Maybe you've been to a Renaissance Festival before. Maybe you saw all the costumes and said "Wow, those are cool! I want to dress like that..." Well, why not?

For those of us "geeks" who are into this kind of thing, wearing a costume can only make the experience even more of one. You get more attention, and you feel like you "belong" with the surroundings.

If you're ready to try, perhaps you should look at what I've written, and hopefully you'll know how to start (^_^)

-Know how much you're willing to spend. $50? $500? This will determine what kind of costume you are able to put together.

-Will you be putting together this costume yourself, or purchasing it from someone? Doing it yourself can save you a lot of money, but unless you want it done by a professional or want it as historically accurate as you can get it, this may not be the best way to go. This really depends on your sewing skills and how much work you'd be willing to deal with. If you know someone who can sew well, see if you can get them to help you.

-What do you want to be? A knight? A princess? A washer wench? A belly dancer? A fairy? These are just some of what you can spot at a Ren Fest. Look through books and magazines (try Renaissance magazine, usually found at your local Borders and Books), surf the internet, and see if you can find something you'd enjoy wearing the most, along with something you believe would fit your budget.

-Consider a character. You can come up with your own original character and base your costume off that if you like. Give him/her a personality, a history, whatever you like. Do you wear a ring that your Duke father gave you before he died? Perhaps you found a strange rock on the ground during one of your adventures and keep it close to you as a reminder of that time. Do you come from Ireland and thus speak with an accent? Were you named after a beloved aunt/uncle who died of an illness that swept your village? This is all just brain storming of course. I personally have a little wooden "puppet" that I wear on my shoulder or in my costume. Her name is Silver-Eyed Avani. Perhaps come Ren season I will have a picture of her (^_^)

Doing it yourself? Try Simplicity for patterns you can try, or go to your local craftstore for the pattern. It is not recommended that the beginner try to recreate something complicated from a painting or picture unless you get assistance and find helpful books or websites that deal with making period costumes.

You can also check out these sites for furthur assistance:

Renaissance Faire Dress - Provides a few "how to"s.


Sewing Central - Store with Renaissance patterns you can buy. Looks neat.

Want someone else to do it? Why not sit back and let someone else make your costume? It can be cheap depending, but it's usually a lot more expensive.

Some places to check out:

Ebay - Sometimes the price gets quite steep, but this way you can get the costume NOW, instead of making it, and some are really very nice as well! You may save a lot compared to other online businesses.

The Very Merry Seamstress - Lots of gorgeous stuff here, made to fit you and custom jobs are available. They can recreate pretty much whatever you want!

Sophi's Stitches - Good place, lots of nice stuff.

Also be sure to check out the Renaissance magazine webpage featuring a dozen links to costume and accessory sites.

Don't forget, if you don't want to buy it online you can purchase it at the fair itself and wear it the next time you visit (^_^)

PLEASE NOTE: Know the rules of your local Ren Fest (or the one you are going to) if you plan on having a weapon. At the Michigan Ren Fest, no weapons are allowed although some places allow them as long as they are "peace tied."

Accessories online?

Gryphon's Moon - Lots of nice rings and jewelry you can add to your costume, plus so much more you'll love! I do!

The Pillaged Village - Reasonably priced shoes, pouches, jewelry and so forth. Not exactly historically accurate stuff, but good enough if accuracy is not a priority or doesn't even matter, or you're on a tight budget.

I wish you the best of luck with your goal!



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