This person is very right, the padding would be essential for this when used as armour. Especially as more significant than pinching was the temperature of the metal — it was a long Summer night where I wore it first and it was very cold by the end. There was a bonfire to help people stay warm and I needed to be mindful to not go too close. A similar but less intense temperature issue happened due to the sun on a hot day. It wasn’t too bad, but definitely highlighted the usefulness of padding if wearing it as armour.

Small note on practicality - the maille itself wasn’t shaped for my figure, it was just generic and sized to my (fairly broad) shoulders. As well as padding, belting it well is also essential, because it helps to distribute the weight. In the pic, I did that with an under bust corset (which worked way better than it had any right to), but I want to highlight the functional purpose of the corset - without that or a belt, it was way too heavy on my shoulders