A tabbaard is an item of Dutch men's clothing originating in the fifteenth century and dominating Dutch men's fashion until 1550. It was frequently shaped like a large robe or gown with low-hanging open sleeves, often without ostentatious decoration but made of sumptuous materials such as

brocade Brocade () is a class of richly decorative shuttle (weaving), shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in coloured silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian langua ...

s and expensive furs. It had no collar of its own, though during this period the neck

ruff Ruff may refer to: Places *Ruff, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community *Ruff, Washington, United States, an unincorporated community Other uses *Ruff (bird) (''Calidris pugnax'' or ''Philomachus pugnax''), a bird in the wader famil ...

was in style and was frequently worn with it. After 1550 it was replaced as fashionable wear by the shorter, stiffer Spanish mantle which had a low standing collar and a drape in the back resembling a cape. By the seventeenth century it had become associated with old age, and continued to be worn by elderly men as it provided comfort and warmth.

References

Dutch clothing Fur {{fashion-stub