For about a hundred years, from the late 15th to the late 16th century, codpieces were high fashion. The original codpiece was a part of a suit of armor, and it was seriously for protection. But off the battlefield, this piece of clothing had an innocent and even modest start. Men commonly wore a tunic and hose, with the hose being two separate socks that were tied to the tunic. In the late 15th century, style dictated that the tunics or doublets got shorter and shorter, and the codpiece was developed to cover a man's genitalia when his fashionable clothing no longer would.
But men quickly saw an opportunity, in that a codpiece can be enhanced. That scrap of fabric could be any size, and stuffed with fabric or straw, it changed from an item of modesty to an attention-grabbing accessory. Some even used their codpiece as a pocket to store handy items, while also inflating the size of the codpiece. Henry VIII was a fan of the codpiece, since it was important for a monarch to flaunt his virility despite his trouble producing an heir. And you know the king is a fashion influencer, no matter how scandalized the clergy was. Meanwhile, everyday folks laughed at codpieces with jokes about compensating. Read about the codpiece fad and how it eventually died out at BBC Future. Get ready for plenty of double entendres. -via Metafilter
(Image credit: Hans Holbein the Younger)
It should be much easier to make friends and find a job now that I know the proper materials to use.
Also going to save a fortune at the fishmongers.
Guessing I won't get chased by as many seals and seabirds on my usually quite hectic walks on the beach.