Here you'll find illuminations showing different styles of overgowns either burgundian or of burgundian influence. What is generaly thought of the "typical" burgundian gown is often an "A" line dress  with no waist-seam which is fitted in the breast area and spreads very widely in the skirt. It often bares a train and is topped with a "V" shape neckline that usually reaches to the tip or slightly disapears into a wide belt. The sleeves are generally adjusted with bell-turnover cuffs otherwise known as bombards. This "cliché" has become widely spread because people often only know this fashion from very few popular flemish paintings such as the one above.

On this page you will find many variations of this particular style and also unusual details to the gown itself that is often unknown to the modern world but was most probably commun in period, given millions of women wearing this type of gowns over more than 5 decades versus the very few exemples that have survived for us to study. I'm hoping that this page and the other related pages that I've  published will finaly put an end to those everlasting "clichés" and shed some light onto this beautiful late medieval trend, so that we can all better understand it and hopefuly, recreate it :-)
Low front openings
Partlet-type of neckerchief follows the wide neckline, no placket is worn
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Front of dress is flat to the ground, no placket nor partlet are being worn
Long collar-flap laying over the belt
The front opening goes below the belt, verry short dress
Yes contrary to what they teach you in history class, black was actualy worn for mourning prior to the 19th century!
Split on the side with a lovely brooch
Colored collar and cuffs. Apears to be wearing a trimmed round-neck kirtle
Front is so short that it lets the green underskirt show
Twin styles with different hennins (note the fleur-de-lys necklaces)
References for Burgundian costuming
(The typical "A" shape gown otherwise known as a "V" neck gown)
The gown
The Portinari triptych, right-wing detail of Maria Portinari by Hugo van der Goes (1479)
Colored colar and cuffs with trim. Simple trim at the hem, skirt doesn't seam to be lined
Below the knee lenght, worn over a kirtle. Neckline color differs from the cuffs
Low front opening, fitted gown without waistseam worn without a large belt. Sleeves aren't tightly fitted
Fitted gown without a waistseam, worn without a belt
Colored fur or faux-fur
Wide lacing over the placket. Collar, cuffs and hem are nicely embroided
Kirtle's guard matches the skirt's. Note the incredibly long hennin.
Big collar-flaps with roundish neckline
Short collar-flap with "V" back-neckline
Long collar-flap over a rather low waistline
Very narrow skirt with wide guard, the whole volume is in the train
No waistseam, apears to be intirely lined with fur
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White weddings ; I actualy found quite a few exemples of these
Gowns intirely lined with fur
This is quite commun but many of you were sceptical about hoods being worn with this type of gown so I thought that I'd throw in a few of the very many exemples I have.
"V" neck gown on the ground, no waistseam
Beautiful "V" neckline and sleeves. Note the white wimple and black kirtle
Large round colar worn with a plack partlet, obviously not a gollar
Prostitutes. Note that they're still wearing decent partlets and neckerchief
I love this type of representation where they show you the same people in various scenes. We get a front and back view in the same deal !
Ooooo! I just love those ornamental pinch-seams ! Note that she apears to be wearing a partlet tucked in the placket and a scafkerchief tucked in the gown's collar.
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Bliss' No Right Clicking
Color of the collar matches the gown
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The wide-lacing gown
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On to page 2
(the sleeves & neckline)
Very fitted gown. The lacing apears to finish at the waist, probably due to a waistseam like on image 2. The lacing rings are hidden on the inside.
This gown has a waistseam and contrasting cuffs. The lacing-rings are apparent.
Low roundish opening. Worn with a beautiful girdle
Triangular type of opening. The lacing-rings are apparent.
This type of gown seams to have been worn only by maidens or relatively young women.
The skirt is nicely pleated on a waistseam. The volume seams to be directed only from the side to the back.
Roundish opening, not that low. The gowns are very fitted and the volume is intirely set in the gore of the train.
The trimming doesn't go all the way down the opening. Worn with a girdle
Nicely trimmed. It's worn over a "V" neck smock. The bombards have slits. Note the huge lacing-rings and that it doesn't lace all the way up..
These apear to be regular gowns but without a collar. The second one is slightly rolled over a belt to lift the skirt.
Triangular type of opening. The lacing rings are apparent. The gown is intirely lined with fur.
Short triangular opening with contrasting cuffs. The lacing-rings are apparent.

THis is only a kirtle and not an actaul gown, but still, it's very interesting
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