Pearsons Renaissance Shoppe Blog

The sun has just gone down and you are creeping silently through the woods towards the tavern. You know that inside is a weapon that is worth its weight in gold. You have been tasked by your guild leader to “acquire” the weapon without being seen. You know that this is going to be a tricky job.

You know enough to strike at night, so that you can move under the cover darkness, but you need something extra to be truly invisible: A reversible Medieval cloak. During the day, this Medieval cloak is a light brown color. But at night, you can turn it inside out so that it is a dark brown, which is perfect for blending into the shadows. It is also designed to keep heat in, while letting the moisture out, which is very helpful for a stealthy mission in the cold of night.

Now, all you have to do is wait for the opportune moment to strike, collect the weapon, then vanish into the darkness of the woods. Only your cunning, speed, and ability to meld into the darkness will allow you to succeed. You will have to work on your cunning and speed, but we can help you meld into the darkness with this reversible Medieval cloak. Good luck!

Her Royal Highness, the Queen of Pearson’s Renaissance Shoppe, humbly requests that her loyal subjects join her in a venture that is designed to better the kingdom.

The Queen’s advisers, scribes, and artisans have recently established an outpost where subjects may exchange messages, drawings, and updates on life’s many trials. The scribes have dubbed this outpost: Pearson’s Renaissance Shoppe’s Facebook.

The Queen wants to meet her subjects. She wants to know what type of Medieval outfits her subjects desire most. She is interested to learn what pieces of Renaissance Jewelry are the most favored. The Queen wishes to know how to further direct her seamstresses, cobblers, haberdashers, and jewelers.

Please do not ignore the Queen’s behest.

So it has been declared on this the 30^th day of the 9^th month in the year of our Lord, 2010.

God save the Queen!

If you love the Renaissance or Medieval period as much as we do, you probably want to immerse yourself in that time period as much as possible. That is why we love to wear costumes, go to Renaissance Faires or LARPs, and get a feel for what life was really like back in those times.

But there is another way to access the Renaissance era that does not require you to leave your house: Literature. We’ve recently had the royal privilege of meeting Leslie Carroll, a historical fiction author. Leslie has written a plethora of books, but the two that focus most on the Medieval Era are Royal Affairs and Notorious Royal Marriages. Both of these books are excellent reads and should certainly be on your shelf if you are a fan of history, romance, or the Renaissance Era.

Leslie Carroll also has a blog that keeps all of her readers up to date with information regarding her publications and all things Medieval: Royal Affairs Blog. In fact, right now on her blog, Leslie is hosting a competition for one of our Elven Princess Tiaras. So if you are interested in Leslie’s books, or want to see how you can win our own free Elven Princess Tiara, make sure to stop by the Royal Affairs Blog and tell Leslie we said “Hi.”

When you think of Medieval Kings, what types of images trickle into your mind? Do you think of a King leading his troops into battle? Perhaps you envision a King who is adored by his people. Maybe you even think of an evil King who tries to rule through terror. Whatever the type of King you’ve thought about, they all have one thing in common: A Crown.

All Kings from the days of yore had a Medieval Crown to let others know of their position. In some cases the same crown had been handed down over many generations. In some instances, the crown was even considered an indication that God had personally chosen a specific individual to rule over a kingdom. A lot of historical emphasis has been placed on the Medieval crown.

Therefore if you are taking on the persona of a Medieval King, you most certainly are going to need your own crown. How will the commoners know to give way and bow in your presence if they do not know you are King? Don’t forget the most important aspect of your costume! Make sure to stop by PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com to find a crown that meets your royal approval.

When you are preparing for a LARPing event, there is a lot to think about:  Do I have everything I need for my costume?  Did I pack my weapons and special items?  Did I remember all my real world items like medicines, toothbrush, etc.?  Did I print out directions to the camp?  These are just some of the questions. That you need to ask yourself before you leave your house. There is a lot that goes into making sure you are all packed and ready to go for a LARP weekend.

But one thing that newer LARPers forget to take into consideration is the weather forecast.  It is usually easy to gauge how warm or cold its going to be, but in this post we aren’t talking about temperature; we’re talking about precipitation.  A LARP weekend that contains a fair amount of rain or snow can really turn an amazing weekend into a miserable one.

The best tip that we can offer LARPers who may face rainfall during their time at an event is this:  Stock up on socks.  There is nothing worse than only having one pair of socks that are soaking wet for the entire weekend.  This is an easy way for your feet to become chaffed and extremely sore, which will make walking from your cabin to the tavern a painful task.

Even if your LARP boots are waterproof it is a good idea to keep extra pairs of socks on hand so that you can keep your feet dry.  Socks wet from sweat can be just as aggravating as socks wet from rain.  Plus, you never know when you may have to cross a stream or step through a puddle.

Trust us:  Stock up on socks!

Greetings Traveler!

35 nights from now we will have entered into the tenth month of the year:  October.  It is during this month that there is a constant breeze through the night sky, spirits roam freely upon this plane, and a mischievous veil falls over all the land.

Legend tells that at the culmination of the tenth month, on the 31st night, the barrier between the spirit realm and ours is at its weakest.  This is the night of All Hallow’s Eve!

This night, above all others, is the night when you want to conceal your true identify to prevent wandering spirits from targeting you with their tricks.

If you’ve come to my shoppe, chances are that you are looking for a Medieval costume to wear on All Hallow’s Eve.  If you are still looking through my selection, I advise you to make your decision with haste, as it will take me time to gather the components I need to make your Renaissance costume magically appear at your own dwelling.

Happy Haunting!

Photo courtesy wyvernrising.org

If you have used your Medieval Costuming from PearssonsRenaissanceShoppe.com for Live Action Role Playing, then you have probably come across the fact that most LARPs are Fantasy-based.  By fantasy, we mean that they involve magic, evil monsters, supernatural entities, and even races other than human.

If you are planning on attending a LARP that has other races such as elves, dwarves, orcs, etc., you can still use costuming from our store.  You’re just going to need to utilize some Medieval costuming accessories.

Orc:  In most settings, Orcs are a green skinned race of brutes, pirates, pillagers, and warriors.  Although each setting has its own take on Orcs, more often than not, they are green.  Perhaps a basic undertunic can be a great start for an Orc costume.  You’ll also need to pain your face green.  If possible we recommend green cake makeup if you can find it, as it tends to stay on your face better.

Photo courtesy wyvernrising.org

Elf:  Other than nice costuming the only major component you will need in order to be an elf is ear tips.  You can find these at costuming stores that sell face makeup, Halloween stores, or other places that deal in makeup adhesives.  You can keep these ear tips on with Spirit Gum or any other type of theatrical adhesive.  Depending upon your world, there can be various types of elves.  The kind shown here are known as Dark Elves.  If you plan on playing a dark elf, we again recommend black cake-makeup in order to keep the makeup on your face for a longer period of time.

Photo courtesy wyvernrising.org

Dwarf:  Dwarves are usually a hearty race that that are stout, strong, and always up for a good mug of ale.  The most distinguishing feature of most dwarves, men and women, is their facial hair.  The longer and fuller the beard, the more heroic and epic the dwarf will be perceived.  Get yourself a nice beard and you are good to go in the Dwarf department.

These are just a few examples of the races that you’ll find at most LARPs and how you can easily incorporate makeup elements to Medieval Costuming in order to fit in at any gaming enviornment.

Are you starting to plan you wedding ceremony?  If so, first we offer you our congratulations.  Are you a history buff, Renaissance faire enthusiast, or fantasy fan?  If you are, then may we suggest having a Medieval wedding?

Medieval weddings can be extremely entertaining.  Not only does the bride get to wear a Medieval wedding dress, but everyone else in the wedding party will wear appropriate Medieval clothing.  Ideally, everyone who attends will put on some sort of Renaissance costuming to help maintain the atmosphere.

Afraid it may be too difficult to secure a member of the clergy or a fitting location that will cater to your Medieval desires?  A way around this situation is to first have a normal or simple ceremony to celebrate your union.  Then you can invite your friends and family to a “reaffirming of vows,” where you can celebrate with all of your Medieval regalia.

After all, it is your special day and you should be able to have it on your terms.

All of the Renaissance costumes that you find at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com can be put to a variety of uses.  As we’ve discussed before, one such avenue for our Medieval clothing can be a Live Action Role Playing game or LARP for short.

LARPs are fully immersive games that put the player directly into the game world.  You create your character and you actually play that character anyway that you’d like.  There are various genres and types of LARPs out there, but once that we’ve recently come to know very well is Wyvern Rising.

Wyvern Rising is a high fantasy, low body, boffer combat LARP.  This group is based out of Hazleton, which is located in North Eastern Pennsylvania and they typically hold their events at Hickory Run State Park.

Currently in its 7th season, Wyvern Rising has been providing LARPers the opportunity to place the dashing hero or the sinister villain.  You can play a human, elf, dwarf, orc, or a number of other races that are unique to their world.  You can be the gallant warrior, the swashbuckling rogue, the devout priest, the studious mage, or a skilled craftsman.  With all of the different combinations of character types, really the only question that can be asked it, “What role will you play?”

Are you the kind of person who loves to go to Renaissance Faires or Medieval Reenactments?  Are you always impressed with the authenticity that those who run Faires bring to the table?  It is impressive to see someone portraying a King or Queen and to see them in period clothing and speaking as if they were from the historical era.  It’s almost as if they walked right out of a time machine.

Do you want to be able to interact with these characters as if you were from the same era?  If so, you are going to need two very important things:

1)  A Renaissance Costume:  Renaissance or Medieval costumes are extremely important in terms of creating an atmosphere that represents the time period you are trying to recreate.  Since humans rely mostly on their sight to portray atmosphere, being in authentic garb and costuming really helps to set the scene.  You can find authentic Renaissance clothing at PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com.

2)  Speaking Guide:  Being able to converse with someone who is portraying an actor from a different era is important also to help create atmosphere.  But in some cases, knowing what to say and who to say it to can almost be like learning another language.  We looked around and found that this site provided a good basic article for understanding how to speak in the Elizabethan era.

Now that you have the elements you need, try to put them together and go out and enjoy your Renaissance Faire!