The typical garments for men during both the Viking age and the later period was tunics. They often wore both an under-tunic and an over-tunic. The same accounted for women during the end of the Viking age and later, but even if their dresses were cut in the same way, they were typically longer. Men’s tunics reached about to the knee, but women’s could reach all the way to the ground.

The most common model of tunic/dress should have been the simple one made by square pieces with gores at the sides. Such tunics have been found from the 11th and 12th centuries and they should have had the same basic cut during the Viking age even if details may have changed. According to depictions, Viking age tunics should have had long sleeves which were narrow around the wrist and sometime the under-tunic could even have extra long sleeves creating wrinkles around the lower arm.

In the drawing you can see a shirt (without gores) and two versions of simple tunics for men. You can also see three different possible versions of necklines. To the left you can see me in a very simple natural-coloured dress for a working woman, with a round neckline without a slit, and to the right you have Erik in a tunic with four gores and dyed with madder.

You can buy patterns for tunics and dresses here: Tunics and Dresses