For those playing kamakurans in maelstrom, or others seeking eastern style costume, may i recommend
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Thailand-Craft-Clothing-Warehouse 

some of the shirts are also suitable for other cultures, as they are fairly generic, and not too eastern looking. 

I will be at the Fools and Heroes event in Guildford this weekend

I got convinced to come and trade for actual money instead of LT gold.

Crazy.

Ok, so there will be a 5m bell tent full of costume and cheap kit up and trading this weekend. Cloaks, corsets, tankards, jewellery, male and female clothing, props, and weapons.

So I'm going an event on sunday celebrating the anniversery of The Red Hose Race in a village near where i live.

http://www.redhoserace.co.uk/

and of course im taking the opportunity to dress up. but the thing is im a bit confused...

it asks us to dress like they did 500 years ago which by my reaconing is the 16th century (1508) which would be tutor/renaissance dress right? but the events and entertainment avaliable are all medieval so im a bit confused about my historical accuracy.

i'm working on a basic wench costume with a strapless corset thing, lots of skirts and a chemise underneath but can that pass as medieval? i know that most people won't be too worried about the historical accuracy but i'm picky when it comes to things like this :)

i don't have much time to do anything fancy (plus a lack of funds) but could anyone give any help or advice on something quick and simple that i can run up for sunday?

thanx :D xx

x-posted so sorry for the repetition! x

For those of you who are not members of regencyclothing  here is a link to one of the best costume sites I've ever seen.

OK it's in Italian, but just lookit the pretties!  There is a page translated into English telling you roughly where everything is though, and which sections have lots of pictures, which is helpful.

She has 300 items, mostly Victorian but a good selection of Regency and a couple of Gowns Anglaise.  She has dresses, she has corsets, she has hats, she has shoes, she has  deshabille, she has bathoing costumes, she has everything, all photographed lovingly from different angles. 

There is so much cool stuff on this site that I ran out of time to look at it all -

Crossposted promiscuously.

Hi!

Firstly I must say I'm sorry that I don't do LRP and if you want to delete this post I understand :)

I'm actually looking for some advice on a costume I'm currently developing. I'm creating a warrior queen look and so far have most the elements I need including a rather tough looking faux leather  dress I made myself.

However what I really want is a Spaulder for one arm and have discovered that to get one that I'd really like online I'd have to fork out a small fortune.

Could someone please give me suggestions on potential places to get them or how I'd go about making a basic one?

Thanks!  :)

I've made a cloak that caused a stir at the Larpfair and it's still for sale, but I won't post it until I can find a way of transporting it by post in a manner that is safe.

Here it is -



It is made from very high quality velvet and has 28 peacock feather stitched around the collar.  Needless to say I'm not going to shove this in a bag, great care needs to be taken when transporting such an item but I was wondering what you may suggest?

having not made the last Maelstrom I am naturally rather happy to be going to a pub-night style event as this means I don't have to wait for months before my next larp-with-fans-and-pistols fix.

unfortunately I have a little under a month to arrange my costume for the event and have

A a very strict costume rule (i made it up but it's still strict): I am now in my third stage of mourning (purpley, nothing too dramatic)

B no spare fabric

c no money for fabric

D some scraps of purple and white* (possibly enough for a bodice and petticoat with careful cuttingbut there wouldn't be much fabric to them and may be too plain for the character) cotton, an old purple velvet dress in terrible condition, and some "pearl" beads swarovski crystals in various shades of violet and blue

do I 

A: mend the velvet dress, removing the stained and tattered sleeves and collar and either replacing with white cotton ones (white cotton on velvet?!) leaving plain (it's not a very attractive dress and really quite shabby) or perhaps beading (I suspect beads on that velvet would just show up the poor quality of the cloth to be honest).

B attempt to make a bodice and skirt out of the cotton, add embellishments if possible (again crystals and cotton would be out of place) and brazen it out.

C wear last years costume despite the fact that I shouldn't be wearing grey any more.

D wear the previous (black) outfit which is at least the most striking and perhaps the most appropriate in style for the event with some purple accesories (it's a very starkly black dress and my personal feeling is that this would look gods awful)


Hayelp!

Now playing characters that are half "high elf" and half drow, is getting to be a Filmsy signature-tune. 

So lets see. This is the prelimnary version of the new costume, as photographed this afternoon with the trusty self timer on the camera (mwahaha). Its my usual medievally hairdo (not clear in the pic) with white hair extensions clipped in (yay for ebay), and brown beaded braids (yay for local shop that sells all kinds of useful random rubbish for larping). The rest of my real hair (a load of waist long frizz) is in a long ponytail. I shall add some more extensions at the back. I hate having my real hair loose as its a pain to brush after.
For the pic I was wearing my favourite blue velvet tunic, which I wear round the house a lot. (I do want to get black velvet for this costume.) over a plain brown top and my usual black larp leggings. My usual LARP sword (from darkbladeuk), and a luuuuush belt from Dorothy Perkins (A trendie shop selling something cool? There is still hope in the universe!), And my brown cloak (from lrpstore) that I wear regardless of which character I am being, and which I also wear to work since I find wearing a sensible coat boring at times.  Oh and my purple and gold medallion which is a charity shop find, and the head band is actually a gold coloured chain I got in Primark about 18 months ago, to wear round my hat when I was playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood The Panto. LOL. And

Yep, this is only the first draft of the cozzie, but I like the way its going. (and I have black boots to go with it)

feedback and thoughts welcome..

" You teach a girl to sew and make clothes for her dolls. When she grows up she suddenly takes to making vambraces and armour for herself. WTF? "
A friend on the phone yesterday. 

My handy cut out and keep guide to making LARP vambraces in an hour and a half, for my elf ranger LARP character  (to avoid doing University coursework).