Congrats on your first Renaissance Faire! You are in for quite a day. I have a few do’s and don’ts to share about costumes for the special occasion. Don’t Buy a Chain Store Halloween Costume DON’T buy a Renaissance Costume of the type sold in stores for...
With a Side Order of Medieval, Celtic, Pirate and Dickens’ Faires Now that we’re in March, things are looking more positive for CA Ren Faires in 2022. If you are inclined to travel, there are also Renaissance Faires throughout the US and in Europe each...
Harry Potter Cloaks in The Cursed Child Let’s begin with the women’s cloaks, men’s cloaks, and Harry Potter cloaks in the stage production, The Cursed Child. Costume designer Katrina Lindsay choose cloaks that would move in a certain way to enhance...
Witch costumes are one of the most popular Halloween costumes each year. However, when your friend tells you they’re going as a “witch,” that doesn’t tell you as much as you may think. We can identify at least 8 different types of witch...
80’s Goth Fashion is known for raven black mourning clothes, dark eyeliner, spiked or teased hair, abundant fishnets and much more. I went to high school in Los Angeles in the early 80’s, and as far back as I remember there have been goth people. However,...
Medieval cloaks typically closed at the neckline. The cloak brooch, pin, or sometimes a tasseled cord, held a cloak closed but also simply held it on! These closures ranged from simple iron or bone to jewel-encrusted brooches. The cloak brooch best known today is the...
A Medieval Cloak was made from Wool Woolen medieval cloaks were worn by rich and poor alike as that is what was available to protect people from the cold. At the time, most fabric and garments were made locally, sometimes at home. Thus, people didn’t have many...
Velvet for medieval cloaks, capes, and sacred vestments first became available in Europe in the 13th century. It was initially imported from the East, but soon Italy was successfully producing velvet in Lucca, Genoa, Florence, and Venice, and supplying wealthy buyers...
In early Medieval times people wore pretty much the same simple stuff, regardless of their income or profession. Thanks to feudalism and warring city-states, trade was nearly non-existent. Thus fabric and clothing were made locally and only a limited variety of either...
Why are Women’s Pockets so Rare? You’ve probably wondered too why women’s pockets are so uncommon. I remember my Dad remarking angrily on the lack of pockets in my childhood clothes. On the other hand, I spent my teen and college years in jeans, and...
