After this, having invited over to him all persons whatsoever that were famous for valour in foreign nations, he began to augment the number of his domestics, and introduced such politeness into his court, as people of the remotest countries thought worthy of their imitation. So that there was not a nobleman who thought himself of any consideration, unless his clothes and arms were made in the same fashion as those of Arthur’s knights
Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae
A skill of knights and ladies. Your familiarity with the trends and fashions - in poetry, song, clothing, etc. - of the times.
This skill is special in its fill-in-the-blank nature. Trends are not universal - they’re of a particular time and place, and may not apply or have weaker applications when further from that place or time, requiring you to adapt.
Related to The Voice of Harp and Lute to accompany singing, The Center of Attention to use this knowledge in its most common places, The Letters and the Laws for broader context of literacy
WIP - Fashion Eras
In a previous design, I had explicit skills for named eras (with fun tricks like shortening the gaps in later years, as “decadence” becomes more of a social pressure to keep up), following the accelerated timeline.
Here are some notes on clothing styles I had written previously (you’ll note it trails off a bit - we’ll get to that eventually)
476 - Early Fashion
Relatively limited “fashion”, with fairly slow and subtle trends. Loose linen (or for the poor, wool) tunics which drape down to the ankle (men cinch it at the waist with a belt so it hangs higher and typically wear trousers underneath; women keep it long and wear what’s usually a sleeveless dress over that). Over this, often a woolen patterned cloak.
Long hair, beards and mustaches. Women, especially in more Romanized and Christianized parts, often bind up their hair and wear it in a hood or scarf in public, though this is not universal. Gold and silver bracelets, broach pins, torcs, hairbands and rings are common heirlooms. The especially poor may have to have iron or even wooden replacements, but even commoners tend to have a little silver or gold.
(relatively period accurate or late-Brythonic)
490 - Fashion in the Duchess’ Style
That is, the Duchess Ygraine1, a famously beautiful woman. Braided hair, with small hollow gold or silver balls bound in it, are popular (men and women alike, though men’s hairstyles are shortening slightly due to new helmets).
Headscarves as a separate head covering, not part of the cloak hood, are more in favor - as are delicately patterned jewelry in exotic Irish and Saxon animal patterns - and colorful patterned bands around the edges of cloaks/tunics/dresses.
(a bit more of an English form)
508 - Fashion of Newborn Camelot
Following Arthur’s style as “the beardless king”, some men are willing to go without beards or with much more trimmed ones, as well as shorter hair (though still usually past the ear).
Tunics no longer need to be tucked in at the waist as they’ve started to get quite short, and trousers are getting finer and tighter - turning into hose.
(later English, Norman)
520 - Fashion from the Continent
War brings with it new styles from Gaul and beyond - tighter sleeves, the soup-bowl haircut, pointier shoes, and as embroidery and dyes become more sophisticated more focus on heraldry - including armor getting bright and colorful surcoats and tabards to cover them.
(Norman)
530 - Fashion at the Paris Tournament
(roughly the Crusades)
537 - Fashion at the Great Court of Love
(the 1300’s)
543 - Fashion of Earthly Brotherhood
547 - Fashion out of Joyous Garde
Slashing becomes vogue with some of the richer fabrics, even as the general economic rough times highlights the split between rich and poor. (15th century)
554 - Fashion after a World Reborn
558 - Fashion at the Last Tournament
(1500’s Renaissance fashion)
Footnotes
-
Arthur’s mother. ↩