Shirt Bartholomew

Shirt Bartholomew is a relaxed-fit, adjustable, and classic piece of 13th- to 16th-century apparel, perfect for LARP, reenactment, or any costume featuring the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance. Designed to suit a range of characters and events, this casual-fit shirt is part of Epic Armoury's Yoremade line, where historical expertise crosses with everyday practicality.

With a crumpled 100% cotton make-up, baggy sleeves, and tie strings at the wrists and neck, the Bartholomew offers you freedom of movement, excellent ventilation, and a look that feels genuinely vintage. Whether layering it under a doublet or wearing it alone while camping, it's a shirt designed to make you comfortable while looking the part.

Inspired by the 13th to 16th Century Clothing

Based on real attire from the 1300s to 1600s, the Bartholomew takes us back to an era where shirts were beginning to become loose-fitting and ruffled at the arms. This would have been worn by everyone, regardless of class, from scholars and tradesmen to craftsmen and pages.

The clasped wrists and open neckline evoke the kind of Renaissance shirt that is ubiquitous in portraits and woodcuts of the time. And since it is intended to be worn over something, it drapes nicely under robes, tunics, jerkins, and so on, allowing you to create an outfit that is both versatile and tailored.

Features That Make a Difference

• Crinkled cotton fabric: Lightweight, soft, and breathable, ideal for marathon exposure at an event or warmer climates.
• Tie strings at cuff and neck opening: Loose and casual or sharply defined to suit your personality or your mood.
• Loose design with loose-fitting sleeves: Easy to move in and suitable for a wide range of body types.
• 100% natural cotton: Soft on the skin and easy to care for, simply toss it in the wash after the event.
• Works across styles: Use it for late medieval or Renaissance looks, from 14th-century peasants to 16th-century poets.

Every feature is designed to serve a purpose, not just for aesthetic appeal, but also for the way you move, wear, and live in the shirt.

A Layer That Adds Life to Your Costume

The Shirt Bartholomew is made for characters in motion. It’s perfect for early morning scenes at camp, quiet moments by the window, or long days under the sun. You might wear it under armor as your base layer or throw it on for a relaxed look between battles. It feels just as natural in the noble’s hall as it does in the tavern kitchen.

For LARPers, it’s the kind of shirt that supports rather than defines your look. For reenactors, it checks the box of historical plausibility without sacrificing ease of use. And for fair-goers, it brings authenticity without the weight.

Easy to wear. Easy to love. The Shirt Bartholomew is your go-to layer for 14th- to 16th-century outfits, designed for comfort, built with care, and ready for adventure.

There are stories being told about you amongst the soldiers. You are the mercenary who has slain over a thousand men. You put fear in your enemies with just a glance. Your aura of darkness freezes the hearts of anyone who looks you in the eye. And your favorite? Someone is saying you made a deal with a devil so that you may never die.

You will never tell them which might be true. Instead, as you sit in camp and wash the blood from your Gambeson, you simply listen...and smirk.

DETAILS

This bestselling Ready for Battle Gambeson is a padded armour coat covering the torso, abdomen, back and upper arms. It can be worn on its own or serve as essential padding under mail or armour. The gambeson is donned like a jacket and closed on the front with four leather straps with iron buckles.

Thick enough to serve as its own armour, this sturdy gambeson is constructed with heavy layers of fluffed cotton padding sandwiched between coloured heavy cotton, all stitched together in vertical lines. The stitching keeps the padding in place and mimics a classic European high-medieval style. The gambeson is open under the armpits to allow the wearer to breathe and have ease movement.

Though of European cut, gambeson or quilted-style armours have seen world-wide use since antediluvian times, making the Ready for Battle Gambeson a great basic armour with a range of possibilities regardless of time and place.

HISTORY

• Used as padding under chainmail or plate armour
• Historically, a high-medieval European gambeson was recorded as being capable of stopping sword blows from penetrating the skin
• Could stop heavy arrows and mace and axe impacts with the addition of overlaying chainmail

Available in one size, fits unisex small - large (best fits size medium).

Donning your kimono and Jin Baori every morning is as much a ritual as a tea ceremony. Carefully inspected and folded the night before, it is of the utmost importance that a samurai of your stature maintain a pristine uniform. To look sloppy implies that your discipline is lacking--and by that logic, your swordsmanship must be, too.

Instead of risking such dishonor to your reputation, you take the care that is necessary. There will not be a thread out of place.

DETAILS

The Epic Armoury Jin Baori is a traditional open overcoat to be worn over a high-ranking samurai’s armour. Reaching from the shoulders to the mid-thigh and edged with broad golden bands along the collar and hem, this handsome garment adds detail and interest to an Asian-inspired costume. Fit shoulder armour outside the Jin-Baori by threading straps through the four eyelets located on the back and front. Each eyelet is clearly marked by golden edging, adding strength and aesthetic appeal.

On the back, the Jin-Baori has two slits allowing maximum mobility. These slits also allow a sword to hang comfortably from a belt beneath the coat. The garment is made of durable, but comfortable cotton with gold coloured cotton edging. Fully compatible with Epic Armoury's other Asian styles, the Jin-Baori is for the warrior looking to display his status and skill on the field of glory.

HISTORY

• Historically made for armoured samurai to wear
• Considered a type of haori, which is a kimono-like jacket that adds formality to an outfit
• Traditionally a male garment until the Meiji period

Discontinued 2016

DISCONTINUED IN 2019 - Still available to order but some colours/sizes may not be available. Check with us before ordering if not showing as currently in stock.

Silence. Perfect silence.

You use the silence as a cloak of armour, masked in the darkness and waiting for danger to show itself. You ready your sword, prepared to launch your deadly attack should your Lord’s assassins appear. One quick slice and they will breathe their last, you sword hitting its mark and your Kimono becoming soaked in their dark red blood. When you vanish once more, you’ll leave any of their allies bewildered and afraid.

DETAILS

Epic Armoury’s Dark Red Kimono is a traditional Japanese T-shaped robe with ¾ length sleeves made from heavy red cotton and a reinforced collar. Reaching from the shoulders to the upper thighs, this garment is a great base to an Ancestral costume. The Kimono is worn by tying the left over the right side, securing its cotton straps located on the inside and outside of the waist. The sleeves hang loose just above the wrists, leaving the hands free and allowing the greatest possible freedom of action.

Fully compatible with Epic Armoury's other Asian styles, the Kimono is a great basis for almost any samurai-inspired character you wish to make - be it honourable warrior or dishonoured thief.

HISTORY

• A traditional Japanese garment since the 8th century
• Resembles a kosode, which is a shorter sleeved kimono worn with a hakama
• Traditionally secured with a sash tied at the back called an obi
• Always traditionally tied with the left over the right side, except when dressing the dead

Two tone is the height of fashion, even on the battlefield!

The official tabbard of Conquest '09, but who are we kidding? Colours like these are stylish wherever you go!

You are a Rahk of the Black Ice Essence, a physical manifestation of perfection and complete unification. You march in unison and you fight in unison with all the soldiers and the officers of your unit. Together you are efficient.

The mortal races will all become assimilated in time. When everyone becomes an aspect of your Essence, the world will finally be perfect.

DETAILS

Epic Armoury’s Black Ice Tabard is a sleeveless, open-sided garment worn over any outfit or set of armor, often with a belt. This particular tabard is a tasteful violet-blue with black trim. Whether you are a one-man army wanting to stand out, or you are in a unit of soldiers and want to blend in, you will appear full of style, class, and distinction by wearing the Black Ice Tabard. While specifically designed for ConQuest’s Non-Player Character group, the Black Ice, feel free to use this tabard to fit your own character’s design.

INSPIRATION

• Used as the uniform of choice for Black Ice infantry, a NPC group of enemies within the ConQuest universe
• Made from the Essence of Black Ice, according to ConQuest lore