Armour frequently followed fashions in contemporary dress. Its shape might reflect civilian silhouettes – the volume of the tassets (leg coverings), for example, often imitated fluctuations in trunk hose. A variety of metalworking techniques were also used on the surface of armour to mimic the slashing, pleating or puffing of fabric.

Mottoes, monograms, and motifs engraved on armour allowed more personal expressions of identity and status. For royal owners, these included crowns, coronets and fleurs-de-lis, as well as classical and Biblical scenes with personal significance. 

Paintings and drawings today provide important evidence of armour's original wear, and particularly of accessories like coloured linings, leather straps, sashes, and feathers which rarely survive.