Why must shin guards be rigid?

[Guest Boudicca]

So I bought a set of Mara shin guards (and paid way too much) from a vendor and when they arrived, they were heavy vinyl - definitely not a rigid material as it had appeared when I looked at the photo of the model wearing them. I understand several other ladies have had the same experience. Usually I'd chalk it up to "live and learn," but in this case it leads me to a question: why do the CRL's require rigid material for the shin guards?

 

I saw an explanation in one of the threads here to the effect that "real" armor would be rigid because if Vader wouldn't wear leather/vinyl armor, why would Mara? But it appears that Lumiya wears soft armor - the build guide recommends using fabric, i.e. for gauntlets and other pieces, and stiffening it with heavy interfacing or sintra. And while I can't give an exhaustive list, I know at least some old-Republic era Jedi and Sith wear leather armor. Do the references of Mara clearly show that the shin guards are rigid? (i.e. are there frames in the comics where she takes them off?) Because the shin guards I have look pretty close to the comic references as far as I can tell, despite being a heavy/reinforced vinyl.

 

Of course, since I've realized that what I bought doesn't match the CRLs, I've found a pair of old Easton hockey guards in my size on eBay and am modifying them... but I still prefer the comic book shin/knee guard look over the riot gear look. It's more sleek and I think more flattering on me. But good luck finding or making rigid comic-style shin guards. I know many have tried, and few (if any at all) have been able to get it right in terms of comic style shins that are accurate and durable.

 

So here's the question - would it make sense to change the CRL's to allow leather or leather-like shin guards? I know that some of you may be opposed to any changes designed to make a costume piece "easier" at the expense of accuracy, but here are my views on the matter:

 

(1) unless there are refs of Mara taking the guards off and clearly showing they're rigid, it's not necessarily sacrificing accuracy because leather armor is armor too!

 

(2) There's a difference between difficult and impossible. It's not easy to sew a Mara bodysuit (or to learn to sew period), but it can be done with practice and effort and time. But if even people who are really experienced at molding/casting these pieces haven't been able to make accurate, durabe comic-style shins in resin/fiberglass/etc. (which I understand is the case - correct me if I'm wrong!), maybe it makes sense to modify the standard.

 

(3) As we know, outfits drawn in comics may require modification in real life so that real people can wear them. I'm guessing in the comics (although it's been a while so I don't recall) Mara's bodysuit is probably meant to be made of leather. But as Pam's excellent WIP threads and tutorials show, this doesn't work in real life. Which is why we use stretch vinyl. And while ideally it should be matte, shiny is approvable because sometimes that's all that's available. (BTW Spandex House was out of the matte stuff again as of this October.) So if making the shin guards in resin/fiberglass in a way that matches the comics and can survive in trooping conditions isn't feasible, why not make them out of something else?

 

These are my suggestions & opinions - leadership may do with them what they will. I realize this isn't keeping new Maras out because the police/riot-style shin guards are a more accessible option. But I think if we're going to make comic-style shins an option, we ought to make them a doable option.

 

- Boudicca