The Medieval World History of Costume and Fashion
How do we discover the truth about the way people dressed in the medieval period? Firstly, actual items of jewelry, crowns, shoes, suits of armor, and the remains of textiles have survived.
The latter may be fragments of cloth uncovered by archaeologists, or they may be whole garments now preserved in a palace or museum. Secondly, there are visual references supplied by statues, memorial brasses in churches, paintings, or illustrated manuscripts.Thirdly, we have descriptions of clothing in medieval literature, or references to it in other written records such as laws, tax receipts, or trading accounts