Mock Garb For Men

Luckily, garb for men tends to be very simple. A shirt, pants, shoes, and usually a belt and hat.

Still, buying these items while at a faire is quite expensive, and you may not have time to have items shipped before the event.

So, here's how you can mock up a costume for the the renaissance faire (Keep in mind that you'll want to buy or make proper garb if you plan to attend frequently).

Shirt: Take a loose fitting, plain t-shirt. Preferably a size or two larger than you normally wear. Cut the collar off, and cut several inches down in a straight line at the middle of the neck. You'll want the opening to end near the bottom of your rib cage, or just above.

Make small holes on both sides of the cut, and lace up with a leather thong or a shoe lace. If the lacing has enough length, cut off the plastic tips, and knot the ends.

You can cut the hems off the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt as well, but it's not strictly necessary. Wear with the hem on the outside of the pants.

Pants: Take a pair of dark or earth tone sweatpants, or other loose fitting pants that don't have pleats or gathers (or pockets, if possible). If you're wearing high boots, simply stuff the bottoms of the pants into the boots. If you're wearing normal height shoes, cut the elastic bottoms off, or cut a hole into the hem and string with yarn to make it look like a drawstring.

Shoes: Moccasins work very well with renn garb, but you'll have to be prepared to be mocked if they have fringe on them. If it's an old pair, just cut the fringe off. Otherwise, we don't much care what kind of shoes you wear, but know that sneakers, particularly white ones, are very noticable.

Belts: Normal belts do not look right with renaissance faire costumes. If you have to wear a normal belt, make sure that the buckle is covered with something- a scrap of fabric, or a pouch of some sort. Believe it or not, you can actually steal your wife's red silk scarf and use that as a belt, without looking femme.

Kilts: They're not as easy as they look, and you'll need yards and yards of fabric. Still, if you're determined to wear a kilt, check this page for directions on wrapping a kilt.

The key to everything, except the kilt, is to use fabrics that don't have patterns on them and to hide or remove anything that looks too modern (such as elastic and belt buckles).

If you have the time and inclination, but not a big budget, check out my Quick & Dirty Garb For Men page. Or, see what's on sale right now.