The Viborg Shirt primarily serves as an undershirt, which protects outerwear from sweat. Its design makes use of long sleeves and a closable neck collar, which prevents additional dirt on the wrists and neck. Before textiles could be cheaply reproduced by machine, clothing was handled with care. Underwear was essential to protect the more expensive outerwear from sweat and thus intense pollution. The Viborg Shirt is equipped with long sleeves and a closable neck closure, thus additionally minimizing the soiling of the outerwear at the neck and wrist. Finds from the period during the first half of the 11th century often show shirts made of dozens of patches; the Viborg shirt, on the other hand, is well preserved and had only one patch on the elbow of the left side. The optical decoration of ornamental seams on the chest offers the wearer the possibility to wear the shirt without outerwear.