Yep, went for strapped and gold plated. The gold option is really nice, since it's very hard to get gold to tarnish or corrode. Usually it needs to be cast and have microscopic surface pitting in order for tarnish to occur. Otherwise it should stay bright and shiny with little effort, which is a good thing!
Well, the brigantine (or coat of plates, as far as I'm concerned) arrived yesterday. It barely fits around the shoulders, just over a t-shirt, so I may need to widen it to make it work over mail. Ironically, despite my more "modern proportions" these days, it fits just fine around the waist. I could always wear it under the mail, but I don't think it needs too much adjusting. An inch wider at the top would be great, so maybe a tall and thin gusset over the sternum would work. I'd also be tempted to replace the upper strap with a hook closure or something. It has a back-closure, and I can buckle the lower one myself, but the upper one is right between my shoulder blades.
