Knights in skirts

[crfriend]

It's been a good day here, and I just got back from a visit to the John Woodman Higgins Armory Museum in the big city to my south. Sadly, the place will most likely be closing down at the end of the year and the collection of arms and armour, which until very recently was the largest collection in the Western Hemisphere, will be transferred to the custody of the Worcester Art Museum. I do not know what will happen to the building, which is historic in its own right as the first steel-skeletoned, glass curtain-walled building in the world, and will grieve if it's decided that it must come down.

But, to the point of the thought is this photograph (and please forgive the cruddy cell'-cam' image) of a mock fight betwixt two knights "in shining armour":

skirted-knight-800.jpg

Yes, that is a brilliant blue quilted skirt with a red hem trim on it adorning the mannequin on the right (please forgive the bloke with his back to the camera who's wearing jeans -- he clearly has no clue) -- and it's there for a reason. The quilted bits yield a bit of defence from bladed weapons and are quite a lot cheaper than plate armour. If one can slow an incoming blow, by whatever means, then the ultimate armour doesn't need to be as strong (this has resonances with today's flexible body-armour which is routinely counted upon to stop bullets and worse).

Besides, it looks good.

As an interesting aside, the place was well-populated with interactive interpretive staff some of whom were wearing skirted garments. I was actually mistaken more than once as a member of the staff due to my attire (black tiered skirt, red petticoat, black waistcoat, and white dress shirt) and asked questions of.

[STEVIE]

That's a new one on me, I have never heard of any additions to the kilt for battle purposes.
Steve.

[crfriend]

I'll be back there in a few of weeks' time. I'll inquire specifically about the quilted skirt.

The week after next I'll be doing a short talk via The 'Net on the PDP-12 at RCS/RI via "Google chat" or somesuch technology. Yes, I'll most likely be wearing a skirt for it, and the detractors be damned.

[Raakone]

Reminds me of an episode of a cartoon I once saw, "Bellflower Bunnies", had an episode at an old castle in Scotland, and, to emphasize the "Scottishness" and "old castle feeling", there were suits of armor that all had plaid kilts attached to them. To think the person may have actually been (somewhat) historically accurate, it's interesting.