Leather Women’s Arming Belt

Embossed Lendenier for the female body

When people see pictures of our beautiful leg armor, they often become enamoured with the dream of wearing stunning plate legs, and don’t think about how to suspend them or the practical side of wearing armor! Leg harness suspension is a topic that has been extensively discussed by historians and re-enactors alike, and a lot of thought has been put into both the historical side of arming garments, as well as modern comfort and practicality. A fighter needs to consider the balance between staying true to their sources and wearing something that that will keep them comfortable and hold their gear in the correct place. As a woman, this becomes even more difficult as most companies don’t consider the female body type when constructing arming garments. With the creation of our new “Dark Star” collection, we felt that it was the perfect time to make an arming belt especially for women to make wearing armour easier than ever before!

Historically, there were two main arming garments in the middle ages: the lendenier and the arming doublet. The arming doublet, or gambeson, is a conventional option that is quite popular in many medieval subcultures. Alternatively, the lendenier is a thick belt constructed from fabric and sometimes lightly padded, with no upper half to put stress on your back. The important part with either of these garments is to make sure it is very tight around the core, so that the weight is kept off of your back and upper body. We chose to base our arming belt off of the lendenier, as after testing we found that it was a better fit for the female body, especially when our customers are ordering online and can’t be easily fitted for a skin tight doublet. Using this kind of arming garment means that you can support the weight of the leg harness with the strongest part of your body (the core), and won’t fatigue as quickly or develop back strain. In order to wear your leg harness correctly you will need to maintain good posture, tuck in your tail bone and engage your core to make sure you are not stressing out your lower back.

When it comes to the general shape and pattern for this belt, it isn’t too far off of the historical examples (though we have taken many liberties to design something a bit more creative opposed to a reproduction). We have also put a lot of work into altering it to make sure it properly accounts for the shape of the female waist and hips. There are two points where it laces up - at the front center, and at the very back, both with waxed cord. From the front, the belt dips down to your hips, which is where your leg harness is secured. We have double layered the leather at these points to give it extra reinforcement to support the weight. From there it tapers back up to the back of the waist. We chose to construct this belt out of leather because we wanted to make something beautiful with a bit more of a fantastic aesthetic. Our supple but strong leather is robustly stitched and reinforced to make each panel, and it has been ornately embossed with two different motifs - a diamond shape, and a floral pattern.

To check how to measure yourself please click here.

Please contact us if you have any additional questions.