Burgundian Noblemen's Underclothes c1445-1475

Figure 2.5
1470 frontpiece to Loyset Liédet’s Livre des fais d’Alexandre le
grant, “Vasco de Lucena Presents Book to Charles the Bold of
Burgundy”
Figure 2.6
1475 Loyset Liédet and Pol Fruit’s Histoire du Charles Martel
Layers and Fashion Terms
Decoding Burgundian layers and levels of formality can be confusing if you’re not
already familiar with the layers involved. It may help to compare the layers of a man's
modern business suit to the layers in a Burgundian nobleman's formal get-up:
Modern men's business wear Burgundian noble's formal attire
Undershirt (optional) Shirt (not optional)
Underwear (e.g. briefs or boxers) Underwear
Dress shirt Doublet
Dress pants Hose/hosen
Suit coat Houppelande/over-gown
Hat (optional, uncommon) Hat
Shoes (not optional) Shoes (optional, but common)
This analogy works relatively well from a formality standpoint; a fellow in a modern
office may remove the jacket and tie and even roll up his sleeves, but that's decidedly less
formal then wearing the full get-up, just like a Burgundian fellow may remove his overgown
and belt/pouch etc. and go about in his doublet and hose to do athletic activities,
but it's decidedly less formal and you wouldn’t want to wear either variation in a formal
situation.
The analogy does break down if you look at it from a construction standpoint; the
Burgundian shirt is more similar to a modern dress shirt then to any of the other
garments, while a doublet is tailored more like a suit coat. I could’ve drawn the analogy
that an over-gown was like a modern overcoat but that implies something that is only
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