Hello! I'm a hobbyist game developer, and I like to do as much research as possible when adding something to my game. I've been doing research on medieval servants, but a lot of the information available is regarding peasants, rather than those working directly for the aristocracy.
-Would these individuals wear similar clothing to peasants, or did they have their own unique clothes reflecting their closeness to the rich? From what I understand, males wore tunics and stockings, but the level of detail I have found so far about these garments is disappointing.
-What color were they?
-Did colors change depending on occupation, social status as a servant, or even just personal choice- was that allowed?
-Were sleeves common? What kind of shoes were worn?
-I understand that hats were frequently worn, usually coifs, hoods, and caps, but again, I haven't found anything of great detail yet.
-Were these colored at all?
-When were they worn vs not worn?
-How did these articles of clothing change based on region? In colder regions, were there coats or fur hats for the lower classes, or were these reserved for nobles?
Some basic articles I found: https://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/life_03_clothing.htm https://www.thoughtco.com/european-peasant-dress-1788614
I think that's most of my questions. Thanks for reading, and let me know if I messed up on one of the rules. :)
The specifics depend on exactly when and where in medieval Europe you're talking about. I have a few past answers that may help you understand some of the changes in medieval fashion:
Arts, Crafts, and Clothes of a 5th/6th century Saxon?
Why did the tunic fall out of favor in Europe?
Why did men largely stop wearing dress/skirt style clothing while women continued to do so?
How did women cover their hair in Europe (especially England) in the Middle Ages/Renaissance?
When it comes to servants vs. peasants, I'm not really sure there's the distinction you're imagining. I know that "livery" was a concept, at least in the later Middle Ages, but my understanding is that it refers essentially to a general clothing provision, possibly in a specific color/fabric, but not so much a uniform that distinguished itself from other clothing in terms of both cut and fabric (like a modern hotel maid's outfit). What you're finding about "peasant" clothing is most likely relevant to the majority of servants, though better-off servants in higher positions would have access to better fabrics and more up-to-date cuts. (And although the two representative pieces you link are VERY vague about time and place and are generalizing too much.)
I would suggest taking a look at Textiles and Clothing, 1150-1450 and Shoes and Pattens: Finds from Medieval Excavations in London, two publications from the Museum of London that go into exhaustive detail on their subjects. The King's Servants and The Queen's Servants from The Tudor Tailor are specific to the late 15th and early 16th centuries (and it looks like they have a book called The Typical Tudor coming out next month that will be exactly what you're looking for as well). Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince: A Study of the Years 1340-1365 is another very good book, specific to a different period (one in which some big changes were occurring).
If you can specify just a little bit more - narrow it down to a couple of centuries in a general region of Europe - and ask a slightly more targeted question, I think you'll be more likely to get a thorough answer.
Hi there - we're happy to approve your question related to your creative project, and we are happy for people to answer. However, we should warn you that many flairs have become reluctant to answer questions for aspiring novelists and the like, based on past experience: some people working on creative projects have a tendency to try to pump historians for trivia while ignoring the bigger points they were making, while others have a tendency to argue with historians when the historical reality does not line up with what's needed for a particular scene or characterization. Please respect the answers of people who have generously given you their time, even if it's not always what you want to hear.
Additionally, as amazing as our flair panel is, we should also point out that /r/AskHistorians is not a professional historical consultation service. If you're asking a question here because you need vital research for a future commercial product such as a historical novel, you may be better off engaging a historical consultant at a fair hourly rate to answer these questions for you. We don't know what the going rate for consultancy work would be in your locality, but it may be worth looking into that if you have in-depth or highly plot-reliant questions for this project. Some /r/AskHistorians flairs could be receptive to working as a consultant in this way. However, if you wish for a flair here to do this work for you, you will need to organize this with them yourselves.
For more general advice about doing research to inform a creative project, please check out our Monday Methods post on the subject.