Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
A codpiece — from Middle English codpece: cod, bag, plus pece, piece — is a flap or pouch that attaches to the front of the crotch of men's trousers to provide a covering for the genitals, held closed by string ties, buttons or other methods. It was an important item of European clothing in the 15th and 16th centuries. At first the codpiece was entirely a practical matter of modesty: men's hose were snug on the legs and open at the crotch, and as the doublet shortened, a covering became necessary. This page traces how the practical flap grew into a padded, emphasized fashion feature, doubled as a pocket, and was copied in the armour of the period.
A codpiece (Middle English codpece: cod, bag, scrotum (from Old English codd, bag) + pece, piece) is a flap or pouch that attaches to the front of the crotch of men's trousers to provide a covering for the genitals. It would be held closed by string ties, buttons, or other methods.
It was an important item of European clothing in the 15th and 16th centuries.
At first, the codpiece was entirely a practical matter of modesty. Men's hose were typically very snug on the legs and open at the crotch, with the genitalia simply hanging loose under the doublet. A shortening of the doublet resulted in often-exposed genitalia, so the codpiece came into being (there are other versions of the origin of the codpiece).
As time passed, codpieces were shaped to emphasize the male genitalia and eventually often became padded and bizarrely shaped. They also often doubled as pockets, handy carrying places for a variety of items.
Armour of the 16th c. followed civilian fashion, and for a time armoured codpieces were a prominent addition to the really best full harnesses. Few of these are in evidence today, though the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City does have one on display. [Source - this paragraph: Arms and Armor of Medieval Knights: An Illustrated History of Weaponry in the Middle Ages - David Edge]
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/codpiece). Modified by Apparel Search 1/6/06 |
A codpiece is a flap or pouch attached to the front of the crotch of men's trousers, providing a covering for the genitals and closing with string ties, buttons or similar fastenings. It was an important item of European clothing in the 15th and 16th centuries.
At first, for modesty. Men's hose were typically very snug on the legs and open at the crotch, with the genitalia hanging loose under the doublet; as doublets shortened, the genitalia were often exposed, so the codpiece came into being to cover them.
Yes. As time passed, codpieces were shaped to emphasize the wearer's anatomy and often became padded and elaborately shaped, and they also often doubled as pockets — handy carrying places for a variety of small items. Armour of the 16th century followed civilian fashion, adding armoured codpieces to fine full harnesses.