The Armour Archive

ruel

I've seen/read about those iron chain belts also, but they would seem to be quite uncomfortable worn against bare skin, especially with the weight of a sheathed sword pulling on it. I suppose I'll have to experiment with it to know for sure. McBride's reconstructed belt appears to be based entirely ...

ruel

Thanks friends. John, I didn't realize the belts are interpreted as leather; I'd always assumed those were metal plaques, similar to Roman plaque belts. That would certainly make it easier to have someone make (I have no aptitude for leathercrafting). The belt reconstructed in the painting is presum...

ruel

Friends, Does anyone know where I might find someone who makes the kind of belt shown being worn by figure 1 in the painting below? Particularly one that has the suspension straps that can pass through a scabbard loop as shown. I've found lots of "Celtic" belts online, but these tend to be modern be...

ruel

Here are some notes on 16thc Highland kit I've collected, with references: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1544HighlandScot.html

ruel

http://www.forensicfashion.com/files/1568JapaneseSamuraiContextEvents2011SpringFestivalNinja08.jpg Is it just me, or are your eyes glowing red in this photo? Real "Big Trouble in Little China" action there. Hi Padraig, That was my "Sharingan"! http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Sharingan https://encrypte...

ruel

I'm afraid I don't have anything specifically Sindhi, though I have compiled some notes on their neighbors to each side -- 19thc Afghans and Rajputs: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1842AfghanWarrior.html http://www.forensicfashion.com/1751RajputNoble.html http://www.forensicfashion.com/1858RajputPri...

ruel

Hopefully these few notes will help: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1783SindiWarrior.html

Was this a gift to your wife, or by your wife to you?

ruel

Ah, all right - thanks everyone. Anthony, looks like you've got yourself a following. ;-) I have the old Hanwei samurai armor set that's supposed to be from the late Sengoku Jidai -- sold under the name "Oda Nobunaga" but I don't think it's based on an actual attributed armor. It looks cool enough f...

ruel

What in particular was wrong in Bryant's Osprey titles? I have three of them, and on the surface none had anything that jumped out as egregiously flawed. http://www.forensicfashion.com/Referenc ... lishB.html

ruel

I've thought about it alot, since gaesata is a kit I'd like to do. From what I've read so far, every discussion of their nakedness seems to rest on Polybius' account of the battle at Telamon 225BC and a few works of art (particularly the "Dying Gaul"). I don't have a Latin copy to consult, but the t...

ruel

Dan, Does Latin distinguish between "naked" -- a culturally subjective state -- and "nude" -- a presumably culturally neutral state -- of bodily exposure? This is actually something I'm studying from a modern legal pespective, since nakedness/nudity is an element of many legal concepts (particularly...

ruel

From this past Saturday -- Afghan jailumi , ca. 1842; ready to ambush some Brits. Some event photos: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1842AfghanWarriorContextEvents2013YHY.html Research notes: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1842AfghanWarrior.html http://www.forensicfashion.com/files/1842AfghanWarriorC...

ruel

As you know, Ospreys are severely constrained by their publishing format and often omit references to save space (or something...!). Nicolle, though, is almost unique among Osprey authors in providing references for the painted reconstructions in his books, and I believe he did so for these books to...

ruel

Do you have access to the works cited there? I don't have them in front of me at the moment, but I seem to recall Nicolle/Shpakovsky/McBride 1991, Nicolle/McBride 1999, and Shpakovsky/Nicolle/McBride 2002 discussing and reconstructing various complementary troop types. Nossov/Dennis 2007 cover Russi...

ruel

John, I also have plans for a Rus kit of that time, though all I have presently for it is the helmet. Here are notes I've taken; hopefully they'll be helpful to you. http://www.forensicfashion.com/1242RusGuard.html

ruel

I got a vertical photo of that sword back in 2007, and also transcribed the label: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1030Viki ... Sword.html
Don't recall it being any larger than your typical late Viking sword. Hope this helps.

ruel

Thank you Engenulf! I'll be ordering one shortly. 8) Oddly enough, I think the Tayac torc I bought last year for this same gaesata project came from the Ebay store of this same Armamentaria, but I didn't realize they had a regular online store too. http://www.forensicfashion.com/BC225GallicMercenary...

ruel

Speaking of these Celts, are there any makers producing shields from this period -- those large oblong shapes with the central boss? Similar to the later Roman scutum and clipeus . Would like to have one to use for gaesata roleplay/re-enactment. http://dick-k.narod.ru/Historical_Arts/Rome_Enemies-Ce...

ruel

Do you want to narrow that down some, 300 years is quite a span. Surely there were some changes in there during that period. Not really a whole lot, from what I've seen, though I may be missing something. The biggest change seems to be a switch from riveted mail to butted mail some time in the 1700...

ruel

Using my newer "fashionistics" theory, we'd draw an analogy with examples from evolutionary biology, and this looks like a clear case of Batesian mimicry -- where one animal (here, the faux-brigandine soldier) imitates the appearance of a more dangerous one (the real brigandine soldier) in order to ...

ruel

Great! Yes, if your institution subscribes to a database carrying Fashion Theory , then you should have free access. However many don't, in which case academic articles can be quite expensive -- often prohibitively expensive to poor grad students. I'm glad that you are subscribed though! FT is a gre...

ruel

Q, That would be wonderful -- pretty much nobody else is doing formal theoretical study of armed fashion, so it'd be great to have a colleague. There's enough work to keep us busy for the next century, even if we limited ourselves to just Europe! My newer article should be available in PDF at the li...

ruel

Thanks gentlemen. Yes, if we define "fashion" as ornament -- a common but not universal definition in the scholarly literature on fashion -- then we can see that many of the functionally best arms and armors are also the decoratively best, and we can't pose a linear opposition between fashion and fu...

ruel

Max, That's a very interesting chart you've created; have you published this idea anywhere? For the last several years I've been working on my own theories of armed fashion, though my conclusions are different than yours -- I don't see defense and fashion as opposite ends of a single axis, and in fa...

ruel

Haha, it's sampling error, Paladin: I'm usually not willing to get all gussied up *unless* there are lovely ladies... or fellow odd men.

ruel

Not sure these'll inspire anyone, but here are some things I've done recently, including a couple from my first dabblings in the SCA: http://www.forensicfashion.com/1796QingImperialGuardContextEvents20133C.html http://www.forensicfashion.com/1697YucatecMercenaryContextEvents201312thNight.html http:/...

ruel

Thanks Morgan! That's definitely encouraging because I have costumes ranging from Chinese to Italian and German. ;-) Oddly, while I already have dozens of costumes which I use on a recurring basis for different events, it's only recently that I've considered the idea of giving them names and minimal...

ruel

Thanks gentlemen! I'm glad to think that the SCA requires less commitment that I had originally believed. Way back when I was a lowly college undergrad (about 20 years ago now), an SCA group formed at the University of Texas at Arlington called "Three Bridges," but it doesn't appear to be active any...

ruel

Friends, Are there any SCA, "Order of the Archive," or similar groups active in the greater Dallas area? I'm mostly interested in having a group of locals to meet with periodically in order to try out the various costumes I'm working on. While there are a number of local events that provide opportun...

ruel

That was nice of her to do! Is it period for this sort of costume?

ruel

* Fred, Is that "tail" on your belt period? I don't know that I've ever seen that sort of garment from the back before, and have no idea what that extension would be called. * Said, That particular sword is in rough shape and needs alot of work. Besides the scabbard, the grip and guard are bent out ...

ruel

* Thanks Paladin! As I mentioned earlier though, it's a bit of sampling error -- the models and dancers are usually my only friends interested in costuming, so they're the only ones who appear in these photos. In reality, the majority of my friends, while beautiful in other ways, aren't quite as pho...

ruel

Hey Ruel, First I want to say that the rest of your kits are positively awesome. But we HAVE to talk about your jester. The nylon halloween costume HAS to go. Your other three kits are amazing, but it really sticks out. Its like a mcdonalds happy mean surrounded by three dishes of truffle fed veal....

ruel

Thanks! Great to know we don't suffer alone. 8) I'm in the Dallas, TX area -- much of which is also "Hillbillyville, USA" though I'm not sure it's the same as yours. Are you anywhere nearby? I actually want to do an Appalachian 'hillbilly'/moonshiner kit too, though I haven't done anything yet beyon...

ruel

Thanks BigFred! Too bad it's arm candy I rarely ever get to keep... :oops: Klaus, that must be great fun working in production. You'd think ballerinas, like other classical performers, would have carry-over interest in reenacting; maybe all they need is a little push to send them over. Am I right to...

Re: La Tene Celtic belts

Re: La Tene Celtic belts

La Tene Celtic belts

Re: 16th Century Highlander

Re: Osprey Publishing books: why the hate?

Re: IWTB a Mughal Indian warrior (1500's-1800's)

Re: IWTB a Mughal Indian warrior (1500's-1800's)

Re: Osprey Publishing books: why the hate?

Re: Osprey Publishing books: why the hate?

Re: Celtic/Gaelic armor??

Re: Celtic/Gaelic armor??

Re: Show off your 'Soft Kit' 2013!

Re: Rus kit 1220 to 1350

Re: Rus kit 1220 to 1350

Re: Rus kit 1220 to 1350

Re: Identifying the sword in this photo.

Re: Lets talk iron age Celts.

Re: Lets talk iron age Celts.

Re:

Re: Fake armour at wisby? - Dissertation research

Re: The evolution of armour - Dissertation research

Re: The evolution of armour - Dissertation research

Re: The evolution of armour - Dissertation research

Re: The evolution of armour - Dissertation research

Re: Show off your 'Soft Kit' 2013!

Re: Show off your 'Soft Kit' 2013!

Re: SCA/Order of the Archive groups in Dallas/North Texas ar

Re: SCA/Order of the Archive groups in Dallas/North Texas ar

SCA/Order of the Archive groups in Dallas/North Texas area?

Re: Show off your Soft Kit 2012!!

Re: Show off your Soft Kit 2012!!

Re: Show off your Soft Kit 2012!!

Re: Show off your Soft Kit 2012!!

Re: Show off your Soft Kit 2012!!

Re: Show off your Soft Kit 2012!!