one was drawn up on one side and held by the elbow (pl. 44, fig- 1)—a custom which made the entire bearing of the women rather constrained. At a much later period the belt was used to hold up the outer robe, thus obviating the inconvenience. The veil and the kerchief about the neck indicate the married woman; maidens had the neck bare and wore their hair hanging loosely.
These fashions did not attain their full development till the second half of the fourteenth century. After the world had recovered from the
terrors of the "Black Death " the apparel developed a beauty and splendor such as had not previously been known. While rendering the graceful outlines of the body prominent, the dress at the same time permitted the richest ornamentation, especially the belt and the stripe covering the anterior division on the female attire, both of which were probably deco rated with gold-leaf and precious stones. A fine example of the female costume of that period is offered in the monument (which unfortunately is partly destroyed) of the Duchess Catherine, spouse of Duke Rudolph IV. of Austria (pl. 35, fig. 9). The corresponding male attire, with the so called "parti-colored coat," which appears in very similar shape as the leather, metal-trimmed hauberk (Lemincr) in the armor of that period, is shown in Figure io; it is readily seen that such closely-fitting garments were suitable only to a northern climate. In Italy the fashion of tight garments met but little approbation. Loose clothes of various styles were worn there, an example of which is given in Figure 8, copied from an old Italian painting.
Moralists are wont to chicle the present age for its numerous changes of fashion; but every age is characterized by the same variety. In the epoch of which we have been speaking a culminating point in the devel opment of costume had scarcely been reached when changes began to creep in. They first showed themselves in the prominence given to indi vidual parts of the dress. Figure io shows the lower border of the coat and the short upper sleeve with a row of wide fringes cut out for orna ment. The frivolous taste of the following age occupied itself principally with this sort of ornamentation, and developed the scalloped costume (Zaddeltrath1), which reached its climax in the second quarter of the fifteenth century. The upper sleeves were lengthened so as to reach the ground, while the scallops were made larger, and even replaced by strips which were also scalloped. Figures II and 12 are illustrations of this costume, though not of its most exaggerated form. The tips of the shoes were elongated in keeping with the scallops and sleeves. In Figure r the feet are wrapped up in the old manner; in Figure 2 the foot-covering has become a separate article, which can be put on or removed at pleasure.