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shoulders and padded chests; while even belts, including sword belts, came to be worn Iow on the hips in a fashion previously associated with female costome. A military version of the padded jupon jacket was also worn over armour. The narrow waist which characterised armours such as the brigandine, jaque and piąte cuirass reflected such civilian fashion, tliis ‘wasp’ waist remaining a feature of armour throughout the 15th century.

During the second half of the 14th century the iron plates of a fuli armour became larger and fewer until, by c.1400, the great period of ‘white armour’ had been reached. This term indicated that it was madę entirely of iron plates, though these need not necessarily have been worn uncovered. The best complete ‘white harness’ had to be madę to the measurements of one particular individual and could rarely be worn by