[Ansteorra] Period or not-period: the continuum

[Claude Anthony Penny]

While we're on the discussion of what is period, and what's not.  Let me
through out a several questions and ideas.
We have learned a lot, in the years, that I've been in.  I remember when
'pink' wasn't considered period, everyone knew that the single ring belt
(like a knight's belt) was correct for period (it's an SCA convention)
and correct Viking woman's garb included 2 flaps of fabric with
spaghetti straps.  So here's my questions; what have you found is or
isn't period?  especially if it's one of those items that will bring a
smile to our faces.  I found documentation for air matresses, once.
made of heavily waxed linen, with a comment about needing to keep
'nighttime activities to a minimum' less the air escape!
The second is more of what do think we have wrong?  Before the 'apron'
problem had been corrected, I remember many discussions about how silly
a garment the 'flaps' were.  My current pet peeve is cloaks, for outdoor
wear, especially half circle cloaks.  They make very little sense, they
take a LOT of fabric.  The half circle cloaks make great sense for use
inside drafty castles.  This would expain their appearence in effigies
and other formal pictures.  Simple coats make a lot more sense and they
were in use in eastern Europe.  I think the cloak became popular later,
between more machinized spinning and weaving (thus make the amount of
fabric, less of a problem) and the development of carriages, which make
them useful, it is reasonable to see them developing later.  But aern't
they FUN!
What else have you'll noticed along these lines.

Cairenn