Houppelande

Extravagantly sleeved court gown of late medieval Europe

The houppelande was the ultimate expression of late medieval court fashion, prevalent from the late 14th through 15th centuries. Its defining feature was enormously wide "wing sleeves" that could trail to the floor, often finished with scalloped dagging at the edges. A high standing collar, floor-length fullness gathered into dramatic folds at a belted waist, and luxurious materials like silk, velvet, and brocade with fur lining made it staggeringly expensive. The Burgundian court was its fashion epicenter, and sumptuary laws frequently targeted its conspicuous extravagance.