For knights, armor was both useful and fashionable, St. Louis Art Museum exhibit shows

But as shown in a new St. Louis Art Museum exhibition, suits of steel are linked to fashion, in addition to the history of weapons and metalwork. A knight in shining armor wasn’t just a warrior. He could also be a walking advertisement of wealth and style.

“Armor had a practical function, but it was also about show,” says David Conradsen, the museum’s curator of decorative arts and design. “Elaborate armor suits were fashionable creations made for society’s elite, who could wear them both in combat and for sporting events like jousting.”

The museum is showing off some of these fashion plates, or plated fashions, in a ticketed event featuring a traveling exhibition of pieces from the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts.

That museum’s John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection holds about 1,500 items. In addition to hundreds of works from the collection, the St. Louis museum has added medieval Flemish tapestries (at least one of which has not been displayed for decades). ”Age of Armor” will also exhibit some drawings and paintings from SLAM’s collection that illustrate armor and weapons.

Although one early bronze helmet is from ancient Greece, “Age of Armor” concentrates on works from Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. By that time, armor was made of iron and steel. (Not coincidentally, John Woodman Higgins, who started collecting armor in the 1920s, was the president of the Worcester Pressed Steel Co.)

Armor in the Middle Ages usually consisted of a steel-plated helmet and a coat of mail — thousands of links of steel riveted or welded together. A knight at the time also needed horses and weapons, of course, and spent years training. The warrior class in the late Middle Ages was supported by feudalism: Knights were given agricultural estates to provide them with income so they were battle ready and responded when their overlords called, according to the exhibition’s catalog.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, the advent of the crossbow, other weapons and better infantry tactics meant that knights needed more protection than mail coats. At the same time, improved metallurgy allowed craftsmen to work with better steel and could start molding for an individual human body.

Suits of armor were made across Europe and fitted for wealthy buyers. Some craftsmen and cities become especially known for their detailed artistry. Milan, Italy, and Augsburg, Germany, were two places that could supply buyers with fashionable armor. One example: The foot portion of medieval armor (the sabaton) “imitated the pointed shape of a fifteenth-century shoe,” the catalog states.

Armor especially rose to the level of art when Renaissance makers not only smoothed out hammer marks in the steel, but etched designs, riveted plates and gilded details, Conradsen says. A knight’s horse might have its own armor that mimicked the style of the human’s suit. In the exhibit, a life-size model of a horse and rider in full regalia is an impressive and imposing sight.

Some of the details in the etched designs harkened to classical Rome, the curator says, with winged thunderbolts of Zeus included on one breastplate. During sporting events, participants would add long ostrich plumes to their helmets. They’d sometimes even wear pieces of armor over their clothes at court.

By the 1700s, though, whole suits of steel battle armor were on their way out, with only some ceremonial elements remaining.

“Once guns become commonplace on the battlefield, armor begins to decline,” Conradsen says. He does point out indentations in one breastplate, however, that apparently deflected gunfire.

“Age of Armor” shows, in addition to European craftsmanship, some helmets and pieces from other countries. Particularly fascinating is a Japanese helmet shaped like a spikey conch shell. Conradsen calls it a “tour de force” of metalwork.

Bringing the evolution and influence of armor into the modern era, the exhibition includes examples of “Star Wars” stormtrooper and “Black Panther” costumes.

A real piece of 21st-century defensive equipment also will be on display — an improved outer tactical vest, which has ceramic plates in it. Suits of steel armor look heavy and weighed about 50 pounds. That, however, is actually less than what today’s fully outfitted soldiers wear and carry into combat.

Soldiers’ defensive wear continues to evolve. Yet, as Conradsen says, “we’re still fascinated by armor.”

What “Age of Armor: Treasures From the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum” • When Free preview 4-8 p.m. Feb. 17, on view through May 14; hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday • Where St. Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park • How much $6-$12; free to members and to all on Fridays • More info slam.org