Meanwhile in Flanders, Antwerp I think. Yes, they wore THAT. Quite a sight, eh? Just take a long, careful look at it before we proceed, and take in the gloriousness and the oddness. Done? I have a soft spot for farthingales and bum rolls. How it must have been moving around with a big sandbag (ok, I know it was not sand, it was wool) tied around your waist? And tons and tons of garments covering it? Two pros: it could serve as a bumper if you, let’s say, lost your balance on the stairs (because you couldn’t see where your  feet were in that thing). And you could stand a drink on it when at a party. Only this girl was not much of a party goer. She was supposed to be prim and respectable, proud (of her social status) and humble (to God, husband, priest, you name it), quiet and demure (and wear something that ostentatious! I smell paradox). So she gets this austere black dress, that would be quite good looking on its own, and a ridiculous elongated bodice. But that is not enough, no no no – now come all the status symbols: the enormous ruff, the lace headgear,  matching cuffs and kerchief, the chain girdle (bling!), two identical bracelets and rings. Very modest indeed. She’s wearing more cash than an entire village would need to feed itself for a decade. And she looks beautifully idiotic too.