Medieval Russian fashion

[lilian567321]

Hello,

I'm writing a fantasy book set in medieval times, around the 14th century. One of the characters has a thick, winter coat from what would roughly be Russia. It's a coat with a woolen exterior, it's lined with cotton quilted fabric and has fur linings on the edges of the coat and on the hood of the coat.

My question is how realistic would this coat be in around 14th century Russia and why or why not, provided we say real-world Russia is the exact same as the one in my fantasy world, i.e. same climate, landscape, surrounding countries and political relations etc.

Thank you in advance,

Lillian K.

Comments

[lilacsigil]

It's the cotton that's unrealistic in Russia at that time. I can imagine some cotton finding its way along the Silk Road into Russia into the hands of someone wealthy, but then they wouldn't use it as a lining, it would be on display as an exotic fabric. Also it would be far cheaper and far warmer to use wool or fur!

[full_metal_ox]

I see your account is freshly created; welcome to Dreamwidth!

What social class are we talking about (and does the character in question live in Fantasy Russia?)

[texasdreamer01]

Agreed with lilacsigil that the cotton would be unrealistic, and adding on top of that statement that cotton is a very poor insulator compared to wool, as when it gets wet it cools the body off. Linen is a more popular liner for this reason, and an enduring one as a base layer rather than something specifically stitched into an outerwear garment like a coat - lots and lots of layers were preferred, because of ease of repairing garments, layering according to season and weather, and availability of various materials.

Additionally, coats by themselves are a bit wiggly of a preferred garment around the 1300s, particularly because they often first debuted as part of a military uniform and militaries themselves fluctuated based on need. Would your setting have a draft, or would it be primarily nobility with some enlisted footsoldiers, or some sort of mix of the two? This would inform who has access to a garment like that.

Fur would be a fairly traditional - and practical - liner, not least because of its warmth but also for the ease of hunting smaller game and stitching pelts together for a whole lining. Cloaks would also be hugely popular around the 1300s (and before, and also in some iteration afterward, now somewhat coming back into fashion in the modern day), because they're easy to make, easy to size (add belt!), and create a very warm bubble of air around you that coats with their sleeves are sometimes unable to mimic.

[sporky_rat]

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Sofya has ALL the clothing information.

[azurelunatic]

One of the very good furs for the ruff around the hood (don't know the appropriate terms for your setting) is wolf, if you need to specify. It's very good at shedding moisture. The cuffs might have a different fur because it doesn't need to contend with nearby exhalations.

(Source: my mother's research when making winter clothes for my sister and me; she took inspiration from Alaskan indigenous clothing technology, because she figured they were the experts on surviving/thriving through the local winters.)

I'm pretty sure that wolves were still common in Russia at that time.