This section is from the "A Complete Dictionary of Dry Goods" book, by George S. Cole. Also available from Amazon: A complete dictionary of dry goods and history of silk, cotton, linen, wool and other fibrous substances,: Including a full explanation of the modern processes ... together with various useful tables.
Doublet. An outer body-garment such as was worn by men from about the end of the fifteenth century until the middle of the seventeenth century. Originally it was characterized by short skirts, and was girded round the body with a belt. Later it was cut and adjusted with great care, and even stuffed or bombasted into an exact shape. At this period it occasionally had short skirts, but was more often made without them. Throughout the sixteenth century the doublet usually had sleeves; under the reign of Charles I of England it became universally an undergarment, being made without sleeves and worn under the coat, and was thus the immediate ancestor of the modern vest.
 
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