It appears that there are 2 different garments that get called a pourpoint. One is an outer layer, often padded that may have started as part of a knight’s armour. The other is a waistcoat style garment that was used to attach the hose, or sometimes with armour the leg harness, as an alternative to a belt.

The pourpoint style we decided to make was a simple waistcoat with no skirt. It was to have a lining to help handle any strain put on it. The outer layer is white linen with the lining of calico.