Looking at different regions across Medieval Europe, there appears to be some areas with little to no evidence on clothing. However, I'm getting the impression that many items of clothing were pretty much the same across Europe, similar to say jeans and T-shirts today. Is there any truth to this?
DISCLAIMER: I can only answer this question regardin early medieval period (say, up to XIth century)
For the most part, medieval clothing was fairly similar across Europe during the Early ME and Viking Age.
The deciding factor was resource availability, and technology.
An average early medieval man would look like this , pretty much regardless of location.
Lets break down the typical garb of an averag medieval man:
T-shaped tunic with or without gores. This was a straghtforward piece of clothing, which shape and dimensions were dictated by the width of an average roll of cloth. Most tunics (as well as shirts) areliterally the simpliest, and most cloth-efficient design that can be made out of a rectangle of cloth (chest/back piece is one rectangle, sleeves are trapesoid, and the gores are made from the leftover scrap). The shirt would be made shorter, as to not extend below the protective layer of the outer tunic.
Pants. For the most part, medieval pants would be extreley silmpein design (two rectangles sewn into tubes then joined in the crotch area) and as slim-fitting as the cloth permits, again, to save on cloth.
Shoes. Would utilize as little leather as possible, and as simple design as possible. Therefore, the most popular design were 1-piece or 2-piece turnsoles made of relatively thin leather.
other. Cloaks, as a simpliest and most utilitarian design for an outer garmen were widely popular since at least late Neolithic up to late 19Th century, and wre especially popular during the medieval era. In early Medieval Era, and Viking Age, people of both genders would also often wear various leg-wraps or stockings, not only to protect their shins from the elements, but also to protect the pant-legs from fraying. Belts (made of cloth, braided rope or sometimes thin leather) were often necessary, since internal pockets were not invented yet, and people wore all their personal items suspended on the belt, or from a brooch. Headgear was usually limited to hoods and small caps (men) and shawls (women).
As You can see, Early medieval clothing would be designed to be as simple as possible. Richer, and more fashionable people would wear clothing made of more expensive cloth (fine quality dyed wool, silk), wear more layers or baggier, flowing ggarments to display theyr wealth, but the basic design would be the same for a rich merchant and a poor farmer.
Similarily, clothing would be relatively similar across geography, with only minor cultural differences (example: roomy, T-shaped tunics near the Mediterrean, baggy trousers among the Rus Slavs, short sleeved tunics and shirts along the Baltic shore etc).
Broadly speaking, the more "civilised" (as in, deeply related to the former Roman Empire and its civilisation) clutures were, the wider were their belts, longer their stockings, blousier and shorter their tunics, and skinnier their trousers. The more northward/eastward we move, belts get skinnier, shoes shorter, tunics longer and more form fitting, and cloaks are less likely to be rectangular na dmore likely to be half-circular.
It was not until the 12th century that both manufacturing technology, as well as import of goods was developed enough to allow greater diversity of style and fashion.
Boucher: 20,000 Years of Fashion, The History of Costume and Personal Adornment.
