Cotton Joined Hose

Men's Joined Hose:
As the cotehardie grew increasingly shorter and tighter, slowly evolving into the doublet, more of the braies and chauses were revealed. The end result was that the chausses grew to cover the cotte's retreat, culminating in fully joined hose. This new garment followed the fashion for fitted garments, and pointed directly to the doublet. This, of course, added its own interesting challenges for performing the “necessaries”, and thus the 15th century saw the introduction of another new element in men's fashion - the codpiece.

Woolen Hose:
Wool was the preferred fabric for these hose, or “hosen”, and was used in different weights and weaves, to accommodate the different seasons. We have replicated our hose in a robust, mid-weight, wool knit that you should find comfortable in most weather. The material is heavy and fitted enough to allow the hose to remain up without pointing, when you remove the doublet on hot days. In keeping with the 15th century aesthetic of smooth, shapely limbs, you will find that the hose accentuate the contours of the leg, while giving a flowing, athletic look. Whether you are built like a power-lifter or a distance runner, you will be surprised at how these hose will emphasize all of the right things, and turn more than a few ladies' heads admiringly. (And maybe a few disapproving Churchmen's heads as well, but really, isn't all that feminine attention worth a little scandal?)

Cotton Hose:
While the elasticity, durability and wide variety of textures and weights made wool the fabric of choice for period hose, we realize that many modern customers are extremely temperature sensitive or have wool allergies. For our re-enactor or theatre customers for whom comfort or ease of care outweighs concerns of authenticity, we are also offering our joined hose in knit cotton (5% lycra). The cotton closely replicates the fit of the wool hose, but is much lighter-weight, and is available in a variety of colors.

Wool or Cotton: Which Should I Chose?
If you can't decide which fabric will better fit your needs, are a few guidelines. If your first concern is authenticity, there is no choice at all; you need the woolen hose! Likewise, if you have problems wearing wool, then you will need to sacrifice a little authenticity and chose from our cotton selections. If you fall anywhere in between those two spectrums, our advice is to chose a woolen pair for your top-end kit, and have a pair or two of brightly colored cotton hose available for those scorching hot, summer days! (Remember, the 15th century was part of the “Little Ice Age”, the 21st century is not!)

Three views of our Cotton Joined Hose in Dark Blue worn with our Wool Doublet in Burgundy, Chaperone Hat, Decorated Belt and Knee Boots