"been recently thought to be one pattern with different coloured threads running through it. Motley Motley is the traditional costume of the court jester, fool, or the harlequin character in ""commedia dell'arte"". The harlequin wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif. The word ""motley"" is described in the Oxford English Dictionary as a cognate of ""medley"", although the unrelated ""mottled"" has also contributed to the meaning. The word is most commonly used as an adjective or noun, but is also seen as a verb and adverb. When used as a noun, it"
"the 15–16th centuries came the ""motley"", the official dress of the court jester. The jester was an important person in court circles, who could speak the truth without punishment even when it was contrary to the king’s or senior officials’ opinion. Their uniforms were generally lively and multi-coloured. Motley crew A motley crew is an informal expression for a roughly organized assembly of individuals of various backgrounds, appearance, and character. Typical examples of motley crews are pirates, college fraternities, Western posses, rag-tag mercenary bands, freedom fighters, and groups of programmers in high intensity tech startups. Motley crews are, by definition,"
"""buuttereedner"" or ""buutteredner"" and in Zeeland they are called an ""ouwoer"". They all perform a cabaret speech in dialect, during which many current issues are reviewed. Often there are local situations and celebrities from local and regional politics who are mocked, ridiculed and insulted. The ""Tonpraoter"" or ""Buuttereedner"" may be considered successors of the jesters. Jester A jester, court jester, or fool, was historically an entertainer during the medieval and Renaissance eras who was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain him and his guests. A jester was also an itinerant performer who"
"received his nickname of ""The Last Knight"". ""Rennen"" and ""Stechen"" were two sportive forms of the joust developed during the 15th century and practiced throughout the 16th century. The armours used for these two respective styles of the joust were known as ""Rennzeug"" and ""Stechzeug"", respectively. The ""Stechzeug"" in particular developed into extremely heavy armour which completely inhibited the movement of the rider, in its latest forms resembling an armour-shaped cabin integrated into the horse armour more than a functional suit of armour. Such forms of sportive equipment during the final phase of the joust in 16th-century Germany gave rise"
"and breeches, lace cuffs and jabot, silk stockings, buckled shoes, cocked hat, white gloves and a sword. At one time suits of various colours were to be seen, often with gold or silver embroidery; but (as is generally the case with men's formal dress) black is now the predominant colour, and has been since the nineteenth century. Peers' robes were worn over normal dress, which gradually became stylised as the court suit. It was only from the late eighteenth century that court dress became fossilised. By the early to mid eighteenth century velvet was largely confined to court dress. Court"
"than miniver. The capes were not worn into court by the advocates, only by the serjeants. The coif was the main symbol of the Order of Serjeants-at-Law, and is where their most recognisable name (the Order of the Coif) comes from. The coif was white and made of either silk or lawn. A Serjeant was never obliged to take off or cover his coif, not even in the presence of the King, except as a judge when passing a death sentence. In that situation he would wear a black cap intended to cover the Coif, although it is often confused"
"hat became known simply as the cocked hat. In the 1830s-40s, the full court dress was sometimes decorated with embroidery, and sometimes not. Cloth was most general, but velvet was also used. For levées, cloth trousers were worn. A new style of court dress, worn from the 1840s, comprised a dark, frequently black, cloth (or silk-velvet) single-breasted dress coat (lined with black silk, except for the tail, which was white), with a stand collar. This was worn with a white satin or black silk collarless waistcoat, and white neckcloth. For levées, this was worn with matching velvet trousers with a"
"Boater A boater (also straw boater, basher, skimmer, cady, katie, canotier, somer, sennit hat, or in Japan, can-can hat, suruken) is a kind of summer hat worn by men, regarded as somewhat formal, and particularly popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It is normally made of stiff sennit straw and has a stiff flat crown and brim, typically with a solid or striped grosgrain ribbon around the crown. Boaters were popular as summer headgear, especially for boating or sailing, hence the name. They were supposedly worn by FBI agents as a sort of unofficial uniform in"
"to court uniform or military uniform on occasions of state where such were customarily worn. Such occasions are now rare, but formerly they included state balls, evening state parties, courts and levées (courts were evening occasions at which women were formally presented to the monarch; levées were morning gatherings at which men were presented). It is still worn today, to a very limited extent, in courts of law and by certain parliamentary and other office-holders; the last time it was worn by people in significant numbers was at the Coronation in 1953. It consists of a tail-coat with matching waistcoat"
"lace striped trousers (for levée dress) or white breeches, black or white silk stockings, gilt buckled shoes, beaver or silk cocked hat with black silk cockade gold lace loop and buttons, sword same as civil, suspended by a silk shoulder belt worn underneath the waistcoat, white neck cloth. By the time ""Dress worn at Court"" was published, in 1898, regulations for three different varieties of court dress had been laid down: 'old style velvet', 'new style velvet' and 'cloth'. The velvet suits were in black and without embroidery; the cloth court suit (""for Courts and Evening Parties"") ""is"" to have"
"the norms, while conscious jesters exaggerated to serve as a mirror to their public. The image of the jester is mainly shaped by its heyday. This ran from the Middle Ages to the late seventeenth century. The default image is that of the jester with fool's cap with bells, cheerful colors and oversized shoes, and marotte. In reality, some wore a jester costume, but other wore deliberately shabby clothes and some wore noble robes. Nowadays we imagine the jester often with a small deformed appearance, but this was not always the case. There were basically two kinds of jesters. The"
"dress was obligatory in Westminster Abbey for all not wearing official or lordly apparel. During the seventeenth century, gentlemen's court dress was largely determined by two related influences, the retention of out-dated styles, producing a distinctive form of dress, and an interest in military uniform. The first produced the court suit, a coat with tails, waistcoat and knee breeches, worn with silk stockings, and a formal court sword with a cut-steel hilt and embellishments, and bicorne hat. The court suit has undergone a number of changes since the eighteenth century. However, apart from changes in the cut of the sleeves"
"Ratcatcher (attire) Ratcatcher is informal attire worn when fox hunting and consists primarily of a tweed jacket with tan breeches. Other specific items of clothing, forming part of the ""uniform,"" might be prescribed by individual hunting clubs. It is possible that the term was derived from the attire which the ""ratcatcher"" or ""terrier man"" wore. He was probably a crofter and followed the hunt across his land. When a fox went to ground the terrier man, would send his terrier into the covert to kill the fox. In Victorian England the Rat-catcher, whose occupation was catching rats as a form"
"Nigel Roder Nigel Roder (born 1967), also known professionally as Kester the Jester, was designated the official ""State Jester"" of England in 2004 by English Heritage. The prior jester of record, Muckle John, vacated the position shortly after his employer, King Charles I of England, was beheaded in 1649. Roder was appointed by English Heritage after winning a jesting competition. Subsequently the Guild of Jesters complained through their spokesman, Jonathan the Jester, that English Heritage should not be allowed to use the title of State Jester. Several guild members also wrote to their MPs. After the question was raised in"
"(equivalent to court uniform) consisting of a single row ""waffenrock"" of dark green cloth with gold galloon on the collar and cuffs, gilded buttons with the royal crown and the colonel's epaulettes (older model) with the head of state monogram; dark green trousers with gold galloon; gold belt with fringes; ""hirschfänger"" or sabre; white gloves and black bicorne with cockade and a green hanging plume. ""Överhovjägmästare"" and first ""hovjägmästare"" had the same uniform with general's insignia and ""bouillon"" tassels in the belt. Hovjägmästare Hovjägmästare in Sweden was a court official who supervised the ""Kungliga Hovjägeristaten"" at the Royal Court of"
"Heriot Heriot, from Old English ""heregeat"" (""war-gear""), was originally a death-duty in late Anglo-Saxon England, which required that at death, a nobleman provided to his king a given set of military equipment, often including horses, swords, shields, spears and helmets. It later developed into a kind of tenurial feudal relief due from villeins. The equivalent term in French was ""droit du meilleur catel"". The word derives from Old English ""here-geatwa"", meaning the arms and equipment (""geatwa"") of a soldier or army (""here""). Heriot was the right of a lord in feudal Europe to seize a serf's best horse, clothing, or"
"Zoster (costume) A zoster () was a form of girdle or belt worn by men and perhaps later by women in ancient Greece, from the Archaic period (c. 750–c. 500 BC) to the Hellenistic period (323–30 BC). The word occurs in Homer, where it appears to refer to a warrior's belt of leather, possibly covered in bronze plates. Later references in the late Archaic and early Classical periods show it used as a belt or cloth girdle with men's clothes, especially the shorter ""chiton"". By the Hellenistic period, it had become synonymous with ""zone"" and was used for women's clothes"
"a cocked hat with a plume, and a sword on a white sash. For the Order's ceremonial occasions, such as the annual Garter Day, the members wear elaborate vestments and accoutrements, which include: Up until the middle part of the 20th century, it was customary to wear Tudor style under-dress, consisting of white silk embroidered doublet, breeches, full hose, white doeskin pumps with satin bows and a sword belt with sword, under the robes. Nowadays, morning dress or a lounge suit is worn, except for coronations when Tudor under-dress is worn by the canopy-bearers. On other occasions when decorations are"
"Vestes Vestēs ( was a Byzantine court title used in the 10th and 11th centuries. The term is etymologically connected to the ""vestiarion"", the imperial wardrobe, but despite earlier attempts to connect the ""vestai"" and the related title of ""vestarchēs"", the head of the class of the ""vestai"", with the officials of the ""vestiarion"" (cf. Bréhier), no such relation appears to have existed. The title is first attested for the reign of Emperor John I Tzimiskes (r. 969–976), when it was held by Nikephoros Phokas, son of the ""kouropalatēs"" Leo Phokas. The title remained high in the Byzantine imperial hierarchy"
"Scharfrichter The term Scharfrichter (German for executioner, literally: ""sharp judge"") refers specifically to a tradition of executioners in the German states. Using a sword of execution, they had the responsibility of actually executing prisoners; his assistant, the ""Löwe"" (lion), would carry out tasks such as forcibly conveying prisoners to the presence of a judge (while roaring, whence the name), ""rubbish clearance"", burying unwanted bodies, and carrying out brandings. The Scharfrichter was a well-known figure nicknamed the ""Mate of Death"" and instantly recognizable in their traditional black frock coat and silk top hat. The word ""Scharfrichter"" is composed of the words"
"Priestly tunic The priestly tunic ( ""kutonet"") was as an undergarment or shirt worn by the High Priest and priests when they served in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem. The Hebrew noun ""ketonet"" () is the generic term for a tunic in Hebrew. The first use is the ""coats"" of skins made for Adam and Eve in Eden, the best known use would be the coat of many colours of Joseph. It is related to, and may be the source of, the Greek noun ""kiton"" ""tunic."" It was made of pure linen, covering the entire body from the"
"the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords. At courts and levées, bishops were directed to wear rochet and chimere; other clergy (and nonconformist ministers) were to wear cassock, gown and scarf. For 'state or full dress dinners, and evening state parties', however, they were to wear a cloth court coat with knee-breeches and buckled shoes. For bishops the coat was purple (and was worn with a half-cassock called an 'apron'). For other clergy, the court coat was black; (deans and archdeacons wore aprons, junior clergy wore a clerical waistcoat). Archbishops of Canterbury continued to wear this form of dress,"
"Jitte A is a specialized weapon that was used by police in Edo period Japan. It is also spelled ""jutte"". In feudal Japan, it was a crime punishable by death to bring a sword into the ""shōgun""s palace. This law applied to almost everyone, including the palace guards. Due to this prohibition, several kinds of non-bladed weapons were carried by palace guards. The jitte proved particularly effective and evolved to become the symbol of a palace guard's exalted position. In Edo period Japan the jitte was a substitute for a badge, and it represented someone on official business. It was"
"them were song, music, and storytelling, but many also employed acrobatics, juggling, telling jokes, and magic tricks. Much of the entertainment was performed in a comic style and many jesters made contemporary jokes in word or song about people or events well known to their audiences. The modern use of the English word ""jester"" did not come into use until the mid-16th century, during Tudor times. This modern term derives from the older form ""gestour"", or ""jestour"", originally from Anglo-Norman (French) meaning ""story-teller"" or ""minstrel"". Other earlier terms included ""fol"", ""disour"", and ""bourder"". These terms described entertainers who differed in"
"clothing deriving from fashionable eighteenth-century wear, which was directed to be worn at Court by those not entitled to a court uniform. For men, it comprises a matching tailcoat and waistcoat, breeches and stockings, lace cuffs and cravat, cocked hat and a sword. For women, a white or cream evening dress is directed to be worn, together with a train and other specified accoutrements. Male court dress is still worn today as part of the formal dress of judges and Queen's Counsel, and is also worn by certain Lord Mayors, parliamentary officials, and high sheriffs of counties. Female court dress"
"at state banquets, into the twenty-first century. In 1898, a special dress with sword and dirk was allowed for Chiefs and petty Chiefs as a military uniform at court. By 1908, this was extended to Highland gentlemen, and comprised: kilt, sporran, doublet of cloth or velvet, Highland belts, claymore, dirk, long plaid. By 1912, the qualification was absent and the description was more detailed. It was to comprise: By 1937, the shoulder plaid became shoulder plaid or belted plaid. Dress sporran could be hair, fur, or skin, any pattern. Footwear was dress shoes and brogues. Highland Bonnet, feather or feathers"
"it as a gift. His court uniform consisted of a gold-brocaded hat (""skiadion""), a plain silk ""kabbadion"", and a ""skaranikon"" (domed hat) covered in golden and lemon-yellow silk and decorated with gold wire and images of the emperor in front and rear, respectively depicted enthroned and on horseback. The lowly rank and obscure charge of the position means that its holders are not often attested. However, the title was also given by the emperors as a mark of distinction to officials or military commanders. This gave the holders of the title a place in the court hierarchy, but was not"
"be held in the Inns. The last recorded feast was in 1736 in Middle Temple, when fourteen new Serjeants were raised to the Coif. The traditional clothing of a Serjeant-at-Law consisted of a coif, a robe and a furred cloak. The robe and cloak were later adapted into the robe worn by judges. The cut and colour of this robe varied – records from the King's Privy Wardrobe show judges being instructed to wear robes of scarlet, green, purple and miniver, and Serjeants being ordered to wear the same. In 1555 new Serjeants were required to have robes of scarlet,"
"of the jester (hence the Latin gloss of ""curra""). Thyle A thyle (OE ""Þyle"", ON ""Þulr"") was a member of the court associated with Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon royalty and chieftains in the Early Middle Ages, whose precise role is uncertain but probably had to do with the preservation of knowledge of the past and the judging of present statements against it. Most literary references are found in Icelandic and Old English literature like the ""Hávamál"", where the term ""Fimbulþulr"", ""the great thyle"", presumably refers to Odin himself, and ""Beowulf"". In ""Gautreks saga"", Starkad is referred to as a þulr after"
"of the ""vestēs"" declined towards the end of the 11th century, when it is attested as being held by lower-ranking officials. To counter this devaluation, the superior title of prōtovestēs (Greek: πρωτοβέστης, ""first ""vestēs"""") appeared at the same time. Both titles, however, do not appear to have survived the reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118). Vestes Vestēs ( was a Byzantine court title used in the 10th and 11th centuries. The term is etymologically connected to the ""vestiarion"", the imperial wardrobe, but despite earlier attempts to connect the ""vestai"" and the related title of ""vestarchēs"", the head of"
"(B.Zevachim 88b). Priestly tunic The priestly tunic ( ""kutonet"") was as an undergarment or shirt worn by the High Priest and priests when they served in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem. The Hebrew noun ""ketonet"" () is the generic term for a tunic in Hebrew. The first use is the ""coats"" of skins made for Adam and Eve in Eden, the best known use would be the coat of many colours of Joseph. It is related to, and may be the source of, the Greek noun ""kiton"" ""tunic."" It was made of pure linen, covering the entire body"
"was at one time required wear for debutantes being presented at Court, but it ceased regularly to be worn after the Second World War (when afternoon presentations replaced evening Courts). Precise descriptions, both of court uniform and of court dress, were laid down in an official publication called ""Dress Worn at Court"" (viewable online) which was published by the Lord Chamberlain's Office. The 1937 edition remains authoritative for those rare circumstances in which court uniform or court dress are still required. Court dress (as distinguished from court uniform mentioned in the section below) was worn by all men not entitled"
"Jitte could range in length from around 12 inches to over 24 inches. Jitte A is a specialized weapon that was used by police in Edo period Japan. It is also spelled ""jutte"". In feudal Japan, it was a crime punishable by death to bring a sword into the ""shōgun""s palace. This law applied to almost everyone, including the palace guards. Due to this prohibition, several kinds of non-bladed weapons were carried by palace guards. The jitte proved particularly effective and evolved to become the symbol of a palace guard's exalted position. In Edo period Japan the jitte was a"