Musings on a 15:th century harment
I was going to a LARP set in the early 15th century and I wanted to make one item of clothing for it. The LARP did not have strict dress requirement but I wanted to make something that I could wear more than once – thus also on events with stricter rules on historical adherence.…
The chosen design worked well for the bodice and the collar. When it comes to the sleeves, my conclusion is that theory #2 (bag sleeves + wrist ruffle) is the most plausible design, rather than theory #1 that I went with (bombarde sleeves). The reason is that it was difficult to finish the dagging on…
Houppelandes are worn with a belt. However, Jean Creton was not particularly interested in belts. In his manuscript there are only two, not very detailed, belt depictions. Those are depicted as golden or brass in color and either stamped with square patterns or composed of plaques: Other contemporary manuscripts give us more belt details: In…
Nearly all houppelandes were lined with fur, at least in the visible parts. La Cotte Simple has a good article on the use and illustration of fur in the time of Jean Creton. As detailed in other sections, rabbit became my lining choice for Jean Creton’s sleeves and collar, mainly out of economic pragmatism. But…
It appears again and again in manuscripts from 1400-1430 (ish): the wrist ruffle, often but not always in contrasting color compared to the houppelande or pourpoint. Worn by both men and women. Sometimes overhanging the hands. Yet it’s almost never seen in patterns. What is it? The rochet theoryFashion History Timeline mentions a garment called…
Classical pourpoints What did Jean Creton wear under his houppelande? A pourpoint or doublet was the typical garment a man would wear under a houppelande. During most of the 14th and 15th centuries, they were characterized by: In the first decade of the 15:th century (1400-1410) there seem to have been a great deal of…
99% of houppelandes in manuscripts are lined with fur, giving the necessary weight to achieve the right draping, especially if the outer fabric was a lightweight silk. As the houppelande was an outer garment, the fur would also provide warmth to its wearer. The fur lining usually extended all the way out to the dagging…
When I chose Jean Creton’s houppelande to recreate I didn’t realize how rare its sleeve design was. That would turn out to pose a challenge. Sleeve type Houppelande sleeves could be of three types: Most men’s houppelandes that I’ve seen from this period have bag sleeves. That makes sense, because they were more economical. They…
It was doomed to become difficult at some point, and this was it. Most houppelandes seem to have been made of: Wool was used, but not commonly by nobility. Sewing in velvet is, sadly, a hassle. Silk velvet or its alternatives (cotton or synthetic velvet) is also more or less ridiculously expensive. Thus, I’m biased…
There are several theories and rough patterns on how to construct a houppelande: To select one of the styles, the details of Jean Creton’s houppelande must first be examined. ArmscyeTwo styles of armscye design can be seen in manuscripts. Some houppelandes have puffed/pleated sleeves starting from high on the shoulder, probably with a curved armscye,…