Costuming: Status - Low/Middle/High

High fidelity historical reenactors spend a lot of time in the realm of "status". For lack of a better term we can just call it "social-economical status". This will wildly differ in era, culture, region, et al. The standard nomenclature would be: low-status, middle - status, and high-status; one may guess and assume what these mean.

*Note: I will keep this in the realm of general terms as opposed to using the cultural terms of thrall-karl-jarl. You may use these terms  if you wish and I acknowledge I know of them, understand them, and am not using them.

Low-Status represents people that just don't have a lot of money or land (or whatever) from the historical perspective. In the diaspora of the early medieval Scandinavian peoples there would be quite a few of these people. Slaves, young workers, old workers, peoples without skills, ability, or access to land.

Middle (mid)-Status would be the common person of the times. This, of course, is the largest section of the population. Skilled workers and trades-people, low-level "bondi" or part-time warriors, people who have done OK to very well in trade, farming, and skilled labor. If clothing is indicating status than the spectrum would vary widely here. 

High-Status would indicate "rich" or people of means. Local warlords to kings, their families, and their retinue. People that own ship(s) and have done well with them. Traders and craftspeople of reknown. Like with Middle-Status there can be some great variation on this spectrum dependant on details and such.

All that said, for our purposes the actual "story" of the impression is not too important (especially the minutiae) but the clothing a reenactor portrays from that is important.

I suggest to all, new and old, that one bases one's basic soft kit off a solid low-middle status. Think modern day trade-worker. What do they wear? Jeans (carpenter?), t-shirt, jacket-hoody, working shoes, good belt, pocket knife, something on your head. It can be clean or dirty and that is the point - sturdy clothing that cleans well but you will not freak out over some dust and mud getting on your pants. 

Go back in time and you're looking at the same thing - Carhartts of Viking times! Colors and everything. Some tans, light browns, greys... think the colors of sheep in the area that your wool clothing is coming from.

I like to show people this really neat "pamphlet" made by a Regia member and cartoonist a few years ago (please note the creator's contact info on the bottom of each page):

Please really note many of the details here - cut, color, style. One of the major problems in historical reenacting the "Viking Age" is everyone dresses as high and noble class. Middle and low status gets, at times, very little representation at any demonstration. Many people also spend a lot of energy justifying their kit as one status over another as opposed to just doing it. 

Reiterating - Really note the color palletes in the right colomn of each page. Color is highly important.

Another thing to watch is the mixing of status like wearing a bronze Urnes style belt buckle in washed out and natural colored clothing or having a plain and beat up knife while in a bright red tunic trimmed in silk and dyed hose and a silver arm ring.

ALL OF THIS basic and core info is tempered and seasoned with research - what region and exact time are you portraying? Now, this will influence mostly High and Royal status. You may avoid all this detailed work by starting with a solid basic kit based off low-middle status. The more homogenous your soft kit, the more regions and eras it fits into, the less scrutiny it will get from other reenactors and the public, and the more useful you will be to your group and it's activities.

Regarding your group - One of the reasons why Timberhaven does not play "characters" or personas is we need to be flexible in our appearance and abilities. Timberhaven asks that all members work into being able to represent two of the statuses. Eventually a member should be able to impress three statuses. This allows flexibility in demos and shows we appear in. We will, typically, indicate what we are doing as individuals (per the show's needs) in a planning meeting prior to a show.

Member 1 - mid-status male, working on leather craft.
Member 2 - mid-status female, working on card weaving project.
Member 3 - high status male, warrior.

Member 4 - low-status female, aiding both leather and weaving crafters.
... et al...

Timberhaven's goal is to represent a slice of life in the early medieval context and Scandinavian region. I understand the draw for one to accquire brightly dyed clothing, and the baggy pants, and a sword and arm rings, and all the trappings. We need to be able to represent the reality though. It is why Timberhaven, and the VNA, has a basic kit standard that leans on low-mid status for those starting out. There is also a lot to be said about caring for a basic kit in mid-status flavor and learning to move up in a proper way. As I mentioned before high-status kit is under much scrutiny and it's really easy to accidently (and mistakenly) mix styles from different times and regions.

Take it slow and work your way up if you wish.