Pourpoint of Charles de Blois
A medieval padded man’s jacket in silk with gold patterning, one of the oldest surviving garments in Europe.
The garment is attributed to Duke Charles de Blois, killed in 1364, and has been kept as a relic. It shows how tailoring shaped the body already in the 14th century. It is in the Musée des Tissus in Lyon.
Materials: Silk lampas with gold-thread pattern, cotton padding
Manufacture: Cut in many narrow panels and padded, with 32 buttons down the front and 20 on each sleeve.
The rounded padded chest – the ideal for a knight.
The closely set buttons and the tight buttoned sleeves.