Question on mens 14th C. Cotehardie doublet and hose

[John Vernier]

Mac, I made mine much like how you describe, two slits on the hips, buttonholed. I think only one gap in center front, but two slits would be better. Since the leather belt needed to be removed for washing, it had a longish narrow tab to make it easier to thread through the casing. I'm liking the wide belt-loop idea. I also considered using a cloth belt sewn in place at center back, but that never happened.

[Galleron]

For some years I wore my hosen supported by a belt in the braies casing. I used a soft leather belt about 1 1/4" wide. It was a significant improvement over a simple drawstring, but of course much depended on the quality and fit of the hosen, as to whether the whole rig would stay stable and comfortable over time. The belt, being very soft leather, would tend to roll up into a cord if stressed. I always lashed my points over the belt rather than running them through holes punched in the belt, which seemed the only practical way to arrange things for adjustability, but of course having the point cords knotted around the leather only encouraged it to roll up and then start to slip.

It seems to me that two horizontal rows of holes would allow for adjustability.

[deflagratio]

I use braise with modern style belt loops and wearing a thick modern belt. It works pretty well. The only issue is that the brakes are tied around the belt and can slide. From a bathroom standpoint it can be annoying to fix everything back into place. That's a strong point for the separate belt.