Fashion in the Middle Ages * The Getty Centre * Los Angeles * 31 May – 14 August 2011

For lovers of medieval fashion there is not only the exhibition at the Morgan Library we mentioned a little while ago, but also an exhibition of fashion related manuscripts - this time at the Getty Centre in Los Angeles. Click here for more details.

The Getty Centre literature tells us: While at times containing fanciful or idealized images of clothing, manuscript illuminations often reflect the actual styles and fabrics of the Middle Ages, as well as the economic factors behind them.

For the medieval viewer, color and material provided essential information about the social status of the figures on the page. For example, scholars wore red robes that carried the additional prestige associated with the high cost of crimson dye.