fifteenth century kirtles without lacing?

[ursula]

One fifteenth-century style involves a dress that is quite closely fitted through the bust and flares into a wide skirt. It often shows up on lower-class women, but not always.

In the September, February, and June images from Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, the peasant woman in blue in the lower left is wearing a dress of this sort. (Note that the men in the lower left of the February image aren't wearing any underwear, so peering closely at the fit of the woman's dress may not be a work-safe activity.) In the August image, there's an upper-class woman wearing a black dress with a similar cut, over an underdress with red sleeves.

I don't think this dress is front-laced-- there's a pretty obvious contrast between the two women's dresses in the June image, for one thing-- but for some reason I'm not finding much discussion of patterns for kirtles without lacing or for fitted fifteenth-century overgowns. Fifteenth-century experts, can you help? Have you made a dress of this type?

Comments

[chemicallace]

As a non-expert, is there a reason back-lacing isn't your first guess?

[ursula]

It's either a lower-class style or an under-layer, and back-lacing would be a hassle? Honestly, though, I've seen fifteenth-century re-enactors doing front and side lacing, and there are Herjolfsnes gowns without lacing, but back-lacing didn't occur to me.

[chemicallace]

Makes sense. Have you seen my saffron kitchen dress? It accomplishes a similar tight fit around the bust by having these small laced side vents that aren't visible if my arms are down. It might be something like that. I can do them up myself so they're fairly convenient.

[chemicallace]

Also, I just looked up the Herjolfsnes gowns and I think I need one now.

[zarhooie]

I second Chelma here in that side lacing is my first non-front-lacing guess.