Is Traditional Viking Clothing Becoming Fashionable Again?

When series such as Vikings (2013) and all its following 6 seasons, began, everyone around the world was glued to the television. Not only did the drama excite us and give us a thrill at the glimpse of transforming into another realm filled with dangerous and strong Scandinavian men who were Vikings from the 8th centuries that looted and traded their goods in exchange of money, but we also had a strange fascination with their attire.

Sitting in front of the television we often thought, if we could just wear those magnificent outfits ourselves, perhaps we too could look as good as them, and feel as strong or brave as them. Alas, this was a dream back in 2013, but not anymore! The good news is, this trend has become a very popular one over the past 4 years and has grown in its followers far and wide, so now, not only can we buy their clothes and accessories, we can feel like them too.

Some have even gone so far as to invest in the simpler clothes such as sandals and toga’s, making themed parties out of them, or simply taking them with you on holiday to the tropics and enjoying the sun while drinking wine and eating grapes. Valhalla was the place to be, a place coined in the Norse mythology, also known as the “hall of the slain”. This was “the” place where those who died in battle went. If your keen to read some further information about this fascinating history online click here.

Dress Your Best for Valhalla

Be it a fantasy for some or reality for others below is some information on the clothing, and accessories that were worn back then and available for you today, so you can have yourself a Viking themes birthday or party. Or even just wear them as everyday clothing to enhance your personality. Let’s take a brief look at the history of this clothing first.

Of course, if you wear the same outfits on the streets as they wore in the series, you may get some bad rep, not to mention people around you may get threatened. Were not talking about the lovely outfits that the ladies wore, but rather the rugged and simple skirt-like bottoms that the men wore, which in our guess is, would not make for appropriate work attire.

At any rate, the various Viking’s dress styles were determined by several influences, such as age, occupation, gender, personal preferences, socio-economic status, occupation, habitat, and mostly the environmental factors influenced these decisions. As one can imagine they made their clothes themselves using raw materials gotten from the surrounding green spaces and natural lands, even if they had to kill it.

But that’s a story for another day if your intrigued and want to get to the heart of what they ate you can read about it on various historical literature available for public viewing https://www.ancient.eu/article/1311/norse-viking-diet/ The consensus was that they lived healthy lives and had robust eating habits, where they ate everything from all food categories (the food pyramid) and were not as undernourished as many have had them believe.

Viking Clothing, What We Know

Because this era was such a long time ago i.e. before the 1050 AD, it is hardly evident to have any remaining clothing from them, in today’s history that has stayed intact.
However, we have gone by the historical evidence found and data collected, to figure out what they wore. As rare as they are, one can easily buy Viking clothing and fashion accessories from plenty of generic stores that provide several options to you in any form, shape, color, or size, as well as get them tailored for you under bespoke services.

This was a very clever genre, where practicality beat style, none of that fashion over comfort attitude that a lot of people have in the 21st century, but rather, they made clothes that served a purpose and were simple and useful. The higher classes wore the more extravagant outfits, but still not in the same way as the “extravagant” styles you are presented with on catwalks, for instance.

Ordinary clothes were created out of raw materials such as leather, flax from flax flowers, and wool, and were made by women who lived in the villages. The wealthier classes wore imported clothes from around the neighboring regions such as Byzantium and were made from gold or silk threads. Jewelry and animal fur were also mostly mandatory, to reflect status and hierarchy.

Men wore tunics and trousers, and the women wore strapped dresses and smocks or undergarments. They fitted well and were sewn together on the sides, or left open to give it shape. The straps held the dress up on each shoulder and fastened in the front using a brooch of some kind. Strings of beads were also laced between the brooches to add more aesthetics.

Shoes were mainly made of leather, also made by themselves or by shoe mongers. The men wore long-sleeved shirts which sometimes would go down to their knees. They would typically wear cloaks on top of their shirts, and this was fastened by a brooch. Not much is written in the records about the shape of the bottoms they wore, some say they may have been plus-fours that gathered up at the knees and tied there using lace stitched into the pants on the sides.

Because they did have pockets, the men wore purses attached to their belts and strings that fastened to their clothes. Perhaps they carried both money or a knife in their man-bags. Some historians found pieces of historic coins and gaming pieces as well. Caps were also adorned, but not like out 21st-century types. These were rounded or pointy and made from animal skin type materials.

We hope this gives you some idea of the clothes that were used throughout the era, and you can get yourself similar items to suit your needs as well, and feel a part of history once again.