costuming tropes

The First Braveheart Brigandine

a fanciful colour painting of Cú Chulainn riding a galloping chariot loaded with weapons and brandishing a red spear and a round shield — Cú Chulainn in battle, from T. W. Rolleston, *Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race* (New York, 1911). The painting is signed by J.C. Leyendecker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cuinbattle.jpg

Film and TV costumers love to give extras vests with random pieces of metal or leather laced or riveted to them separated by gaps. Traditional armour was meant to stop spears and arrows, so all armour like this would do would be cause the points to slide into the gaps between the plates and go through. The late Tony Bryant says that some of the very cheapest Japanese tatami-do armours were made like this, but it was never common. On the Internet we often call these Braveheart brigandines after the infamous 1995 Mel Gibson film. But the trope is older!