I am currently expanding my collection to include authentic medieval clothing. And after doing late medieval styles, now it is time to add the Vikings. I concentrated on the Haithabu (Hedeby) vikings for now and I started with male clothing.

The starting point was a beautiful necklace made from coral, mother of pearl and brass. This already set the colour palette. A cotta or tunic made from madder red wool with copper decorative stitching. An undertunic made from unbleached linen, also with nice decorative stitching with silk thread. The undertunic and its decorative embroidery is visible under the madder red cotta at the collar and hem. And last but not least Rus baggy trousers made from felted brown wool, again with copper colored decorative stitching. By the way the visible decorative stitching is all done by hand.

Later I want to add leg wrappings and a needlebound cap. And instead of the baggy Rus trousers I want to try the close-fitting Thorsberg version.

For the beginning I have a nice equipment for portraying a rich fabric merchant viking.

 

And then I also made a second set of early medieval clothing. This time the Haithabu (Hedeby) cotta is made from forest green slightly felted wool and a little over knee-length. And again a white linen undetunic. And madder red Rus baggy trousers made from felted wool complete the set.

This early medieval clothing set was made for a gentleman. But on the pictures you can see that this kind of clothing works very well for both ladies & gentlement. The red set was photographed on a female mannequin with smaller waist and bigger bust, and the green set was photographed on a male mannequin with broader shoulders.