What kind of clothing did the chambermaid in medieval times use?

Answer 1

Ah, I am indeed studying the arts of the Medieval Ages. It depended on what you were to see what you wore. In other words: If you were a peasant you'd probably wear tattered clothing. If you were rich and "High-Society" then you'd probably wear fine silk dresses and the most gorgeous jewelry! Ah, the Renaissance, now don't get me started on that!

Medival people wore long dresses, and little hats thingys and worked for the queen or princesses

AnswerThe short answer is that there was a huge variety in medieval clothing. Fashion changes with time, and the middle ages lasted a thousand years. There was also regional variation in dress; clothing in Scotland was not the same as clothing in Spain, nor was Byzantine fashion the same as French. And medieval ladies could take advantage of the variety in ways poorer people could not.

Most peasant clothing was made at home, and much from home made fabrics. This meant that the clothing was very simple and very utilitarian. It also meant that it could be easily repaired, and as far as I know there is no reason whatever to believe that most medieval peasants were in tatters most of the time.

Of course, by contrast wealthy people were able to hire people to make clothing for them, and used clothing as an expression of their status. Expensive clothing and jewelry were very important for appearances, to the point that laws existed prescribing what people of various stations of life were allowed to wear.

The other side of this is that certain people were required to wear particular articles of clothing to show that they were apart from normal society. Jews were sometimes required to wear pointed hats for this reason, and prostitutes were sometimes required to wear stripes or red clothing.

The early middle ages tended to be conservative in fashion, with very little change. The clothing was derived in part from that of the Roman Empire, and this was far more true in the East, where the Byzantine Empire continued Roman rule, than in the West, where Germanic influences became very important, including the use of trousers.

With the coming of the High Middle Ages, fashions changed very quickly. Specially cut clothing such as the bliaut were used; it was a short tunic with a close fitting upper arm that flared out for the forearm. The High Middle Ages also introduced ridiculously long, pointed shoes and other, similarly outlandish fashions. This was a time in which philosophy commented on everything, and especially considered what was proper and right. People should be like nature, in many respects, it was thought, and this had an effect on women's fashions. Lions had manes, but lionesses did not. Male birds tended to have bright plumage, but females did not. By extension, it was believed that it was natural and right that women should dress in dull, brown fabrics and men should dress in more ornate and colorful clothes. Some great thoughts do not last long in the light of reality.

In the Late Middle Ages things changed again, possibly becoming more conservative and less strange. Nevertheless there was a wide range of fashions throughout Europe.

Trade with the Middle East and Far East brought valuable fabrics into Europe, cotton and silk. These were regarded as almost miraculous, and some of the most absurd ideas imaginable were passed about cotton, such as that it was wool from sheep that grew on trees. In addition, improved spinning techniques, spinning wheels, and looms made it possible to have abundant supplies of linen for underwear and bedsheets, producing such an abundance of linen rags that the question of what to do with them lead to the invention of linen based paper, eventually enabling the printing press.

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Answer 2

Anyone who was below noble wore simple clothing made of wool ( no cotton fabrics were made). These were long gowns with sleeveless tunics and wimples to cover the hair. Sheepskin cloaks, woolen hats and mittens for winter. The outer clothing was almost never washed, but linen underwear was washed . The smell of wood smoke could be smelled on all clothing. There wasn't a "job" as a chambermaid per sae. The queen or king had minor nobles serve them and see to their needs. Often the sons and daughters did these jobs and they were happy to do it. It got them to court, taught them the ways of court, and court was a place where they could connect to others of their rank. Marriages often came out of the connections that were made and the families could gain more power as well.