Dressed to kill – armour and style | Fashion Unpicked | V&A

Discover what the fashion-conscious Renaissance man would have worn on the battlefield or for jousting with Senior Curator of Metalwork, Angus Patterson.

Armour was a form of clothing. The exaggerations and distortions it imposed on natural body-shape flexed and contracted with contemporary fashions. Decorated with bands of etching, blued (coloured blue by oxidation) and gilt, complemented with richly coloured silks and velvets, with dyed ostrich feathers sprouting from the helmet, on a horse armed to match, these extraordinary armours turned their discerning 16th-century owners into stylish works of art.

Modern ideas about historic armour often suggest knights struggled to move as they clanked around. Nothing could be further from the truth. Astonishing artistry, care and technical ingenuity went into producing good quality armour. Beyond a castle or perhaps a suite of tapestries, there were few greater expenses for the Renaissance nobleman than his armour. It was made-to-measure, light, flexible and mobile.

[reperpeter]

The real thing is so much more interesting and elaborate than those silly stereotypes shown in movies and pop culture in general.

[SpringNotes]

Wow ! Fascinating to watch, and Angus Patterson is a great teacher.

[johnkim]

More from Mr Patterson please. He’s a great teacher!

[stardresser]

As a clothing and costume designer, a big history buff, museum lover, and fan of ASMR, you guys at the V&A have earned my absolute adoration! I was there once, loved it, but haven't been in ages. On my next trip to London, YOU will be my first stop. I'll have a list of my favorite video items to see if I can spot any! These are wonderful little films of the many treasures in the jewel box that the V&A truly is! Brava, Bravo, well done and Thank you so very much. You are making new fans all over the world!

[therollinggangstas]

Incredibly interesting and well presented and explained by Angus. Would love to see more!

[talscorner]

"A lot of people don't realise we have armour in the V&A Collection."
I dragged my mum there *specifically* for the steel xD

[jeanneblondewomanstamping]

These videos are some of the best on YouTube. So well produced and the curators are fascinating to listen to. Just excellent.

[chrisball]

The breastplate shape does seem quite good for deflecting blows away from the body. The assumption that it's mimicking the shape of contemporary civilian dress does miss out the possibility that in fact the shape of the civilian clothing was designed to mimic the shape of the breastplates. Wealthy, fashionable men were generally expected to be good at martial arts, so it would make sense that they might wear clothes inspired by their military/ sports equipment as well as vice-versa. There are plenty of modern-day fashions inspired by sports and the military- high end sneakers, tracksuits, combat trousers, etc.

[eternalsunny]

Beautiful. I learned so much. Thank you for the explanation.

[kellyhawes]

WOW. Such skilled armor makers, perfect in movement and beauty. A noble in that armor would be a sight.❤

[IrishAnnie]

I always love these tutorials from the V&A. So interesting.

[MistressQueenBee]

This was a great piece of historical telling. The lecturer was knowledgeable, had wonderful depth of relating the story, and gorgeous art pieces of armour. Well done.

[monicacall]

I didn’t realize that armor had a bling factor to it. When did the etching on the metal become fashionable? Did every armor maker and armor decorator have their own unique style that could be easily recognized, or were the patterns for the pieces of armor and their decorations generic? The men who made this exquisite armor were true artists in their own right and not just the run of the mill village blacksmiths. We’re any women involved in this work? Please bring us more videos on armor! Thanks.

[Ray.Narvaez]

Utterly gorgeous! Ive been a huge fan of the artistry and construction of arms and armor since I was very little so this was riveting to watch. I would love to see more of the collection explained in such a fashion!

[BuriedTeeth]

Holy saw some armor recently in the Philadelphia art museum and thought they were stunning but i didnt know just how much work! They're so beautiful.

[abbywebster]

Fascinating, so knowledgeable, thank you for sharing this and all your other videos. I’m not in the country so can’t visit in real life but have fallen in love with the V&A through your videos!

[sharonkaczorowski]

I’m always amazed by the flexibility of the armor where it’s needed. The artistry on these pieces is very fine. Very interesting lesson…I learned new things, which always makes me happy. Thank you for this presentation…would enjoy more, please!

[julienotsmith]

The long stocking seams on the greaves. The reason they are ridges folded into the metal instead of simply etched, is for strength against blows to the lower leg.

[erikwinkler]

If it was up to me he could have continued another three hours telling us al the technical and historical details. 👍🏻

[TheArmachillo]

More videos like this one! Really enjoyed learning