Late Medieval Braes with a Braes Girdle

[Sir Wolf]

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[Sir James A]

I know I wasn't directly addressed with the buckle question, but having played around with it a bit, I believe it is to keep the buckle from biting into soft flesh when doing substantial bending at the waist (picking something up off the ground, etc).

Being right handed, I found it easier to cinch up over my right hip. May not be an issue for people with less frontal abdominal protrusion than I have.

With jeans, the buckle in front isn't a big deal since the fabric is thick and "sturdy" to an extent. With a single layer of linen, it was much less comfortable. I haven't integrated a strap and buckle *in* my braies yet, but I did try with just wearing a simple belt over top of them for experimentation, both in front and on on either hip.

[Mike W.]

May not be an issue for people with less frontal abdominal protrusion than I have.

But that protrusion just shows how nobly wealthy and well-fed you are compared to those dirty peasants. You wouldn't want to destroy such a status symbol with back-breaking labor, would you? Flaunt your wealth!!

[Sir Humphrey]

Sir Ian,

What do think about this fellow's solution?  The brais are tied, but there is a separate belt with rings to support the hosen.  There evidently is some arch evidence for this from Wisbey.

[Ian]

That fellow is Robert  MacPherson (Mac, the armorer).  It's his pattern that I based my braes on.  In that photo you're seeing a picture before he decided to build braes with an integral casing for the girdle.  Yes, there are unaccounted for brooches at Wisby that may have been used for that very purpose.  It doesn't alter the design of the braes or the braes girdle at all though.  I just have tons of points laying around and hose already configured to receive points, so I put points through my braes girdle holes instead of brooches, but you could certainly do it that way too.  One of the armourarchive discussions I have linked above in the first post contains Mac's and Will's discussion on the design of these braes.  Both are vastly more well researched on this topic than I.

[Ser Cor Volaire]

How different are 12th/13th century Braes? I am going to be wearing full padded mail Chausses and will be needing some substantial support.

[Sir Wolf]

Mac doesnt have a big hairy belly that would get caught up in that buckle either