Tales of Faith 3-Month Blog Tour || About the Clothes

Hey everyone!
Welcome to the second episode of the Tales of Faith 3-Month Blog Tour posts featured here on Drop in the Ocean Manuscript! That was a long welcome. Anyway, today, author Amanda Tero is visiting again to share the historical background of the clothing featured in The Secret Slipper - book two in her Tales of Faith series (I loved this one by the way!). I hope you enjoy this interesting historical tidbit. And I would love to hear your answers to Amanda's questions in the end. How does your fashion taste compare to medieval fashion?

What’s in a dress? Today, we might not be able to look at a stranger and automatically assume their position, financial status, and wellbeing, but in the medieval era, dress was all about those very things. 

Last week, I discussed weaving historical elements into fantasy (ish) fiction over at Author Abigail Harris’ blog—particularly village life in reality vs. fantasy and my mix of both. Today, the historical element I’d like to consider is clothing. Now, I’m not a fashionista (by a farrrrrr shot!), but when I write, I do like to have an element of truth and accuracy in the clothing I project for the era.

Lia buried her hands in the folds of Geva’s gown, the soft linen not calming her at all. She made sure her steps were slow and even, making her appear the careful lass Bioti claimed her to be. Had she not spent the last hour transitioning from filthy rags to this pale green gown, she would have doubted that she was the same lass mucking the stalls this morn. She lifted her eyes, taking in every embroidered flower that decorated the deep gray silk of Lady Yzebel’s gown. The beauty of elegance stopped as she looked at the lady’s face.

Photo credit: Pixaby

The above quote extends a glimpse into medieval life: clothing was a symbol of status. Those who were in any place of prestige wore finer-woven material with more attention to exquisite detail. The average peasant, though, wore something more coarse and befitting not only their station, but also the endurance of their toil. In fact, Lord Kiralyn uses the mere tactic of dress once in his quest for Lia: “He had dressed in common garb to blend in without suspicion and was now watching the townspeople as they milled around. Women with their baskets, men with their tools.”

Photo credit: Pixaby

The Middle Ages Unlocked gives a glimpse of how clothing was used in this era: “…. A good and new set of clothes could first be used for special occasions. Once a piece of clothing started showing traces of wear, it would be used as normal daywear, and even more worn pieces were used for activities where garments would get dirty or maybe damaged easily, such as hard and dirty fieldwork” (267-268, Polack and Kania). These latter clothes were the only ones that Lia owned, as the hated “step-daughter” of Bioti. She had no new set of clothes, so thus had to borrow something nicer from one of the step-sisters when it came for her to appear before Lady Yzebel. 

In “Protecting the Poor,” I take the historical elements of clothing slightly deeper and assign colors to each army—a quick way to know who was who on the battlefield. I have an entire book on emblems and insignias during the times of knights, but I stuck to simply giving Abtshire the color of red and yellow and the king blue and gray. Something that, when you see it (or, when you read it), you know if it was enemy or foe (or so you hope). 

Photo credit: Pixaby

Do you have any fun facts about medieval clothing? Dyes? Insignias? If you could pick any station to live in just because of the clothes, which would it be—fancy royalty, or practical peasantry?

About the Tour

Welcome to the second month of the Tales of Faith 3-Month tour! For the month of June, Amanda guest posted on a dozen blogs, featuring “Befriending the Beast.” This month, we’re getting a deeper look into book two of the Tales of Faith series: “The Secret Slipper.” Each post by Amanda is unique to the blog—an inspirational post, an article on the writing craft, an excerpt from one of the Tales of Faith books… you’ll just have to visit each blog to see what comes up. ;) Amanda will link to each blog on With a Joyful Noise, so check in every week and see what blogs have a special Tales of Faith feature!

About Amanda

Amanda Tero began her love for words at a young age—reading anything she could get her hands on and penning short stories as young as age eight. Since graduation, she has honed her writing skills by dedicated practice and study of the writing craft. She began her journey of publication with a few short stories that she had written for her sisters and continued to add to her collection with other short stories, novellas, and novels. It is her utmost desire to write that which not only pleases her Lord and Savior, but also draws the reader into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Connect with Amanda

Email: amandaterobooks@gmail.com

Website: http://amandatero.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandateroauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandateroauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amandaruthtero/

Blog: www.withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AmandaTero

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/amandatero

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour on Amanda's blog and come back here next month for the third episode of the Tales of Faith 3-Month Blog Tour. Oh, and don't forget to pick up your own copy of The Secret Slipper! Until next time...