Thursday, May 2, 2013

Veils for Medieval Women




During the medieval period, women usually wore more than one layer of clothing at a time and accompanied their ensembles with a veil. A common medieval veil popularized in pop culture is the "nifel," a tall conical hat with a veil attached to the top point, but women wore many different styles of veils. According to costume retailer Medieval Women's Clothing, married women wore their hair in a tight, netted bun beneath a tight-fitting cap with an affixed veil. Single women would either wear their hair down or in loose braids beneath a loose veil. I will simply introduce some information about the veils for the Medieval women and you can have a reference if you are interested in this fashion topic.





About the couvre chef: The couvre chef was a veil first worn by French women during the medieval period. Couvre chef is French for "cover head." The veil was worn at the top of the head with various head pieces and draped down the shoulders. Couvre chefs were generally made of delicate fabrics, such as silk in light colors, and wealthy women would have their couvrechefs embroidered with gold or jewels. Anglo-Saxons sometimes referred to the couvre chef as a "headrail." By the 15th century, couvrechefs became less fashionable, though they were still regularly worn by women in the lower classes.






About the Goffered veil: The goffered veil, also known as a nebula headdress, was worn by women of all classes. The goffered veil is a short, ruffled veil that was usually made from linen and crafted with ornate pleats or embroidered latticework on the edges. The veil was worn pinned near the hairline and draped over the top of the head, and can be found in many famous paintings of the period, including "Portrait of Margareta Van Eyck."

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