TRAILING
ELEGANCE
At the turn of the 15th century fashion for the nobility became more extravagant.
Improved technology allowed weavers to run riot with patterns of twining symmetrical fruit and flowers, or geometric motifs.
Italians invented velvet, with its sumptuous pile.
Better looms meant the aristocracy could buy more of their favorite taffetas and damask, and indulge in more complex patterns.
Long gowns trailed on the ground, implying that the wearer was rich enough to afford copious amounts of material.
Both sexes wore a voluminous outer garment called a houppelande.
It fit on the shoulders, was full and often belted, and draped in folds.
The sleeves could be long and wide, sometimes adorned with tinkling bells.
For women, the silhouette was long, with a high waist and small bosom.
It was the fashion to walk with the belly slightly protruding and the hips thrust forward.
In this painting, the young couple celebrate their betrothal.
The red turban of the young man is decorated with dagged (snipped) material.
His fur-lined houppelande trails on the ground.
Fur and feathers decorate his fiancee's turban, and her dress, derived from the houppelande, has a bodice that fits tightly to the hips.
The trailing finery and elaborate headgear of the nobility raised moral indignation among the clergy, who reminded the rich that such ostentation was not good for the soul.
-- geoffrey chaucer, the parson's tale, 1386-1395
拖尾
精致典雅
贵族的时尚在十五世纪之交更显奢华。
改进的技术使得编织工人将对称的水果，花朵以及几何图案作天马行空的制作成为可能。
意大利人发明了天鹅绒，以及它们那一堆奢侈品。
更好的编织机意味着贵族阶层可以购买更多他们喜欢的塔夫绸和锦缎，并且沉溺于更复杂的图案之中。
长外套拖到地板上，意味着穿着者足够富有到可以买得起这些丰富大量的面料。
男女性都穿着一款宽大拖地的外衣，叫houppelande胡普兰衫。
它贴合肩膀，丰盈且常以腰带固定，自然垂落下来。
袖子可以长而宽，有时装饰着叮当铃。
女性服装轮廓是长的，伴随高腰线和小胸部。
行走时伴有略微突出的小腹与向前推送臀部，在当时是时髦的。
这副画中，这对年轻伴侣正在庆祝他们的订婚。
年轻男士的红色头巾以螺旋状装饰。
他的毛皮线条胡普兰衫拖曳到了地上。
毛皮与羽毛装饰了他未婚妻的头巾，而她的服装源头也来自胡普兰衫，上身紧贴一直到臀部。
贵族的精致拖尾与装饰头饰，在神职人员中引起道德职责，他们提醒富人这样炫耀会玷污他们的灵魂。
- Geoffrey Chaucer，牧师的故事，1386至1395年
