Clothing for Jesters in the Middle Ages

Tunic

• Jesters wore tunics similar to those worn by other men. They were often dyed bright colors. During the 13th century, particolored tunics made of two different colors become popular. The right side of the body was one color, the left completely different.
  
  

Breeches and Hose

• Medieval men covered their legs with short pants called breeches and close-fitting stockings called hose. Medieval art depicts jesters wearing their hose sagging at the waist or bunched around their ankles. Some jesters went barelegged.
  
  

Footwear

• The jester's shoes often ended in exaggerated points. Some jesters went shoeless with pointed hose feet. The points were curled up and ended with bells or other decorations.
  
  

Hood

• The jester topped off his outfit with a hood. This evolved over time from a simple hood with donkey ears to a particolored, multi-tailed jester's hat. The ears or tails were often decorated with small bells.