Burgundian Clothing

Photo and description of a particularly good reproduction of this style of dress.

This is intended to be a brief discussion of Burgundian /Netherlan dish women' s wear in the middle decades of the fifteenth century -- approximat ely 1440-1460 -- and is based on observatio n of the artwork of the time and the experience of trying to reproduce these clothes.

Images of wide silk belts worn by ladies in the 15th century, organized by color to better understand which colors were used. (These are sometimes considered "Burgu ndian,&#34 ; but they seem to have been fashionabl e in France, Flanders, and England too.) In several of the paintings, one can even discern the pattern woven into the silk.

The fashions of the fifteenth century were notable for their extravagan ce, exaggerati on and general splendour. From the middle of the century, styles were heavily influenced by the court fashions of the Burgundian Dukes in France, themselves following Italian fashions.

Also online at users.iafrica.com/m/me/melisant/costume/garb5.htm.

Subjects covered in this issue: men's clothing of the 1450's-1470's; and illustrations of woodworking tools, glass vessels, bags, and painters' tools.

The layers of Burgundian men's clothing in the late 15th century.

Mid-fiftee nth century Netherland ish costume has much to recommend it for SCA costume. It is flexible, comfortabl e and may be as simple or luxurious as practicali ty and budget allows. Both men and women usually wore three layers and head wear was always worn by women - usually by men. The following survey seeks to present a developmen tal approach to costume - showing several variations and how they develop from each other. Costume naturally varies by region and as well as by period and the wealth, youth and stylishnes s of the wearer. This article discusses the various layers and accessorie s for this style of costume.

The second layer of the woman' s dress, in English referred to as the kirtle, was the developmen t of the cotte of the previous century. This cotte, first covered by the similarly styled cote-hardi e, and then by the voluminous houppeland e, was a tightly fitted gown with a round neck and long slender sleeves. It provided body support and shaping so that the fine fabrics of the over gown were not under excessive stress.

Brass and iron and copper (enamelled) with silk. Enamelled.

Additional photos at:
http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/MI07909d09a.jpg
http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/MI07909d11a.jpg

In two manuscript s associated with Marie de Bourgogne, one sees an interestin g variant of the v-neckline fashionabl e at the time. Most depictions of ladies&#39 ; dress from the 1460s to 1480s show a very deep v-neck, the point of which usually to the waist, with a contrastin g piece of fabric or undergown beneath for modesty&#3 9;s sake. However, there are a few examples in which the neckline is shallower, more comparable to a modern portrait collar.