“Dark Star” Cotton Gambeson Sleeves

Female crop-top style arm padding

These gambeson sleeves will be the perfect addition under any sleeveless doublet or vest. They allow you the bonus of padded arms (which will protect you in LARP and other light forms of combat), without requiring you to wear a whole gambeson. This is ideal for the warmer months, or when you’re in a style of combat where you’re worried about getting hits to your arms. If you are looking for a full gambeson, we do have a matching vest available as well, but we thought that we would split up the components to give you a wider variety of choices.

The complete gambeson was inspired by padded jackets found in the XIV-XV century. We loved the way they were fitted, tapered, and not at all bulky compared to earlier versions. The padding starts at your shoulder and extends all the way down to your wrist. It includes a split at the forearm to make it easier to fit armor over top of, and doesn’t have any bulky buckles or lacing to get stuck underneath your bracers. The crop-top part of the gambeson is unpadded, consisting of just two layers of fabric for added breathability. It is shaped to the female figure, with darts under the bust to ensure it fits over your chest in the right way. The padded aspect gives great coverage of your underarm, and when worn with the matching gambeson vest ends up overlapping at the shoulder for a little bit of extra cushioning under your breastplate straps. The middle of the crop top laces up with cotton cord and metal eyelets, meaning you will be able to get a great fit that will sit flat underneath a vest.

This gambeson has been made from bright, strong cotton. Cotton is a fantastically versatile natural fiber - it can be dyed vibrant colors, is still breathable, but is much more hardy when it comes to armor rubbing than more delicate woven materials. The padding of this gambeson is natural batting, which will still allow for airflow while also protecting you. The quilting on the sleeves is flattering and functional, and every other aspect of the designs has been well thought out - including contrasting borders, welted seams, and other fine finishes. We hope that you love these gambeson sleeves as much as we do!

We recommend pairing these fantastic arms with one of the matching gambesons from the rest of our Dark Star collection - available in linen, wool, and canvas, as well as cotton.

To check how to measure yourself please click here.

Please contact us if you have any additional questions.