English National Dress.

[Beorn]

English National Dress - Male


http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Male/EnglishDressMale_1.jpg

Standard order of 'male' English National Dress

The male standard order of English National Dress is based on a mix of north European and Old English Dress. Thus the deep Red and ‘off’ White reflects both the English national colours of St George, The English White Dragon, and Nordic influences. This acknowledges the Viking and Saxon influence within England. The model wears a Seax knife on his front to denote he is a free Englishman. His trousers and smock are of well spun wool. He wears his own ‘Timberland’ style ground boots to reflect modern dress influences and practicalities. The male standard order of dress is smart, practical and easy to wear. Unseen in this plate is his white linen under shirt or tunic, which form the smock for the warm weather order shown below. As an alternative, and like the ‘female’ English National Dress, linens or other materials can be used for the smock and trousers, if wool is not practical.

Origins of 'male' English National Dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Male/Anglo_Saxon_Warrior.jpg

The origins of ‘male’ English National Dress.

The origins ‘male’ of English National Dress are steeped in the origins of the English. To times when the English were dwellers of forest and people of the sea. Like the female version of English National Dress it is designed with the earliest of influences in mind. The representation of the Anglo-Saxon warrior above form the early 7th Century wears a beautiful recreation of the Sutton Hood Helmet. He has a seax and an Anglo-Saxon sword. No one expects to achieve this kind of costume. But - the image takes us back to the tales of the Offa I and Steadfast sword and great deeds done.

Warm weather ‘male’ English National Dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Male/EnglishDressMale_2.jpg

Warm weather ‘male’ English National Dress

The White linen under tunic forms the basis for the warm weather order of ‘male’ English National Dress. The model is shown holding his Seax in a non-threatening pose to show it when drawn. This order of male English National Dress is cool in warm weather, and keeps the basic English national colours of Red and White. He wears a solid silver English battle axe necklace. Additional embroidery can be added.

Cold weather ‘male’ English National Dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Male/EnglishDressMale_3.jpg

Cold weather ‘male’ English National Dress

The model wears a cloak pinned by a solid silver broach with a design representing the White Dragon of the English etched onto it. It is warm, stylish and practical. The cloak is worn over the standard order of male English National Dress, pinned above the right shoulder, and is simply cut from deep Red wool. It is actually very warm!!

Solid Silver Jewellery

English Male Axe Necklace

The necklace worn by the model is a solid silver English battle axe design with a representation of the Tiw up arrow etched onto its surface. The up arrow of Tiw is the ‘Sky Father’ rune and protector of the English. Shown here against the off White well spun wool of the tunic or smock of the standard order of ‘male’ English National Dress.

Smock or Tunic

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Male/English_Smock_Tunic.jpg

English Smock or Tunic

Off White wool with deep Red detail invoke the White and Red of St George and The White Dragon of the English. The neck is laced with simple light brown linen lace. Examples of what embroidery is possible are the two boar designs on the neck. Shown below in more detail.

Embroidery and detail

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Male/English_Smock_Tunic_Embroid.jpg

English Smock Tunic embroidery and detail

The two boar designs are embroidered in white wool to give an example of simple designs that can be achieved. Cross of St George, White Horse, White Dragon, or other designs can be achieved. These boars could represent the Viking influence in England or the old Northumbrian kingdoms.

Deep Red trousers

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Male/English_Deep_Red_Trousers.jpg

English Deep Red Trousers

Cut from deep Red well spun wool these trousers are smart, hard wearing, and easy to cut and make. They are a straight cut trouser, with belt loops. This requires another hidden belt to be worn.

White linen under shirt or tunic

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Male/English_White_Linen_Shirt.jpg

English White Linen Shirt

The linen under shirt or under tunic forms the basis for the warm weather order of ‘male’ English National Dress. It is cut long enough for the tunic to cover the top part of the trousers and is vented on the sides as shown.

English National Dress - Female

Standard order of female English National Dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/EnglishDressFemale_1.jpg

Standard order of ‘female’ English National Dress

This dress is based on English female dress from the 6th Century AD (see below). The dress is for modern use so the model wears her own ‘Timberland’ style ground boots for safety, ease of movement and comfort. But, any kind of footwear can be worn as per occasion. She holds a Seax knife on the front. The Seax is the sign of a free English person. She wears a deep Red over dress, which is cut shorter than the light Blue summer ‘kyrtle’ dress. Unseen are trousers in the same wode Blue linen, representing the blue of the English King St Edmund. This is a basic finish of design. Embroidery can be added to the light Blue drape on the front of the over dress.

The origins of ‘female’ English National Dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/EnglishDressFemale_2.jpg

The origins of ‘female’ English National Dress.

The standard order of ‘female’ English National Dress is based on the 6th Century English dress shown in the plate above. It shows what can be achieved. This plate shows the person wearing recreations of Anglo-Saxon shoes, which are probably not safe or durable enough for today’s modern living and environment. She wears two Seax knives, which can be seen hanging low on her dress. Imagine a wedding version of this!

Warm weather ‘female’ English National Dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/EnglishDressFemale_3.jpg

Warm weather ‘female’ English National Dress

Here the model wears her wode blue linen under dress with a belt, leather pouch, and small Seax. It is light and cool. Unseen are wode blue linen trousers. She wears a solid silver English shield necklace. Again, the model wears her own footwear for practicality. But other shoes can be worn.

Cold weather ‘female’ English National Dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/EnglishDressFemale_4.jpg

Cold weather ‘female’ English National Dress

The model wears a cloak pinned by a solid silver broach with a design representing the White Dragon of the English etched onto it. It is warm, stylish and practical. The cloak is worn over the standard order of female English National Dress, pinned above the right shoulder.

Cold weather ‘female’ English National Dress with hood.

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/EnglishDressFemale_5.jpg

Cold weather ‘female’ English National Dress with hood.

The model wears a cloak pinned by a solid silver broach with a design representing the White Dragon of the English etched onto it. It is warm, stylish and practical. The cloak is worn over the standard order of female English National Dress, pinned above the right shoulder.

Solid Silver Jewellery

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/Solid_Silver_Jewellery.jpg

English Female Solid Silver Jewellery

The necklace worn by the model is a solid silver English Shield design with a representation of the White Dragon of the English. Shown here against the wode Blue linen cloth of the ‘kyrtle’ summer dress. The raised part in the middle is the shield ‘boss’. It is hand made.

Over dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/Overdress.jpg

English Female Over dress

Deep Red wool with a light Blue wool drape. The light Blue represents St Edmund, the English king. Much embroidery can be added to the drape. Using wool or linen. In warm weather this over dress can be made from lighter materials.

Kyrtle summer dress

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/Kyrtle_summer_dress.jpg

English Female Kyrtle summer dress

This summer dress is a simple cut design. Using linen, it is easy to reproduce like the rest of the ‘female’ English National Dress. It is worn under the over dress.

Linen under trousers

http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/media/img/Content/official_traditional_english_national_dress/Female/Linen_under_trousers.jpg

English Female Linen under trousers

What is not obvious in most of the plates is that the model wears these simple, easy to cut and make wode Blue linen trousers.

Source (http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/official_traditional_english_national_dress/introduction/default.aspx)

[Osweo]

Girls wore trousers in the Old Days?!? :-O

You know, this sort of 'smock' garment is easily the most practical and comfortable of all clothings. I don't have any old Mediaeval stuff, but I do own a similar garment from Russia, which I bought in the far North, near Arkhangelsk, and it's a delight to wear! Dead practical. Our present fashions are sheer madness on these terms. They're probably unhealthy too, the way they treat the body.

Remind me to dig out the pics of my Russkaya rubashka some time...

[Æmeric]

Reminds me of the clothing wore by men on the American frontier, except ours was made out of animal hides.


http://www.theapricity.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=947&stc=1&d=1236815033
http://www.theapricity.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=948&stc=1&d=1236815033

[British and Proud]

Suit and bowler for me! Though it is regional and class based - eg. flat cap, tweed jacket, huntsman's red jacket (John Bull attire), etc.

[Osweo]

Reminds me of the clothing wore by men on the American frontier, except ours was made out of animal hides.

http://www.theapricity.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=947&stc=1&d=1236815033

I always meant to ask - what are the tassels for? :confused:

[Loddfafner]

I am confused. I understood that English national dress was closer to this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Chav.jpg

according to this oh-so reliable source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chav).

[Æmeric]

I always meant to ask - what are the tassels for? :confused:

I guess it was for aesthetic reasons. Like the clothing worn by European men in the 17th & 18th centuries.


http://i.somethingawful.com/fashion/internationalmale/1.jpg
http://www.costumesgalore.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/good%20ones%20021.jpg

Even the pioneers had a sense of fashion.

[chap]

English national dress has been adopted globally to varying degrees, what Japanese or Russian (etc) people wear for work or play has origins in the British Isles. You can see other dress styles in ethnic parades in any city on the globe, and the bystanders will be wearing trousers & laced shoes, suits or sweaters, and so on. These are all English or were refined to their current form by the English (neckties came from the Romans, or the Croatians in a modern sense).

[lei.talk]

http://www.theapricity.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=947&stc=1&d=1236815033
I always meant to ask -
what are the tassels for?
:confused:the fringe diverts rain from the seams
to keep the wearer dry.

urine-bucked (from the latin verb bucāre
"to steep in lye, wash clothes"),
brain-dressed and, then, smoked skins
are soft, light and water-proof - but, not the seams.

[NationalConservative]

Are any of the Anglo-Saxon tunics suitable to wear in warm weather?

[Wulfhere]

Those Anglo-Saxon clothes, however authentic, are not English national dress. Genuine English national dress is something like the following, worn by morris dancers for centuries. Unlike most nations though, the English aren't so insecure as to need to promote it and shove it in your face at every opportunity.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Morris.dancing.at.wells.arp.jpg

[Peachy Carnahan]

Are any of the Anglo-Saxon tunics suitable to wear in warm weather?

Why are you planning to go abroad....?

[NationalConservative]

Why are you planning to go abroad....?

No, in regards to summer's arrival

[Peachy Carnahan]

Summer in England.....:confused:

I think you should be more concerned if the clothes are waterproof if you intend to wear them during an English summer.

[Liffrea]

I was always under the impression that “national costume” was considered “fakelore”……

[Osweo]

Unlike most nations though, the English aren't so insecure as to need to promote it and shove it in your face at every opportunity.


I was always under the impression that “national costume” was considered “fakelore”……

I suggest these two commonly expressed sentiments be re-examined with a view to their utility...

They apply as much to waving the flag or any other national symbol. I remember at school we were encouraged to mock Americans for their penchant for erecting flag poles on their front lawns and the like, but I wonder now who this mockery best serves. Is it really in English interests to encourage mockery of national pride?

The idea at school was always that 'we are above that.' Our 'quiet pride' is superior to such extravagance. ...but look around yourselves - that 'quiet' can easily turn to silence, wherein ANY display of pride will be viewed as an outlandish aberation.

Perhaps the readiness to excuse the loss of folklore, or to dismiss it as never having existed in the first place, is nothing but crafty social-engineering sponsored by those who seek to remove all that is national and specific to US from public life. :(

[Sahson]

Girls wore trousers in the Old Days?!? :-O

You know, this sort of 'smock' garment is easily the most practical and comfortable of all clothings. I don't have any old Mediaeval stuff, but I do own a similar garment from Russia, which I bought in the far North, near Arkhangelsk, and it's a delight to wear! Dead practical. Our present fashions are sheer madness on these terms. They're probably unhealthy too, the way they treat the body.

Remind me to dig out the pics of my Russkaya rubashka some time...

Is that the Kosovorotka?

[Osweo]

Is that the Kosovorotka?

'Slanty-collar-thingy'? I never heard it called that, but yes. A google search shows up these which are not too far off my linen thing;
http://rmtorg.org/files/kss3.jpg

Mine is not quite so elaborate in the embroidering though, and everyone I know over there just calls it a 'rubashka' or 'shirt'. I do like these plainer ones that the search turned up;
http://www.rishelye.ru/imgmusz/233.jpg
http://www.rishelye.ru/shop/products_pictures/1-300k.jpg

Such a simple tunic was universal in most of Europe, once upon a time. The variation comes in with national peculiarities in decoration.

[Liffrea]

Originally Posted by Osweo
Perhaps the readiness to excuse the loss of folklore, or to dismiss it as never having existed in the first place, is nothing but crafty social-engineering sponsored by those who seek to remove all that is national and specific to US from public life.

Or just a consequence of the historical fact that England has always dominated the British Isles and the more overtly aggressive nationalism of the Scots and Irish (and the consequent growth in plastic nationalism) as a reaction to that. Identity is always stronger the more under threat you are.

As for “national dress” such things are largely a 19th century invention.

I agree English identity needs more overt gestures but I would rather see it in the likes of Steadfast and organisations that try to create depth than in the superficiality of bits of cloth and dressing up. It’s a lesson I’ve learned from Heathenism if you need to dress up to feel then you need to question why that is so, personally I’m English I don’t need a bowler hat or flag to feel it.

I understand that such things may appeal to the masses, I can’t look out of my window for the sight of St George’s crosses because eleven blokes are going to kick a ball around for a couple of weeks in Africa, they will be all gone when England exit in the quarter finals, that’s just the sort of superficial mentality it often appeals to, their identity is probably three lions, and football, embodied in a piece of cloth……I’ll take the Peak District and the summer sun any day of the week, as the song says it’s about roots and they mean more to me than that, history and space i.e. depth. Not that I’m saying flag waving cannot be dignified, I had an England flag in my back garden for several years until the wind snapped the pole, but it often isn’t, the sort it normally arouses would follow anything.

[_______]

i like the cloaks! :)

[Midnight]

I've seen the OP's costumes on that website and quite liked them as far as 'national dresses' go, certainly better than the morris-dancing 'fakelore' national dress in my view (I'm one of those who finds it a bit naff I have to say!).
Certainly it's a step in the right direciton - moving more towards the territory of scots proudly posing as 'tough' in their kilts with its 'highland warrior' mythos !

a nice pictoral 'history of english dress' can be found here (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33020/33020-h/33020-h.htm), and it includes some diagrams of 'peasant' too wear which is nice (rather than just showing over-the-top king & queen's ceremonial outfits as examples of 'past fasion'!)
Personally I quite prefer the 'simpler' fashions at the start of the history than the exaggerated later styles - the cloaks/capes etc - even if the headress is remincent of the burqua to some I find it quite appealing myself. Norman 'style' was considered more 'simple' and less decorative than anglo-saxon, for what that's worth.

it's about time chainmail made a comeback as well in my view - It could come in useful in certain areas of certain modern cities too ;)