Renaissance Costumes

Get ready for LARP season with renaissance costumes

The end of February is not too far off, which means that Live Action Role Playing (LARP) season will be here before you know it! Many groups like to hold their first events of the year during March. This means that it is time to dig out your Medieval costumes, oil up and polish your Medieval armor, and to start practicing with your boffer or latex weapons.

What is LARPing? LARPing is a type of roleplaying that takes you away from a gaming table and actually places you inside the role of your actual character. When you create a character, you actually come up with their personality, put on a Renaissance costume, and head out to a location, such as a campsite, to act out how your character would respond to the situations that are presented to you.

In most cases, there is a game staff that comes up with the story, villains, and other characters to help immerse you within the world of the game. Then you spend the entire length of the event acting out your character as you come across various scenarios. It is both a unique and entertaining experience.

If you are thinking about attending a LARP and are in need of a costume or armor, make sure to visit our site to see all of the fun options we have available.

A few weeks ago we wrote a post that included some Renaissance themed haiku. We received some positive comments about those haiku and decided that we would ask the scribes and poets within the kingdom to put quill to parchment so that we may proclaim them to you! Don’t forget that if you were considering playing a scribe, town crier, or artisan at a Renaissance faire, that we do have a Renaissance cotton poet shirt to help you look the part.

Just as a quick reminder, a haiku is a three lined poem. The first and third line may only contain five syllables, while the second line must contain seven.

Without further ado, here are a few Renaissance themed haiku! (Did you catch the rhyme?)

Hark! ...Renaissance Haiku for all!

“Young Queen of Fashion”

Ruling easily

the essence of power is

repugnant to all.

“Should They Attack?”

This morning he saw

that one of the ships was sunk.

It be made certain.

“Complete Revolution”

She invaded North

and First Lieutenant Litchfield

was made a Captain.

“Profoundly Trustful of His Convictions”

The returning guards

suppressed a note of warning

sent by King Henry.

We hope you enjoy! Write your own in the comments section!

Hear ye, Hear ye!

If you are planning on visiting a Renaissance Faire in the near future, wearing a costume can help add to the atmosphere.  Or maybe you are a seasoned veteran who loves to dress up, but you are looking for a different costume to change things up a bit.

Popular roles at a Faire are:

-Warriors

-Knights

-Clerics

-Tavern Keeps

-Pirates

But there is one role that people sometimes shy away from: The poet. Medieval poets were often great lyricists who penned some of the most beautiful poetry that we read today. If you are looking to meet a lovely lady while at the fair, why not consider wooing her with some vibrant verses? An appropriate costume to go along with this archetype would be this Renaissance cotton poet shirt.

We also wanted to bring up this idea this week because the 22^nd of December is National Haiku Day. We thought it might be fun to pair a pop-culture event with some of our Renaissance themes. Therefore, we have tried our hand at some of our own haiku.

“Cunning Rogue”

O’ Wondrous Maiden

Your vast beauty radiates.

Please bring me some ale.

“The Calm Before the Storm”

Rain, nor thunder could

draw the evil Duke from his lair

Churchmen prayed all night.

Can you come up with any? If you can feel free to post them in the comments section!

Does the weather stop your LARPing?

Now that we are well into November, most Live Action Role Playing or LARP groups have packed away their gear for the last time until the spring arrives. However, there are some groups that trek well into the winter to partake in this fantasy gaming hobby. If you are part of a group that still has events lined up for the year, we wanted to take some time to give you some winter LARPing reminders:

-Wool Cloaks: Renaissance wool cloaks are your best friends for the winter. Not only are they a dashing costume option, but they will help take the chill out of the air.

-Extra Socks: Nothing is worse than cold feet. Take several extra pairs of socks with you in case you step in a puddle, it starts to rain/snow, or you are just moving around a lot. The last thing you want to do is wake up and have to put wet socks back on.

-Coffee/Tea: Packing some sort of hot beverage is an excellent way to warm yourself up. If your camp has a “Tavern,” you can ask the person tending the tavern to heat it up for you then serve it to you in a period-appropriate cup. They also make those self heating drinks now that you can keep with you in your cabin before you go to bed.

-Fire Consciousness: Although a fire will keep you warm, just make sure you follow safe procedures. Keep everything in a fire ring, pit, or place, don’t go to bed leaving a fire unattended, and if you are having a dry winter, make sure that sparks don’t catch your clothing or dry leaves on fire.

Hopefully with these tips you’ll stay warm and dry while LARPing in the winter.

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.

Enjoy playing the game!

As the year starts to wind down, so do the seasons for most Live Action Role Playing games, or LARPs. Although some groups do have events all throughout the year, most LARPs do not due to camps closing in the fall, or the winter weather being too unpredictable to ensure the safety of participants.

If your game doesn’t push through the cold and snowy season, what else can you do to scratch your fantasy itch? Once you hang up your Medieval costume for the year, what can you do with your group to keep the creativity flowing? There are several options that you may be able to pursue:

Pen and Paper Role Playing: This is essentially the same as LARPing, except instead of heading out into the camp, you and your friends gather around a table to all take part in the story telling. There are several games and game systems out there, and once you find the one you all like, one person will become the Game Master. The Game Master will construct the story and present challenges to the players. To represent the chance of each encounter, players will role dice to determine the outcome of a conflict. With a dedicated group, it can be a very entertaining and rewarding experience.

Table Top Gaming: There are several table top strategy games that allow you to incorporate battle tactics into the core mechanic of the game. These types of games actually let you collect, assemble, and custom paint your own models so that the army can have the look that you want. There are rules for constructing your armies, moving through difficult terrain, shooting ranged weapons, and operating siege weapons. Most games also have various races to that you can play as orcs, undead, elves, witches, or whatever your favorite fantasy race happens to be. Everything comes down to your strategy, the roll of the die, and your ability to react.

Hopefully you will find these hobbies just as entertaining as LARPing and will be enough to hold you over until the start of the next LARPing season.

Dress right at the faire this fall

As we move closer to Autumn, there are many opportunities to put on a Renaissance costume. This is advantageous for you, because if you can wear your costume more than once, not only do you get to show it off, but you are also getting more value for your investment.

It is this time of year when most Renaissance faires are in full swing. Depending on where you live, you will find that there are faires that extend all the way into November. That is plenty of time for you to find your favorite costume and join in with everyone who loves to share in Renaissance culture.

But there are other times during this time of year where your costumes may also come into play. Halloween is not too far off and there is no reason you can’t use your costume for a party or to take youngsters trick-or-treating. Many communities also arrange for Fall Festivals. If you are on the planning committee for an event such as this, why not suggest having a Renaissance theme? Throughout history, many kingdoms would have a harvest festival, to give thanks for the year of plentiful crops. Why not hearken back to this historical trend, while wearing your Renaissance costumes all at the same time?

We wish you all a happy and healthy Autumn.

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.

Get your comic on at Comic-Con

Comic-Con is an international convention for all things comics, fantasy, science fiction, horror, and so forth. Whether it was in a book, on TV, in a movie theater, or on the web, there is a good chance it will be represented at Comic-Con. Fans can expect to meet writers, directors, actors, illustrators, along with a whole host of people related to the industry.

Fans can also expect to meet a lot of other fans. The convention is just for that: The fans. Many fans like to dress up as their favorite characters to show off their love for these stories. Although it is more common to see Mr. Spock, the Joker, or Darth Vader, there are several fantasy themed characters out and about.

This year the Con is from July 21-24 and is being held in San Diego. If you are going to the Con and were interested in appearing as your favorite fantasy character, we wanted to advise that you order your fantasy costumes now. You want to make sure that they get to you in enough time for you to pack and try them on. Also don’t forget that as Steampunk makes more and more of an appearance in the mainstream, that you can also find Steampunk costumes at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com.

We hope all of this year’s attendees have a great time!