\section{Introduction}
\label{sec:one}

Re-constructing clothing is a complex undertakaing and one that 
takes up a good deal of time and effort.
In this article we assemble and discuss evidence 
associated with an attempt to reconstruct a suit of
male clothes from the mid fifteenth century.

Comment on the the structure of a suit of clothes and the
layers involved quoting from both Birbirani\cite{Birb75}
and Piponnier\cite{Pipo95} in regards to;
\begin{itemize}
\item Cloth and the colours that are available.
\item Textures and layers of clothing in a suit.
\item General indications of the structure and art
that can be useful in supporting different views.
\end{itemize}

Use of cloths in differing colour mixtures are common
in clothing depicted in art during the period upon
which this article is centred.
Contrasting colour choices are common, especially among
younger men who appear to be depicted in the height of
fashion\footnote{This is supported by Pipponier who
remarks on the choices of colours available,
"Perhaps the most important of the finishes that 
gave wollen cloth its final appearance was the dyeing.
Kermes was extremely expensive and produced a huge range of
colours including 'sanguine' or blood red; it was the
the favourite but was reserved for the luxury end
of the market, which spread as far as the eastern and southern
shores of the Mediterranean. Woad cost less because it was
extracted from a plant that could be grown in a number of
regions. Woad dyed cloth blue or, if combined with other
colourings, green; it was convenient to use because it needed
no mordant and could be used either for whole fleeces or
for ready spun wool. According to the concentration in which
it was used it could give very deep blues or a much 
paler shade. Although the richest, darkest colours were still
only within the grasp of a minority, this development made coloured
fabrics available to an ever-increasing number of people from 
less exalted social classes. Blue garments were already quite
common among city dwellers in the thirteenth century
and were beginning to spread to the countryside by the fourteenth;
even quite humble pesants would possess a coloured gown, though
its colour might be faded by age and use, or by the mediocre quality
of the dye used on inexpensive woollen cloth."
\cite[See pp.16 and 17]{Pipo95}}.
The view of Piponnier can also be supported to some degree 
through the artistic records. country scenes show peasant
workers in worn clothing\footnote{See country scenes
in Cardini and Clegg.}
and even these people are shown wearing coloured
hose, even if stripped to the shirt working in the fields.

In stark contrast to the distribution of fibres 
preponderant in modern textiles, not to mention the
ubiquity of modern fibres such as Rayons and other
polymers, fifteenth century cloths are principally
composed of wool
(of varying qualities\footnote{See Piponnier\cite{Pipo95}
pages 15--26 for a discussion of fibres and colouring methods}).
Other common fibres included linen and silk, sometimes 
combined with precious metals to produce the rich brocades
often termed "cloth of gold", as well as multicoloured
cut velvet brocades that combine low relief decoration
and colour changes to great effect.

A brief survey of the colours of the male costumes depicted in 
reproductions of european paintings\cite{Card92,Cleg98,Pipo95}
and frescoes is summarised in table~\ref{table:one}.
Reference to art is not conclusive, since the
colours available to the artist were limited and there
are inherent value attributions associated with special
colours such as blue. By concentrating our attention on
portrait scenes and group portraits where a high degree of
attention of realism in the depiction of clothing is evident
and by discounting colours worn by major mythical and
religious subjects it can be hoped that the impact
of artistic choices on the data presented here has been minimised.

\begin{figure}
\begin{tabular}{||l|c|c|c|c||}\hline
Colour  & Hose & Doublet & Over Tunic/Robe \\ \hline
Grey    &  6   &    1    &    2            \\
Red/Rose&  18  &    4    &    26            \\
Black   &  9   &    9    &    11            \\
White   &      &    1    &    1            \\
Blue    &  3   &    5    &    3            \\
Yellow  &      &    3    &    1            \\
Brown   &      &         &    1            \\
Green   &  1   &    1    &    2            \\
Brocade &      &         &    8            \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{
\label{table:one}
Clothing colour distribution in 15th century art works
}
\end{figure}

Colour also contributed to the value of cloth
enhancing the value derived from the basic fibre used.
Dark colours appear often in formal portraits
where people are assumed to be wearing their best clothes;
and are widely accepted to
have been associated with cost, as deep saturated colours
were expensive and difficult to achieve with the dyeing
techniques available\footnote{Pipponier also comments on the types of colour
considered most luxurious, identifying "...saturation by the
dyes improved, producing the deep shades so popular in the
late Middle Ages: dark greens and blues,
violet and especially black."\cite[See last sentence at the bottom of page 17]
{Pipo95}}.
