Medieval Wardrobe

While I'm sure a standard peasant or grog has one or two sets of clothing, how large of a wardrobe would a noble have? I'm figuring they would be a good guideline for comparison for any Jerbiton character.

There are nobles, and then there are nobles. One thing is the Emperor, another is a penniless knight :slight_smile:

But in general, more wealth tends to buy better clothing more than additional clothing. It also buys some additional cloaking, but relatively little. After all, clothing is a way to display status, and you can only wear one set at a time. Would you rather have ten sets of clothing, or just one really good one when you have to impress your peers, your underlings, and your future spouse? Sure, you might have a spare or three, and possibly something that you are saving for your burial, but beyond that? If you stumble on more stuff, you are probably likely to give it as a gift to your peers or underlings at the right moment.

In fact, that's a very noble thing to do: don't buy your vassal a cloak embroidered in silver and lapis lazuli. Buy yourself one. After a few weeks or months or years (the more the better, as long as it keeps in good shape) you've been seen wearing it, give it with great pomp to your vassal who fought off the bandits for you so valiantly. He doen't get just a cloak embroidered in silver and lapis lazuli. He gets his liege's cloak, that the liege took off from his own shoulders and gave to him as a tangible badge of honour. People will stare and say "Behold, the favourite of his liege!"

This. So very much this.

Yeah, lots of stories revolve around this sort of thing. I agree that it is more thematic than buying someone something.