In your opinion, did the writing of the VM start closer to 1412 or closer to 1440?

[Mark Knowles]

Garments and fashions in the ms. suggest earlier rather than later I think, but then a later illustrator may have been following existing illustrations (poorly) rather than drawing from life.

To me it appears to be a later attempted copy of an earlier drawing. People argue about the fashion, but I don't see the Voynich author being very concerned that the fashion is up to date in the drawings, especially given how crude the drawings are.

That sounds a lot like making the data fit the theory.

Whatever the data is it could clearly fit either dating. In fact the Diebold Lauber drawings which are most similar to the Voynich are later, which would support a later dating.

Maybe you are making the data fit your theory.

Allow me to put more trust in the opinion of a medieval MS curator specialised in this aspect, than in that of Voynich theorists.

Which curator are you referring to and what precisely did they say?