Stay Warm and Dry in A Wool Cloak

Much of the fun of attending a Renaissance fair or festival comes from dressing the part. Donning period-appropriate footwear and garments helps attendees immerse themselves in the moment while bringing the past to life. Nothing spoils the illusion faster than modern raincoats. Protect yourself from the elements with Medieval cloaks.

Fabrics

You have three options when it comes to rain gear: Water-resistant, water-repellent and water-proof fabric. Water-resistant fabric offers the least protection while water-proof materials are safe from heavy rain. Water-resistant, hooded cloaks should protect you from fine mist or drizzle; a strong downpour will leave you soaked. Select fabric with a tighter weave so the rain is less likely to penetrate your cloak. Spray your cloak with a fabric-safe water repellent for better protection from rain.

Considerations

Base your fabric choice on when you plan to wear your cloak. Select Medieval cloaks made from wool or velvet for chilly weather. Stick with lighter fabrics, such as cotton, for summer. Wear an unlined, twill traveler’s cloak during changeable spring weather. Match your cloak to your clothing. Wear a luxurious cloak if you’re a lady. Simple cloaks with serviceable fabrics, on the other hand, are more suitable for country maids.

Will You Have A Beautiful Medieval Wedding?

Every bride wants her wedding day to be magical, memorable and mind-blowing. What better way to accomplish that goal than to cater to her deep desire for a Medieval themed wedding? Whether you’ ride in to be wed to one another on horseback, or vows will be exchanged on-location at an upcoming Renaissance Faire, one of the most essential items for the bride’s big day will be the dress. Fortunately, with an extensive line of Medieval wedding dresses and dresses for maids of honor and proper attire for the groom and his men, PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com is here to help the wedding planners pull off the event without a hitch!

The secret to success is working closely with the bride-to-be to decide exactly what kind of bridal wear she’s looking for, then to browse through our selection to see which of our Medieval wedding dresses make the cut and which are eliminating from the running. Then, as the wedding dress is selected, the bride and her entourage can work together to select what bridesmaids, the groom, groomsmen and other important personalities will wear to the big event.

Be sure to check out the Medieval Isolde Wedding Dress. Not only is it custom-made, the level of authenticity and craftsmanship is incredible.

A Fair Hat for the Fair!

Spring and summer are wonderful times for enjoying Renaissance faires and festivals, and the time outdoors is enjoyable for the entire family. The wonderful experience of watching live action role playing activities provides a rich opportunity for the imaginative child to visualize Medieval times. It’s important, though, to take appropriate health precautions at such an event, as the early warm weather days are so beautiful that it’s easy to forget the potential for sunburn and heat sickness. Renaissance hats provide you with a fun way to protect your children’s heads from the harsh rays of the sun.

Renaissance hats are crafted in many interesting styles for both boys and girls. A coachman hat provides a fun choice for your child, and it will nicely shade his head and face in the process. Likewise, Musketeer or pirate hats provide fun, Medieval themed choices that will also shade tender little heads. Crowns and bonnets will not only shade your daughters’ heads but allow them to enjoy the frilly feel of role playing Medieval ladies and princess parts. You can search for a fun choice in advance of the summer Renaissance fairs or you might find a fun design while you are exploring a festival.

Be A Young Squire At The Faire!

Renaissance Faires are magical and wonderful, even for those who arrive as mere spectators. But to take the magic and excitement and wonder to the next level, there’s nothing quite like arriving in full costume, especially when you’ll be attending with little ones. The good news is that with the added charm and authentic air of Childrens Medieval Clothing, fun takes on a whole new meaning. Little boys are transformed into knights, monks and wizards while little girls are morphed into Maid Marion, Lady Guinevere and fairies. Many times, they get so excited about their clothing and costumes they forget to pester you with questions like, “Are we there yet?”

Don’t forget that the greatest costumers (you know, the ones they’ll put on at least once a week for their rest of their pre-adolescent years) always come with boots, shoes and/or accessories for the complete package of Childrens Medieval Clothing. With a little creativity and imagination, playful parents and families can work together to create a whole traveling troupe of lords, ladies and other magical medieval personalities.

Take a moment to brainstorm with your family on ways that you can make your next Renaissance Faire one you’ll never forget.

Be aware when you LARP

When we attend a LARP event or a Renaissance Faire, we literally take ourselves out of out daily lives and put ourselves into a world of fantasy, where adventure awaits. For a weekend, the Faire grounds turn into an actual kingdom; the camp site turns into a frontier town just waiting to be explored. It is truly an entertaining experience.

However: No matter how imaginative our minds can be, the faire grounds and camp sites are still locations in the real world, which means that certain dangers may exist. This time of year, one of the biggest dangers are ticks, who can potentially spread the dangerous Lyme disease. Below are some tips you can follow to minimize your chance of coming into contact with a tick.

• Ticks live in humid and wooded areas. If you are walking through brush, tall grass, or near trees you maybe in area where ticks are located. Whenever possible stay in the middle of the path or trail.
• Insect or tick repellent with DEET can help keep the parasites away.
• Wear long sleeved clothing, such as Medieval Shirts, long pants that are tucked into boots, long socks, and some sort of cap if possible.
• After being outdoors, check your body for ticks either in a full length mirror or have a family member check for you: Under the arms, around the ears, inside navel, behind the knees, between legs, around the waist, and in and around hair.
• Always shower shortly after you’ve left the woods, as showering helps reduce the chance of being bitten.

Hopefully with these tips you will remain tick-free while you explore the country side.

We must now be completely on our guard

By the time we actually left the cavern, the sun had just started to set.

“It is now His time of day,” Trevor started, “We must now be completely on our guard.”

We saddled our horses and we made for our return home, unsure of what to expect. We again stopped only when necessary to give our mounts food and rest. The night passed without incident and we realized that we would be back at the gatehouse by dawn.

As we neared the keep, we were met with a surprise: The entire city was covered with a thick fog. So thick was the fog that we could barely see each other, being only a few paces away from one another. We dismounted and cautiously made our way, as best we could toward the main gate. We were uncertain whether we would find our fellow guardsmen patrolling the city, or if we would be the only survivors.

Along our way, we each described seeing a shrouded figure wandering through the fog. We could not determine if the figure was an actual person, or some sort of phantom that was the result of our mind playing tricks. But we all agreed that the figure was completely covered with a Medieval cloak. It was extremely unnerving.

Upon approaching the gate, we noticed that it was still secure, though the fog prevented us from seeing if any sentry was in the watch tower.

“I suppose we should knock,” Josephus remarked.

“Anyone in the tower?” Grantiere yelled.

We waited there in the dense fog for a response.

What? There's nothing stashed in my boot!

Half the fun of creating a character for a LARP is to try to accomplish feats that you otherwise couldn’t in  your normal life. Heading out to a LARP event and role playing as a gallant warrior, a studious mage, or a skilled artisan can provide a lot of entertainment.

One character type that people would like to play, but find it difficult to pull off, is the rogue. Now when we say rogue, we find that most people automatically think of the type of spy who moves around at night and tries to sneak into places where they don’t belong looking for valuables. Although this can be a fun character to play it isn’t the only type of rogue.

Some of the most successful rogues do not need to operate under the cover of night. In some cases they are the most boisterous people in town. Here are some tips you can follow if you’d like to give this type of rogue a try.

Wear long Medieval Boots: If you are able to gain people’s confidence to the point where you can lift a few coins, you need someplace to hide them that isn’t obvious. A pocket full of coins not only bulges, but makes noise as well. Sliding a few coins down the side of your boot is a quick and easy way to stash your cash.

Never work alone: Most rogues usually operate in pairs or small guilds. It can be difficult to pull off a successful heist by yourself. Work with some friends so that you have a few options when making your plans. Also, it is convenient to have someone who can hide you while you’re under the watchful eye of the law.

We wish you the best of luck if you plan on going this route. We hope you have fun!

Get your costumes ready for this LARP season!

This is the time of year when most Live Action Roleplaying Games, or LARPs, start to have their kick-off events. LARPers start getting their Medieval costumes back together, practicing with their weapon skills, and planning out their character’s path as they progress.

Since it has been a few months since most of us have attended a LARPing event, we wanted to put up a list of a few tips to keep in mind as you are packing for your first event of the year. These tips are handy reminders for veterans, and excellent bits of information for those planning on attending their first event ever.

-Pack extra socks: Whether you step in a puddle, you are sweating a lot, it is very cold, or there is nothing but rain, it is always a good idea to have extra pairs of socks. It will be much more comfortable for you to  put on a nice dry and clean pair of socks.

-Pack extra costuming: For all of the same reasons as the socks. In addition, if you are required to play a NPC (Non-Playable Character) you may need different clothes to make yourself stand out from your usual character.

-Snacks: A LARP weekend can be very physically demanding and you’ll need to refuel and recharge. Protein bars, fruit, and other quick snacks can help keep you going in between meals.

-Plenty of Water: Dehydration is a LARPer’s greatest enemy. Always make sure to bring plenty of water, and to drink water on a regular basis.

-Watch out for weather: Weather can be dangerous on a number of levels. A sudden thunderstorm, intense heat, extreme cold, a lot of rain when you’re situated near a river, are just some potential threats. Always make sure to keep your eyes open and take the proper precautions so that you stay safe.

What kind of battle is this?

As soon as Balthus told us to get ready to catch, we heard the sound of metal striking metal. He had found an axe on the ground, where one of the skeletons recently stood, and used it to strike at the chain that was holding Josephus in the air. We looked up just in time as Josephus fell toward us. We reached up and did our best to catch him, but we all collapsed under his weight. We helped him to his feet, though he was very fatigued. His weapons and armor were nowhere to be seen, so we decided it would be best to leave the cavern before the vampire returned.  We cautiously made our way down the dark corridor.

“Trevor,” I started, “Did you say that you would not count on our ruse not working?”

“Aye,” Trevor responded.

“I beseech thee to be more clear,” Grantiere said through gritted teeth.

“What exactly are we preparing for?” Trevor asked.

“An assault from an army of undead abominations,” Balthus responded.

“What if I told you that the army that will attack us consists of one vampire?” Trevor queried.

“It would still be a vampire, but I don’t understand,” Grantiere said.

“How many skeletons did you see in the chamber?” Trevor quipped.

“After you made the light come out of that Medieval Pendant, none,” I answered.

“Exactly,” Trevor started, “That was a purifying light that penetrated the entirety of the cavern.”

“You mean that the whole army is gone?” Celebryn asked.

“It would have been better to cut off the head of the snake,” Trevor said, “But now at least we only have one foe.”

“Then we must prepare for a different kind of combat when return to the Keep,” Grantiere said.

Shiver me timbers!

Here at Pearson’s, we know that a lot of our customers and fans love to put on the appropriate Renaissance costume when they go to a Renaissance faire or Medieval event. We love how enthusiastic that patrons can be when they sport their costumes and don their personas at these types of festivals.

However, we also know that sometimes people prefer to take on the characteristics of certain types of characters that may be present at a faire. If you aren’t quite feeling like being a very proper noble or a hard at work craftsman, what are you to do?

What if you decided to go a little rogue and play a swashbuckler? That’s right, why not put on a pirate costume? These cunning scalawags were around back in the days of Kings and Queens. They may not have been the kind we’re used to seeing in movies today, but they certainly existed and they are certainly fun to play at a Renaissance faire.

If you are interested, make sure to visit our Pirate costumes page to see what kind of fun ensemble you can put together as you take to the pirate code.