#functional armor

Bulletproof Stormtrooper armor/here. Depending on how bullets translate to blasters, this is either about right for the canon suits or potentially slightly better.

It’s been faaaar too long since I did a “kitting up” photoset, so I thought I’d do another one of my heavy Chesterwick kit, which I wear for Swordcraft on Fridays when I’m not being an archer and wearing a dress. This kit puts me on maximum hitpoints (15) at Swordcraft and is all 100% functional stainless steel stuff I also use for other medieval activities - which means it’s not exactly light. It’s inspired by what a 14th century knight would wear, although I’ve taken a fair amount of creative liberty.

Here’s a breakdown of each layer, generously photographed by my friend @andrethesmall (and please ignore my funny faces, it’s been a long week):

1. Underwear! Medieval linen braies with an undertunic tucked into them. I’m also wearing workout pants underneath because it’s currently winter and I’m a lizard. In the summer I skip that layer. All of my medieval underwear is from Historic Enterprises. Unfortunately, they don’t really cater too much to women for this stuff (given that it is men’s clothing!), but I find I can fit most of it, although it’s not the most ideal fit, especially with the hose.

2. Hose! I love hose, I think they’re amazing and silly. I usually go for parti-coloured - I have three different colours to choose from (yellow, blue, green), so I just mix and match each week depending on what I feel like. I wear thick socks underneath to pad them out a little bit - since they’re made for men’s feet they’re a bit big on me.

3. Shoes, pourpoint, leg harness. The shoes are a new model from ArmStreet that I’m currently testing out for durability. They look medieval but have modern comfort, and feel great under armour! The pourpoint (tight vest) is what keeps up my leg harness (leg armour). Most of the weight of my leg harness is distributed across my hips, with very little actually pulling on my shoulders. If you look closely, you can see lots of vertical stitch marks in the pourpoint - that’s where I’ve taken it in time and time again as it’s really old and the linen keeps stetching! It’s really important for a pourpoint to be super tight to ensure an ideal distribution of weight. My leg harness is the same I’ve had for a few years now, from ArmStreet.

4. Gambeson! Mine is a bit beaten up and needs some new buckles. A gambeson is a padded layer that just adds a little bit of cushioning from armor.

5. Armour. I’m wearing bracers, elbow cops and 14th century inspired shoulders, all of which is fringed with green suede dagging. I opted not to wear my upper cannons tonight (which would completely cover my upper arms).

6. Cotte d’armes, a wool garment in the colours of my warband that hides my beaten up gambeson. It has yellow wool dagging on it to make it a bit fancier and set me apart from other members of the warband who wear a similar, unadorned item.

7. Breastplate. Enough said. 

8. Hood, because it’s cold out and my helmet doesn’t currently have an aventail to cover my neck.

9. A helmet to top it all off. It has a faceplate but I opt not to wear it at Swordcraft since I usually need to be able to communicate with people and I find I have to yell waaaay too loud with it on.

10. A photo taken by Tony Delov at the game, with my current halberd.

“There’s no question about it - he was always meant for greatness. People want to follow him.”

‘’ This epic suit of armour took me 3 months of work. Every single piece of this armour was made with artistry and neatness to satisfy my customer. I used the best materials I could get to make it safe,durable and special. Hundreds of work hours, liters of sweat... but it's totally worth of any sacrifice. Many thanks to my friends, who inspired me, who helped me, your support is invaluable. Photos made by my friend: www.lenartfotografia.pl Model: Karolina Sęk ‘’

Found here.  

“In a battle like this, even a Duchess must do her part.”

Lady Cecilia, Duchess of Chesterwick at Swordcraft Autumn Quest 2017 in Victoria, Australia. Photo by Portrait Photography Melbourne.

Bow - Outback Snoopy - he sells at a lot of Australian medieval events.

Tiara - ArmStreet’s “Vine Leaves" Circlet

Underdress - ArmStreet’s “Fairy Tale” dress in green linen. But you can get the same look sans embroidery from the Red Elise collection.

Overdress - ArmStreet’s “Archeress” dress in navy linen. Probably my favorite dress ever.

Pouch - ArmStreet’s Velvet “Unicorn” Pouch

Breastplate - Designed by Sun and Swords, made by ArmStreet

Here’s a tip: Buy a full suit of armor only if you can guarantee its proper care. Whether it be functional armor or decorative armor, only care and maintenance can keep them shining for a long time. And you’d want them to have a long life considering most don’t come cheap.  So, how do you maintain armor? The following are some basic methods.

The armor that is shipped to you will be wrapped in plastic and have grease on it. So, the first step is to remove the plastic and more importantly the grease with a solvent. Once the cleaned surface is dry, apply wax on the armor. (There are plenty of good solvents and armor wax available online/in stores so research is required.) Remember that a little TLC at the beginning will save you a lot of heartache later. Also, this is just the initial cleaning. You have to make sure that your armor gets cleaned every once in a while.

When not in use, store the armor in a dry place. If it happens to get wet, dry it as quickly as possible. Moisture leads to rust and nothing spoils armor quite like rust. Also, don’t assume that all rust is visible to the eye. Big spots can be seen from a distance. But small spots can be missed easily and lead to corrosion, so it is imperative that you check your armor closely and thoroughly at least once every two months. If you’ve used the armor, the first thing to do is to remove dirt and grime. Then buff it properly with wax, especially spots where coating has rubbed off.