Food on sticks and a tightly laced bodice are calling my name. These two things only go together when it’s time to visit the local renaissance faire. If you’ve not experienced the joy of a renaissance faire, please get thee to the internet and find one in your area. Let go of any reservations or prejudgments, just go. Enjoy the vendors’ wares, the delicious treats, talented performers, and practice your, “Good day m’lady or m’lord.” Try it out once, see if it’s your thing. Then go back. In costume.
I’ve been lucky enough to make seasoned veterans out of a few renaissance faire virgins. With each person, the costume question came up within an hour. By that time you’ve inevitably walked past a few vendor stalls and drooled over richly embroidered bodices and decadent capes. Maybe you’ve encountered the resident Queen or a member of her court. Where can I get a costume, and how fast can I get it?
At the faire. You’re there, and you are surrounded by droves of talented seamsters and craftspeople. Don’t gripe about the prices. The clothing is handmade and usually from quality fabric. If it’s your first visit, and you’re still considering costumes, don’t make purchases under pressure. Artisans usually don’t mind if you spend lots of time looking or asking questions. Thank them for their time and grab a card or name on the way out of the stall. About half of the vendors have an internet presence, but most will at least have an email address. If you visit a faire on the last weekend of its run, you may find sales.
Make one. If you have even the tiniest bit of sewing skills, the basic peasant costumes should be no match for your needle. The internet has endless resources for patterns and what type of fabrics to use. Remember, you can be as historically accurate as you want to be. Unless you are part of the faire, you can use a polyester blend. The members of the SCA may give you funny looks, but that’s okay.
The web. Fire up your search engine of choice and type in renaissance faire costume. Before you start clicking away, think about some general ideas of the type of costume you want – wench, Tudor court, swordswoman, etc. Like shopping in three dimensional form, don’t just buy from the first site you visit. Look for reviews, photo galleries of humans in the costumes, read about the fabrics, and compare prices.
Before you commit to buying or creating a costume, review these tips:
Build your outfit up over time. Buying all the pieces of an ensemble can be a considerable outpouring of cash. Buy a bodice now, a skirt later, and so forth. Until you get the Cadillac version of your outfit, you can fill in missing pieces with items from your everyday wardrobe. I used to wear my bodice with a tank top and plain skirt before I finished my costume.
Be as comfortable as you can be. Renaissance faire costumes run the gamut of simple tunic and pants to heavy velvet hoop skirts. Looking around, you might think that every attendee’s costuming goal seems to be: how much can I torture myself today? “It’s going to be over 80 degrees, so I’ll wear the velvet tights and heavy cape.” I admit that I’ve worn my corset bruises like a badge of honor, but keep in mind you’ll be walking a lot and using small portable privies.
If you see someone in a gorgeous costume, don’t be afraid to ask them where they found it. You can also just ask for a photo so you can reference it later if you want to make something similar. I have never met a rude person at a renaissance faire.
Don’t let this thought discourage you: “But I’ll only wear it once a year.” Renaissance faire costumes are not just for festival days. You can wear them for Halloween, conventions, pirate festivals, and if you have the right pieces, even in your everyday rotation. If you care for them properly, they last. I got my first peasant outfit over ten years ago, and it is still in wearable condition.
I hope to see you at a faire soon, I’ll be the one with a turkey leg and modest cleavage.
Here’s an extensive list of renaissance faires by state.
Amy Ratcliffe still has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up. But until then, she will keep playing D&D, reading comics, and perfecting the ultimate chic lightsaber. Strong female characters in the world of geek (movies, comics, & books) influence her attitude and costumes. Visit her blog Geek with Curves.
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Amy Ratcliffe still has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up. But until then, she will keep playing D&D, reading comics, and perfecting the ultimate chic lightsaber. Strong female characters in the world of geek (movies, comics, & books) influence her attitude and costumes. Visit her blog Geek with Curves or follow her on Twitter. 
Loved the Post
The tips you provided are wonderful. A lot of people make that under pressure decision and later regret it. My favorite things I've gotten for my costume came from some very talented crafts people and were worth both the time and the money for them. I have a pair of thigh high boots that I got made custom, I spent my entire summer working and saving to get them, totally my favorite piece ever.
Thank you, I'm glad you like the post.
I've almost given in to pressure buys before, and I've learned that no matter how badly I want it, it's best to think about it. Especially if it's over $100. Now granted, some of that thinking about it has happened in the span of six or so hours at the faire, but still.
Ooh, your boots sound lovely. I finally bought a pair of sandals on a visit last weekend. So worth the investment.
Great advice. I think the best part of this is when you point out that you don't need to buy all of the pieces at once. It's so easy to get caught up in that (I know I have) and then you never get to that dream ensemble! Thanks!
Emma, yay, glad you found it helpful. I've got caught up in it too. It's easy when vendors dress up a mannequin with all the perfect pieces. You can feel like the rest of it won't be any good if you don't buy everything at once. I like to build them up slowly too. Also, if you do that, I think you tend to realize the value of buying pieces that mix and match.
I haven't been to a Ren Faire in ages, used to love the PA one out near Lancaster, best sword swallower ever. I also have always adored medieval clothes. I should really start collecting fabric and put together an outfit for the future. Thanks for the inspiration!
I'm so glad/lucky that I've always been within a short driving distance of one. I look forward to it every year. I highly encourage putting an outfit together. When I've seen others lay out patterns, I'm always surprised at how little fabric bodices actually have.
[...] Don’t I have to wear tights? You do not have to go in costume or in exact period attire to attend a faire. In fact, sometimes I choose not to wear a corset or bodice simply so I can eat more food. I have priorities. I leave them behind when I want to shop for new costume pieces, too. That said, costumes are fun. Until you take out your smart phone to Tweet about the handmade shoes you just bought, you can almost pretend you are in the time period of the faire (it varies from faire to faire). Also keep in mind that costumes do not have to be one hundred percent historically accurate to count. Unless you are a member of the SCA (Society of Creative Anachronism), you can use non-period fabric and metals. For the most part, vendors won’t try to upsell faire newcomers into fancy costumes. However, they will do their best to get you into peasant garb. Try not to feel pressured, no one will think less of you for not wearing a costume. If you decide you can’t wait to jump into velvet tights, check out these tips. [...]