Veils for Medieval Women

During the medieval period, women usually wore more than one layer of clothing at a time and accompanied their ensembles with a veil. A common medieval veil popularized in pop culture is the "nifel," a tall conical hat with a veil attached to the top point, but women wore many different styles of veils. According to costume retailer Medieval Women's Clothing, married women wore their hair in a tight, netted bun beneath a tight-fitting cap with an affixed veil. Single women would either wear their hair down or in loose braids beneath a loose veil.

The couvrechef was a veil first worn by French women during the medieval period. Couvrechef is French for "cover head." The veil was worn at the top of the head with various head pieces and draped down the shoulders. Couvrechefs were generally made of delicate fabrics, such as silk in light colors, and wealthy women would have their couvrechefs embroidered with gold or jewels. Anglo-Saxons sometimes referred to the couvrechef as a "headrail." By the 15th century, couvrechefs became less fashionable, though they were still regularly worn by women in the lower classes.

Wimples were veils fastened around the entire head, including the neck and up to the chin. They usually were made from linen and silk in light colors, such as white or cream, and only showed the wearer's face, hiding her hair, ears and neck. Wimples could be worn with the edges tucked into the wearer's robe or dress, and a couvrechef attached to the top. Today, wimples are still worn by nuns.

The goffered veil, also known as a nebula headdress, was worn by women of all classes. The goffered veil is a short, ruffled veil that was usually made from linen and crafted with ornate pleats or embroidered latticework on the edges. The veil was worn pinned near the hairline and draped over the top of the head, and can be found in many famous paintings of the period, including "Portrait of Margareta Van Eyck."

A peplum is similar to the goffered veil in that it was usually pinned near the hairline, and draped down over the head. Peplums were longer than goffered veils and cascaded past the neck and shoulders, sometimes as far as the waist or knees. The veil was usually made from white linen or silk and could be worn pinned to a "fillet," or headband tied around the head.

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