French Fashion Rocks the 13th Century
“Fashion is merely a form of ugliness so absolutely unbearable that we have to alter it every six months.”
- Oscar Wilde, 1885
Figure 111 18th century tailor’s pair of scissors, engraved and dated 1741
(Tool ref. #290)
In all cultures from Egyptian to Roman and from Minoan to Greek civilizations, several elements of costume and the way men and women dressed symbolized their status in society. This was true in all civilizations as far back as one can study.
For workers, journeymen, Compagnons of the Tour de France, dress code was very elaborate, precise, and mandatory. Costume was different whether for every day or special occasion. It comprised different kinds of accessories such as the symbolic ribbon worn by the Compagnon on the jacket or the hat depending on his trade. The Compagnon’s traditional walking cane made of a strong Egyptian bamboo-type hard wood could only be obtained and used upon the Compagnon graduating to the formal status of master Compagnon.
What is apparent from reading the Book of Paris Trades is that in the 13th century Paris must have been a significant center of fashion. More than a third of all trades listed pertain to the clothing and accessories industry, with no less than four kinds of shoemakers, twelve trades relating to fabric and thread making, three for buckles, separate trades for belts, gloves, bags, and purses, and finally, six different types of hat makers:
Flower hatters,
Felt hatters,
Cotton hatters,
Fur hatters,
Jewelry (pearl and gold) hatters, and
Peacock feather hatters
Concerning hats, the Romans already had codified rules we can still find traces of in the Middle Ages with different hats for the various members of society’s classes.
Through manuscript illuminations of the 9th century we see the appearance of peacock feather hats worn by kings and nobles. During the 10th to 13th centuries peacock and flamingo feather hats were a symbol of power in France, just like they had already been symbols of power when worn by American Indians and Mayas in Pre-Columbian times.
In the late 14th century, peacock, storks, herons, swans, and cranes prominently appeared on the menus described by the royal court appointed chef, Guillaume Tirel (1310-1395). Also known as Taillevent, Tirel wrote around the year 1380 the first cookbook of reference called Le Viandier. In fact, the big birds would generally be the centerpiece of the meal with their feathers decorating the serving dishes after they were roasted. As an added symbol to the power of the feathers, the table set-up and placement of guests was such that only the king and his guests of honor from the ecclesiastical and noble classes could reach the feathers at the center of the table.
Figure 112 19th century felt hatter’s tool in brass for size adjustment
(Tool ref. # 586)
As specified in the Book of Paris Trades through their registered by-laws, peacock feather hatters had the most favorable rules of all corporations in the 13th century. This clearly demonstrates the privilege of wearing such a hat at the time. Those hatters had a complete fee waiver to establish their shop, they could hire an unlimited number of apprentices and workers, and had the right to work at night with light, a privilege very few corporations enjoyed. They were also granted a waiver to not have to make surveillance rounds in the streets of Paris, like the other trades had to do.
Peacock feather hats were the most sought after of all hats until the 16th century when that very trade disappeared at a time when all different types of hatters were regrouped into a single, larger, yet still very powerful corporation. Their new general by-laws were written in the year 1578 and approved by King Henri IV in 1594. Louis XIII approved new amended by-laws in 1612 and again Louis XIV did so in 1658.
In the year 1268, there were only five peacock feather hatters of record in Paris, while there were forty-seven cotton hatters. Cotton hats were quite common in the Middle Ages throughout Europe as seen on manuscript illuminations. Even French king Saint Louis was known to wear them sometimes. Cotton hatters in the 13th century were also allowed to weave thread and wool hats, according to their first registered by-laws of the year 1268. The master cotton hatters were sworn in by their guild to make only “good and legal hats” and to “turn any bad ones found anywhere in the City to the town hall for immediate destruction by fire” according to the same by-laws.
These by-laws, as amended in 1315 provided that an apprentice (as limited to only one per master) had to learn the trade for five years before becoming a journeyman. It appears cotton hatters were allowed to dye their hats although the color had to be “fresh, loyal, and never faint”. Under King Louis XI, in 1467, their name was changed to “bonnetier” or bonnet makers.
Felt hats were much more elaborate than cotton hats with shape varying from round to oval either flat or with gutter type edges. From seven felt hatters of record in Paris in 1268, they grew to ten in 1300. An apprentice felt hatter had to work for at least seven years to become a journeyman. Only lamb’s wool was allowed in the production of felt hats and dying of the hat was permitted only once and for all, to make sure that an old hat could never be dyed again and sold as a new hat. In 1323, an amendment to felt hatters’ by-laws allowed ornament of felt hats with beaver fur that became the rage throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. Under the reign of French king Louis XIII (from 1610 to 1643), felt hats became huge and adorned with ostrich feathers. During the 18th century, felt hats became fashionably small again.
Figure 115 19th century felt hatter’s tool in wood and metal for setting size for fabrication
(Tool ref. #592)
Jewelry hatters made hats embroidered with pearls and gold called “golden hats”. Their by-laws first established in 1268 specify eight years of training for an apprentice without money and only six years for the one who would pay 40 Sous to the master. This corporation comprised mostly of women also made royal crowns of gold, stones, pearls, and silk. In 1358, French king Jean Le Bon (John the Good) ordered for Blanche de Bourbon, Queen of Castile, a “golden hat garnished with twenty emeralds, sixteen diamonds, and forty large pearls.” The king’s daughter Jeanne was offered a golden hat with forty-eight pearls, twenty-eight rubies, twenty-one emeralds, and eight diamonds, as tracked in the kingdom’s inventory.
Finally, flower hatters also had their own special privileges in the 13th century. They made flower crowns and hats year round and like the peacock feather hatters, they were allowed to work even at night with light whereas most corporations were limited to working during daylight hours only. The flower hatters even had the special right to work on Sundays to make rose crowns for as long as fresh roses were in season. Compagnons, as can be seen on the stained glass windows of the Chartres cathedral, wore flower crowns.