There are very few images and even less written description to accurately explain Viking clothing. Archeological evidence is not conclusive and there are interpretations aplenty. General consensus is that Viking clothes were fashioned from wool, linen and animal skin, and that the people who made them were skillful weavers. Men wore trousers and tunics and women wore a long dress.
The following is one version of what they possibly wore.
Viking Men
The attire was simple – tunic, trousers, and cloak. The tunic was a long-armed shirt, which did not have buttons and went down to the knees. The Viking man wore a cloak over his shoulder and fastened it with a brooch. The cloak gathered over the arm he favoured to draw his weapon. Thus, the placement of the cloak could determine whether the Viking was right or left-handed. How were the trousers shaped? We do not know a great deal about them. The trousers could have been a type of plus fours, which gathered up under the knee. Socks or legwarmers were perhaps required around the shins, and belts or strings held the clothes up. For footwear, the Viking men wore leather shoes or boots and their caps, which were rounded or pointed, were made of animal skin or other material.
Viking Women
The women typically wore a strap dress with an undergarment. The dress was crafted of coarse material and was open or sewn together at the sides. Also, gussets were sewn into the dress, which gave it shape. The dress rested over the chest and was supported by a strap on each shoulder. Each strap fastened at the front with a brooch. Under her dress, the Viking woman wore an undergarment, which was as close to a fashion statement as it got. (The Swedish women wore fancy undergarments while the Danish women preferred plain ones.) She also wore a cloak over her shoulders, fastened with a small trilobite or round brooch. A small leather purse stored items and leather shoes rounded off the attire.
