Scribbles of Solace

barok's 3d model doesn't have it, but his character ref sheet thing does, so to me it's not really canon but idk maybe he has one but doesn't wear it in court. that, according to the household cavalry museum, is called a cartouche box, and is for holding gunpowder and musket balls. i didn't know that term, but "cartouche" is french for "cartridge" and if you look up cartouche boxes, they're clearly for carrying ammo. so that's what that is...despite barok not using or to his knowledge actively owning a gun, much less a musket.

barok's boots are jack boots, not wellingtons:

but barok's are toned-down. the cavalry's jackboots are TALL.

the wings that point backward above the knee protect the thigh from weapons while on horseback. barok's knee guards aren't really big enough for that but they do allow him to wear over-the-knee boots and still be able to sit down lol.

however, it's not THAT incorrect to call his boots "wellingtons". wellies meaning gumboots/rubber boots is a modern usage, but 19th c. wellingtons were leather shin-high or knee-high low-heeled cavalry boots meant to be versatile for riding and dress wear:

barok's boots are like if wellingtons and jackboots had a baby. his calling them wellingtons is maybe a bit like edgeworth calling his jabot a cravat. not entirely wrong. i wonder if the localization team chose the word because of the 20th c connotations of "jackboots" - i expect more people know the phrase "jack-booted thugs" or associate the word jackboots with nazis metaphorically than know what a jackboot actually is.

barok's epaulettes remain a little mysterious to me.

these are not the same thing whatsoever. the cavalry's epaulettes are gold braid, which is typical. they don't have a fringe, but gold braid/cord fringe was common on military epaulettes. maybe barok's are meant to be braid, but they REALLY look like solid metal, from the sharp shapes of the crossed sword motif on the top part to the sharp points on the dangly leaves. there WERE metal epaulettes in some military uniforms - look up "shoulder scales", they seem to have been common in the American civil war. but none of them have any dangly bits, much less the danger windchime barok seems to be wearing on each shoulder. idk. cord or metal? idk. they can be metal - he's not actually military and he can have a jeweler make whatever kind of over-the-top fabulous faux-cavalry cosplay accessories he wants.

barok's gloves (gauntlets?) and trousers are bang-on household cavalry, while the actual design of his coat and waistcoat are entirely different, having a much more civilian look as well as the super-goth ribcage motif. his coat does feature a large amount of seemingly flexible gold trim, implying that some of the gold on his outfit is braid and some is metal (like the buttons, and his belt buckle and cravat pin at least). his sword belt is kinda designed like the cavalry's, but uses this swanky metal chain, or is it leather/fabric with gold cord? in place of a white belt:

note that barok wears his sword on the "wrong" hip - he draws it with his left hand.