Medieval Costumes

Create authentic food for medieval celebrations

From time to time we like to bring you recipes that have a Medieval flair to them so that you can include period food during your reenactments or  LARP event. And so we realized that when it comes to the Middle Ages,  there is something that takes precedence when it comes to food: Preservation.

Since there were no means of freezing or refrigeration, tavern owners needed to adopt other methods of making their food harvested during Autumn last through the Winter. Here are some of the more popular methods, other than salting, that were used:

-Smoking: Smoking via wood smoke was the common way to preserve fish or pork.

-Drying: Grains, cereals, meats, and fruit could be preserved through drying.

-Picking: Substances high in salt such as brine, or liquids like vinegar, were the usual methods of preserving fish and others meats. This was also a great way to keep vegetables longer into the colder months.

-Honey: When it came to certain drinks, such as mead, honey was sometimes used as a way to preserve the eventual mixture.

-Gelatin: Meat and fresh fish could be well kept by cooking them in a material that will eventually produce and solidify into a gel.

These are just some of the methods used during those times. If you ever wanted to give your customers/players a true sense of historical food, you can consider trying one of these preservation techniques. It can also be an educational process if you have your servers, who are dressed in beer wench costumes, work with your customers/players in assisting with some of these methods so that they can learn how people had to prepare for the winter months in the Middle Ages.

The right costumes can make or break the play

If you belong to a community theater, you know that you have to work hard to get as much out of the limited budget as possible. Each time you can find ways to save money, the more you can add to your overall performance.

One way to reduce costs for your company is to have an established wardrobe room. Having a wardrobe or costume room that you are continuously adding to means that you will accumulate a wealthy selection over time. When you have such a diversity of costumes to pick from, that means you will be more likely to find the correct costume for whatever show you plan on performing.

A popular style costume that can be used in a multitude of eras are Renaissance costumes. Whether you are working on something Shakespearean, Medieval, or any type of general historical setting from the Renaissance era, this style of costume can apply. Whenever there is a play with a King, a Queen, or nobility, these dresses or robes will certainly add a sense of atmosphere to your show. You can find these types of costumes at PearsonRenassainceShoppe.com, so that you can start building up the wardrobe at your theatre.

As we move into the spookiest time of year, we also can’t ignore how popular vampires have become in pop culture. With a number of books, movies, television shows, and video games revolving around these mythological creatures, it is hard to say that they haven’t made an impact on a lot of our lives.

Vampires also have a tie in to the Renaissance and Medieval era, as it is during these time periods the lore of the vampire first surfaced. It was fabled that viscous rulers would need to feed on the blood of mortals in order to survive. Throw in the fact that most vampires sport a Gothic attire, it is easy to see why their costuming would fit right in at a Renaissance Faire.

Therefore we wanted to give you a few examples of vampire costuming you can find at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com:

Gatekeeper Cloak:  A dark cloak that gives an aura of mystique to whomever you encounter.

Vampire Queen Costume: An outfit that clearly shows your noble status while staying true to the Gothic style.

Vampire Cloak: What is a Lord of the Night without a patented cloak that they can use to disappear into the shadows? A must for any vampire attire.

Vampire Pendant: This pendant also sports the Gothic style and contributes well to the vampire feel. It is a great accessory for almost any costume.

We hope you find everything you need to make a costume that is deserving of a Vampire Lord or Lady.

Choose the right costume for your character

If you are considering designing your first LARP character but aren’t quite sure on your costume, then this post is for you. Most LARPs or Live Action Role Playing games, are fantasy based, which means that many of the races made popular in fiction are available for playable characters.

But what type of costuming should you wear depends upon the race that you play. Hopefully we will be able to address that for you. Please keep in mind however, that these suggestions are based upon general fantasy settings. The LARP you attend may have a very specific take on a particular race, so it is encouraged to learn as much about the game setting before making any major decisions.

Humans: Humans are wonderful in the sense that they are so adaptable. Whether you want to be a noble, a warrior, a farmer, a tavern keep, or the town crier, you can wear almost anything you want, so long as it fits the Medieval theme.

Elves: Elves are generally regarded as somewhat of a regal race. They are usually fair, elegant, and refined. They are also drawn toward magic, and their fine clothing reflects this. An elf may wear something along the lines of this Medieval wool cloak. Most games also have a branch of Wood Elves, who live off of nature and have a deep respect for all that the woods have to offer. They typically use the land to live and are expert archers, hunters, and trackers. This Elven Prince Brocade tunic is an excellent example of this type of Elf.

Dwarf: Dwarfs are categorized as miners, craftsmen, cooks, or tavern keeps. They are a hearty race with a passion for good food, good drink, and treasure. Dwarves are also very stubborn, and will never back down from a fight and therefore make excellent warriors. For a craftsmen, this Innkeepers vest may be appropriate, while a fighter may consider this leather jerkin.

Orcs: Orcs are a green-skinned race who are usually cited for their incredible strength and battlefield prowess. Although they can take on other trades, fighting is usually their profession. Often hot headed, difficult to reason with, and at times brutal, a pack of Orc raiders are not a welcomed site. Unlike Elves, Orcs do not care about refinery and only wear clothing that is beneficial to them. That is why this woolen tunic is an ideal choice for an Orc.

We hope that these ideas have been useful to you and that whatever character you decide to play, that you have an amazing time.

If you are thinking about going to a LARP, you are going to need to develop a character. A LARP is a completely immersive gaming experience where you literally become your character and go to a camp site and to act out what your character would do. It can be a very entertaining experience that gives you the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people.

When developing your character, you will normally have decide upon a character class or a skill path. A common skill path found at LARPs is a Wizard or a Mage. Below is a list of pros and cons that you can consider if you were thinking about playing a Mage, so that you can make an informed decision.

PROS:

-You have access to spells. The further down the path you go, the more powerful these spell can become.

-Spells are essentially a ranged attack, so you don’t have to be right next to the enemy to hit them with the spell.

-You will be highly valuable in specific situations depending upon the type of spells you can cast.

CONS:

-Most LARPs represent a spell being cast by throwing “spell packets.” Spell packets are little squares of fabric that are filled with bird seed, then tied off to form weighted packets. Since you can’t actually make a fireball come out of your wand, you have to throw these packets instead. Throwing these packets in a combat situation makes it difficult to effectively wield your weapons.

-You won’t have a lot of access to skills relating to fighting as they are reserved to fighting classes.

-If you can cast spells designed to protect players, you may be pestered a lot by other characters.

Every class is going to have its ups and downs. So long as you have fun playing the character, you can always work around the cons. If you are in need of a Medieval wizard costume, we’ve got you covered here at Pearson’s.

Look like Danny McBride in this tunic

Given the nature of our site, we always like to stay up-to-date on various Medieval- and Renaissance-related events that occur in the news or entertainment fields.  It is always rewarding to see that there is still such a strong interest in these eras of history.

One such event is the release of the motion picture entitled Your Highness.

Your Highness is an historical comedy that is scheduled to be released April 8th.  It stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, and Zooey Deschanel.

In this film, two princes Thadeous (McBride) and Fabious (Franco) must join forces to save their land from an evil wizard.  Fabious is your typical knight in shining armor, rescue the damsel in distress, perfect heir to the throne type prince.  Thadeous is none of those things.  While questing to defeat the evil wizard, Fabious must not only fight the forces of evil, but must also make sure his own brother doesn’t bring about the destruction of the kingdom.

We are excited to see how this movie pans out.  We’ve noticed that Danny McBride’s character wears a tunic much like this Medieval undertunic you can find at Pearsons.  Maybe they secretly ordered their wardrobe from us!

How do you think this movie will be?  Let us know in the comments section.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that Spring is almost here?  Winter will finally be cast off as we begin to enjoy longer days and warmer temperatures?  The coming of spring also marks the beginning of many Live Action Role Playing games, or LARPs, seasons.  Since the events will soon be upon us, now would be a great time to think about and prepare your character’s costume.  But what type of character are you going to be?

LARP season is on the way!

Perhaps you are thinking about playing an Elven mage who has power over the forces of magic.  You may not be one of the most respected fighters in your game, but the damage you can hurl at the enemy along with the magical protection you can offer your allies will be second to none.

Or maybe you were planing on portraying a rugged dwarf who has spent most of his life below the mountains, who only recently ventured to the surface looking for new treasures.  Will you be the traditional archetypal dwarf who is a miner or craftsman?  Or will you break the mold and play something different?

Will you entertain the notion of playing a human, where your options are almost limitless?  Will you be the sagely cleric?  A cunning rogue?  A daring warrior who leads his comrades into battle?  If so, you may want to consider wearing a riveted aluminum chain mail coif for added protection.

Whatever character you come up with, you will be sure to have fun this season while you LARP.  You will also be sure to find costuming you need at Pearsons.  Let us know about your character in the comments section.

Keep history alive with a Roman Gladiator Kilt

Although the focus of PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com are the Medieval and Renaissance eras, we still do include some outfits from other historical periods.  Today, on the back of a very interesting news article, we wanted to point out that we do have some Roman themed costumes, such as this Roman gladiator kilt.

According to WalesOnline.co.uk, archaeologists uncovered an uncommon ancient Roman fort in the playing fields at a school in Great Britain.  During the height of the Roman empire, its reach extended well into the British isles.  It was there, where they would face stiff resistance from fierce local tribes.  This particular fort, the fort of Nidum, was built to defend against a tribe known as the Silures.

The fort of Nidum would have been occupied by a unit of auxiliaries.  Auxiliaries were still fine Roman soldiers, but did not carry quite the same prestige as the legions.  The fort was original constructed out of wood, but was later rebuilt with stone.  Elements of this fort that make it unusual for Roman standards include:  A large double ditch and rampart, an external road, a trench for a palisade to prevent the rampart from collapsing, a possible lifting device, and a internal tower.  The internal tower was constructed in such a way that would have allowed for the soldiers to shoot at those foes attacking the gate.
The bottom line about the fort of Nidum is that it is extremely defensive.  The combined width of the exterior defensive structures and obstacles was more than 12 meters, which is quite impressive.  Given the nature of the Roman army was to attack, the highly defensive nature of this fort indicates that it was located in a very hostile location.  The Silures must have provided the Romans with quite a challenge, which is generally unheard of.

It is discoveries like this that keep history alive for most people.  It is also one of the reasons why we like to provide you with authentic historical costumes, so that you too can keep history alive.

Who doesn’t love the iconic character of Robin Hood?  There have been so many books, movies, and plays written about Robin Hood that it is hard to deny him as an entertaining and appealing literary figure.  Who else would rob from the rich and give to the poor?  He is still popular today as there was the Ridley Scott movie last year, “Robin Hood,” which starred Russell Crowe.

Rob from the rich and give to the poor!

PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com also recognizes the importance of this character, by introducing our new Robin Hood costumes line.  These Robin Hood costumes are authentic replications of the outfits worn by Russel Crowe and company in the movie.  If you liked the look and presentation of that particular interpretation of Robin Hood, then you can find those same costumes at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com.

Of course we also have several other Robin Hood costumes that aren’t associated with the movie.  Whether you are putting on a theatrical rendition of the Prince of Theives, or simply wish to portray him at a Renaissance Faire, you will be sure to find what you need to put together an amazing wardrobe.

One of the most common public figures in Medieval society was the innkeeper. Whenever out-of-town travelers came into a new town, they eventually ended up at the inn. The inn was a place for merriment, drinking, and lodging.

Therefore, whenever someone new arrived, they always talked to the innkeeper to learn about the town. The innkeeper would also gain knowledge of the outside world as travelers pass through town. The innkeeper was like a Middle Ages version of the Internet.

So if you are looking for a persona to adopt at Medieval or Renaissance events, the innkeeper is a solid option. In order to look the part, you’re going to need a costume that is both authentic and comfortable. Our Medieval Innkeeper’s Vest meets both of these requirements.

Or, if you are putting on a theatrical production that takes place in a time period where the Renaissance or Medieval time frame applies, this Medieval Innkeeper’s Vest will certainly help bring your story to life. This is especially helpful when considering one of the most infamous innkeepers throughout the theatrical world: Thenardier from the musical “Les Miserables.” This character is a slimy con-man who runs an inn, attempting to rip-off his customers in the process. This vest is the perfect costume for such a character.