Houppelande

A 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.

The garment was later worn by professional classes, and has remained in Western civilization as the familiar academic and legal robes of today.

[2] The edges of the houppelande were often dagged, or cut into decorative patterns such as scallops, "embattled" tabs or even leaf shapes.

[5] The woman's and man's houppelande were similar in that both featured flared sleeves, high collars and voluminous skirts.

Some men wore houppelandes that extended only as far as the buttocks, prompting critics to claim that they looked like women from behind.