houppelande

thumb|15th century costume - the HouppelandeA houppelande or houpelande is an outer garment, with a long, full body and flaring sleeves, that was worn by both men and women in Europe in the late Middle Ages. Sometimes the houppelande was lined with fur. The garment was later worn by professional classes, and has remained in Western civilization as the familiar academic and legal robes of today. However, back then it was always worn over a doublet by men.

The houppelande appeared around 1360 and was to remain fashionable well into the next century. It had its origins in the herigaut, a similar 13th-century garment with hanging sleeves. The edges of the houppelande were often dagged, or cut into decorative patterns such as scallops, "embattled" tabs or even leaf shapes.