How have I not yet done a blog about codpieces?

Codpieces are among the more, shall we say, curious fashions of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries—and that’s saying something, because there were some crazy fashions during this time. They were worn at the crotch area of men’s trousers and held closed with ties or buttons. They were originally conceived as a way to cover up a man’s private parts when the hemlines of men’s tunics became shorter and shorter, until they were barely below the hip. Something had to be done to cover the gap at the top. But even when longer tunics were worn (or balloon breeches came into style), codpieces were worn ornamentally.

Here are a few examples: