Hobbitronics - Sideless Surcoat's

Hobbitronics

Sideless Surcoat's
The sideless surcote, sometimes referred to as the "Gates of Hell" as it allowed glimpses of a shapely female figure, first appeared as a unisex garment in 12th century Spain. Within a few generations it had spread to England and France.

We can make them in solid colors, with or without trim or parti-colored as shown here. We can also embellish them with embroidery or by appliquéing your SCA heraldry.

Notes:
The Church found the fashion scandalous, some prelates dubbing the garment the "Gates of Hell" in honor of what its gaping sides did not cover. Seeing as the bodice of the surcoat only continued to grow narrower into the 15th century, the Church's concerns seemed to have had little impact on the ladies of high fashion.

No one questions whether men wore heraldic clothing in the Middle Ages. But there has been some debate as to whether surcoates displaying heraldry were actually worn by women. Whatever you believe, there's no doubt that they add to the pageantry in the current middle ages.