The arming doublet is a vital component in every man-at-arm's inventory. Without it, he would be unable to properly secure most of the pieces of his harness. The arming doublet must be fairly close fitting and durable while not hindering the movement of the arms. A mail standard, or collar, and voiders, or gussets of mail under the arm, are often worn though not visible in the above photographs. Likewise, a mail skirt would be worn around the waist to protect the groin.
     The boiled woolen hose are attached to the bottom of the doublet with points, or cords of stout fabric or twine. The points keep the leggins from sliding down as belt loops will not be invented for centuries to come. The hose fit tight to the legs but stretch easily to allow ease of movement. Some manuscripts also describe men-at-arms using strips of blanket tied around the knees for comfort padding.

     As the plates of armour are meant to overlap one another like shingles, the harness is donned from the bottom upwards. Starting at the feet, a page or valet would assist his knight or man-at-arms in putting on his harness. The feet, or sabatons, would normally go first if the knight were to be mounted. Sabatons are not always worn when fighting on foot as the long pointed toes can cause one to trip.
     Greaves, or lower legs, completely envelop the shins and calves from the ankles to just below the knees. The front and back portions are hinged on the outside and buckled at the top and bottom on the inside of the leg. The straps are located on the inside of the leg to provide the most protection from an enemy's cuts and thrusts. A sliced strap could immobilze the knight. The lower flange is curved over the foot, and sabaton if worn, as well as the heel to allow a full range of motion.

     The cuisse (quîss), or upper leg, and poleyn (po-leen), or knee cop, are joined by lames and riveted into one singular, jointed piece. The lower lames of the poleyn overlap the upper edge of the greave on each leg. A hinged side plate on the outer edge of the main plate of the cuisse folds around the thigh to protect the side and rear of the upper leg.
     Leathers located on the top edge of the cuisse have holes that allow them to be laced to the lower portion of the arming doublet ensuring that the legs do not slide down when running or jumping.
     The cuisse on the Warwick harness is actually comprised of several overlapping plates riveted together in a Gothic design. While it appears to be merely for aesthetic purposes, it actually provides addional reinforcement to the thigh, a prime target for opponents whether mounted or on foot.

     The points that are laced onto the leathers of the cuisse ensure that the legs remain in place. No amount of horizontal straps could hold the cuisse up when running. Attaching them to the doublet, which fits tightly around the waist, actually places a lot of the weight of the cuisse plates onto the hips.

     Straps on the lower lame of the knee, behind the knee and around the back of the thigh keep the cuisse and poleyn from shifting around. The upper and lower straps are generally buckled tightly, however the strap around the knee is left slightly more loose to provide for more ease of movement when flexing or squatting.

     With the legs complete, the man-at-arms would be free to begin donning the torso. At this juncture, the mail skirt would be hitched up and buckled around the waist or secured with points. As the insides of the legs and the groin remain vulnerable, the mail provides the only means of protection. The skirt was unavailable at the time the photographs were taken.

     The front and back of the plackart, abdomen and lower back reinforcement, is buckled to the breast plate and back plate. The torso is hinged on the left side and strapped on the right side. This is because the left side is generally more toward the opponent as the sword is wielded in the right hand. The entire torso is usually donned in one complete motion and then closed and buckled down the right side.

     There is a sliding rivet and strap that hold the breast plate shut while also keeping it from closing further from a heavy blow and crushing the wearer. There are also straps on the plackart as well as the lames of the fauld, or articulated skirt. The tassets, additional plates hanging down over the fronts of the thighs, are attached by straps to the lower lames of the fauld. Likewise, the culet, rear of the fauld, has reinforcing plates attached.

     The arms on Italian harnesses are riveted together unlike their Gothic counterparts which keep the elbow, upper and lower cannons of the vambrace, or arm plates, separate. The upper arm has leathers similar to the cuisse that is laced to the sleeve of the doublet. The counter (coo-ter), right elbow, and guard of the vambrace, oversized left elbow, are riveted to the upper and lower cannons with lames for a full range of movement.

     The pauldron, shoulder protection, is attached to the right shoulder by points and then buckled under the arm pit. The gardbrace, reinforced pauldron on the left shoulder, is similarly attached to the doublet with points and buckled under the corresponding arm pit. The loose attachments allow the wearer to raise his arms with as little restriction as possible. The exposed area under each arm would normally be protected by voiders.

     The sword is the iconic symbol of the man-at-arms and knight as much as the 'shining armour'. The longsword belt in the photograph is of the 3-point variety that holds the sword up and forward for ease of drawing by a man in armour--not as easy as you might think.
     The helmet is a sparrowbeak armet, named for its short, beak-like visor. It is actually hinged on the sides to allow it to easily be donned.

     With armet in place and visor down, the man-at-arms is ready to enter into combat. The narrow eye slit severely restricts vision, so the visor is only lowered when danger is immenent. The helmet can be quite stifling as well. There are many accounts of knights being shot by arrows when they raised their visors to catch their breath or take a drink despite being in the rearward ranks.