Pearsons Renaissance Shoppe Blog

It’s been a little while since we last put together a lineup of some upcoming Renaissance Faires across the country, and we thought there was no time like the present to correct that! If there are any Faires we missed, please be sure to share them with everyone on the Pearson’s Renaissance Shoppe Facebook page, or in the comments. And if you’ve been to or will be going to any faires soon, we’d love to hear all about it as well!

The Utah Valley Renaissance Faire

This Renaissance Faire is just a day away, and will be held at Thanksgiving Point!
September 27th and 28th, 2013
10am – 9pm
Discounted ticket price if you buy your ticket at the door in costume!

Northern California Renaissance Faire

Each weekend has a different theme!
Weekends, September 14th – October 13th, 2013
10am – 6pm
This weekend is Pirate Invasion Weekend – arrr you gonna be there?

Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire

35 acres are turned into a fantasy village!
Running weekends through October 27th, 2013
11am – 8pm
More than 90 stage shows daily, and 22 Royal Kitchens! Did someone say food, fun and dance?

Connecticut Renaissance Festival

New Theme, Look and Location!
Running weekends through October 20th, 2013 (plus Columbus Day)
10:30am – 6pm
This weekend is Pet Weekend – take your favorite furry, feathered or scaly friend with you back in time! There’s even going to be a “Smooch a Pooch” Kissing Booth where you can stop by for puppy kisses.

Often we think of swashbucklers as men, but a few brave women walked among the male pirates. One of them was Mary Read – a legend among pirate enthusiasts, but someone not widely known by the general public. Her extraordinary story has captivated men and women alike hundreds of years after her pirating exploits began.

Read’s mother disguised her daughter as a boy to continue receiving financial support from her paternal grandmother. Young Mary began to find work as a boy, and eventually enlisted in the British military. She married a Flemish soldier, but his early death forced Mary back into her male disguise. After a short stint with the military in Holland, she boarded a ship heading to the West Indies. Fatefully, her ship was captured by pirates and she ultimately met with “Calico Jack” Rackham and the other famous female pirate, Anne Bonny. At first, no one knew that either Bonny or Read were women (including each other), but eventually they confessed to each other and to Rackham – who broke with seafaring tradition and allowed the women to continue pirating.

Read’s exploits have inspired many young women to dream of their own swashbuckling adventures. Now you can dress as the infamous lady pirate with our Mary Read pirate costumes. Choose from our shirt, vest, coat, belt, and other pirate accessories that would make Read proud. Don’t let the boys have all the fun – get your Mary Read costume from PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com today!

One of the first medieval items anyone thinks of when imagining the Middle Ages is chainmail armor. The iconic metal rings were designed to protect the knights in the heat of combat, but have since become synonymous with chivalry, knighthood, and the Dark Ages. Pearson’s offers chainmail shirts, coifs, vests and gauntlets. We have blackened chainmail pieces, and mail made from plated brass and riveted aluminum.

Chainmail Armor seems to have been first created by the Celts. Seeing its value after battling with the Celts, the Romans adopted the idea of interlocking iron, steel, or brass rings together to protect the soldier within. Swords and spears did not easily pass through the material and many lives were saved because of it.

Even when plate mail overtook chainmail as a popular source of outerwear for battle, many knights kept their chainmail beneath the plate armor. It provided extra protection to joints and sensitive areas, and was more accessible than the expensive plate armor. Until the widespread use of gunpowder on the battlefield, chainmail was the best protection a soldier could wear.

Pearson’s carries real chain mail: interlocked metal rings. We sell not a cheap imitation, but the real thing! Make your LARP experience more authentic or create the perfect Halloween costume this year using authentic chainmail armor. We’re sure you’ll enjoy wearing the metal mesh because it provides a true experience of warrior life in the Dark Ages.

She’s read about them in her storybooks and seen them in movies. Your little girl is your princess, so why not let her dress as one? Our girls’ princess costumes are high quality and yet affordable enough to make a great present for any little lady!

With gowns made from satin, velvet, and gold or silver mesh, your young princess will be sure to get all the attention that she craves from her family and friends. Puffed up sleeves and a long skirt make your little one into the heir to a medieval throne. And the metallic trim lets you know she’s royalty in the making.

We offer a variety of children’s princess costumes, from the iconic pointed hat and lilac gown, to the airy princess organza dress that’s ideal for shimmering in the warm weather. We also have the accessories that every little princess needs, including tiaras, butterfly halos, glitter wings, and capes.

While princess costumes may excite many girls, others have different tastes. Our children’s tartan dresses, gowns, bodices, robes, fairy costumes, and more ensure that your little girl will find the clothing for the character she most wants to play. Whether she prefers Maid Marian, Rapunzel, or Lady Guinevere, our girls’ princess costumes unlock the imagination of little girls and warm the hearts of their families.

Pirates are among our favorite historical figures with their take-no-prisoners attitude and their love of sailing on the open seas. But how did iconic pirate symbols like the hook and the skull and crossbones emblem become associated with pirates? How historically accurate are the items with which we associate pirates and their plunder today?

The pirate hook is the classic pirate accessory. Eye patches and trifold hats have been used by other recognizable groups throughout history, but the hook prosthesis is uniquely associated with pirates. Was the practice of replacing a severed hand with a hook common among pirates?

Pirates often were injured in their battles on the high seas. The use of peg legs (another stereotypical pirate accessory) and hooks has been known throughout history, but onboard a pirate ship, no doctor was able to properly fit the prosthetic appendages into place. Therefore, the duty fell to the ship’s cook to perform the operation of attaching hooks, pegs, or any other suitable item on the ship into the wound. Although the practice seems to have roots in real-life events, it could not have been very common.

The skull and crossbones, the pirate’s “corporate branding,” as seen on our skull and crossbones cap, is another symbol of pirate life. The skull and crossbones decorated gravestones throughout the 1700s and 1800s, and became synonymous with death. Some pirate captains did fly this imposing design, but others used simple black and red flags. The French rendering for the words ‘pretty red,’ is ‘jolie rouge’, which is likely the origin of the term Jolly Roger.

So the pirate hook and skull and crossbones really do have a place in history, though their meanings have been embellished and exaggerated as time goes on. Whatever their true stories, if you’re preparing a pirate costume, ye shouldn’t be caught without either!

The history of the medieval crown, or the practice of decorating the head of a leader, is not unique to the Middle Ages. Adorning a noble person’s head with a symbol of their lofty status extends far back into antiquity. Early, less ornate, versions of crowns – called diadems – were popular in ancient Egypt, Greece, and other Mediterranean civilizations, including the Persians.

The medieval crown we would recognize today originated in England where kings were presented with an ornamental helmet as a symbol of their sovereignty. As time passed, embellishments were added to the crown, including its distinctive ornaments and arches, and the incorporation of precious jewels to the crowns of Europe. Crowns were often the symbol of monarchies and empires as the centuries passed.

In the twenty-first century, crowned monarchs have become rare. The medieval crowns that once commanded supreme authority still evoke awe and wonder today in the museums and cathedrals where they are kept on public display. The crown jewels and golden ornamentation of these antique treasures is just as powerful in our times of technological prowess as they were in the Dark Ages. Add a medieval crown from PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com to your wardrobe and adopt the grandeur and royal airs of the monarchs!

While some medieval clothing is better left in the Dark Ages for everyday wear, there’s plenty of medieval fashion that we’d love to see made popular again. For instance, Hollywood stars and your party friends alike would look great and have more fun in a capitano hat than in their regular baseball caps!

Today, extravagant dresses are reserved for formal occasions, and not often worn as women go about their daily business. But we would love to see flowing dresses in the medieval fashion style come back into the mainstream. In the modern “less is more” clothing industry, models are chosen for their body style rather than their grace and elegance. Bringing back medieval fashion would go some way toward redressing that balance.

While we’re not likely to be wearing bodices and chain mail every day, both women and men could use a return to the capes and cloaks of old days. Staying warm and looking fashionable in a cape or cloak is much more formal and eye-catching than the pea coats and jackets we wear today. Perhaps it’s time to return to a grander, epic style of clothing than the minimalism of many of our modern fashionistas.

Now you know some of our favorite medieval fashion pieces that we’ d like to see return, maybe even with a modern twist. What are some articles of clothing from the Middle Ages that you’d like to see return to fashion?

One of the best things about summer is that most of us get to spend more time with friends and family. And – we even get to spend some of that time together outdoors! For those of us that live in areas with cold, often harsh winters, we’re all too aware of how precious sunshine and fresh air can be. After all, for many months of the year just walking to the car is enough to give you a red nose and frosty fingers!

If you’re looking forward to having some of your favorite people over for food and drinks, why not make it even more interesting by asking everyone to come in Renaissance attire? You can serve complementary food, and invite those with musical talents to take to the stage (or, you know – porch, deck or yard!)

As for the drinks, you can channel Renaissance recipes, or simply serve up your favorites and give them Renaissance-inspired names. We’ve put together a few to consider, but encourage you to get creative as well! Of course, the drinks can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic depending on your and your friends’ preferences. If you do opt for alcoholic drinks, just be sure to include one or two non-alcoholic options for kids, those who will be driving, or those who prefer not to imbibe.

Without further ado, a few Renaissance-inspired drink names to consider…

• Maid Marian’s Marvelous Mead (If you won’t be serving mead, but want to include Maid Marian, you can simply call whatever drink you choose Maid Marian’s Marvelous Medley – or – Mix!)

• Robin Hood’s Root Beer Refresher

• Captain Morgan’s Captivating Cocktail

• Botticelli’s Brew

• Charlemagne’s Charming Champagne

• Gutenberg’s Grog

• Peasant or Pirate Punch

• Michelangelo’s Mango Masterpiece

• Sir Isaac Newton’s Calculated Cocktail

• Shakespeare’s Liquid Love Story

• Dante’s Delicious Inferno (something with a bit of spice!)

Do you have any drink name ideas you’d like to add to the list? Please share in the comments!

With temperatures in the 70s and 80s on the forecast for this week, I can no longer pretend summer isn’t on its way. Don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot I love about summer. The sun shines brighter and later, friends make more time for get-togethers, and I can sit on the porch every night without wearing a coat. These are all good things! But as someone who is naturally drawn to heavy fabrics like wool and velvet, it does break my heart a bit to know I won’t be wearing them for a few months. But – they do get one last hurrah! Before packing them away I inspect each carefully to ensure they’re ready for storage. Here’s the steps I take, but I’d love to hear from all of you as well. I’m sure mine can be improved or expanded on! 🙂

Step One: Gather It Together: If you’re a more organized person than I am, this step should be short and sweet. But for the rest of you out there who, like me, have a Renaissance dress in one closet, pair of Medieval boots in another, and chemise just waiting patiently to be laundered, this can take a little more time!

Step Two: Look Over Each Piece: Once you have all your Renaissance clothing in one location, take some time to really inspect each piece for tears, missing buttons, dirt and the like. Make separate piles for pieces that are ready for storage, those that need mending, and those that need laundering.

For the pieces that need mending, you can always wait until fall to tackle that, but I find it’s much more satisfying to know that everything I’m putting away is ready-for-wear as soon as the cool weather comes ‘round again.

As for the pieces that need to be cleaned, be sure to follow the care instructions for each. And definitely fight the urge to ‘deal with them later’! The sooner you clean them, the better the results are likely to be. It’s also important to consider that dirt and food particles can attract bugs and other pests, so you’ll want them free of both before you stow them away.

Step Three: Decide On Storage Containers: While the best way to store your Renaissance clothing and accessories will ultimately depend on how many pieces you have, and how much room you have for storage, I always try to give everything room to breathe. I have friends that use all-plastic hanging bags and love them, but I’m partial to fabric bags or plastic bags that are at least partially fabric (these can be more affordable, and often feature the fabric panel in the gusset). I think this helps to alleviate any worries over heat and humidity compromising the fabric. I’m also sure to store them somewhere away from direct sunlight as this can break down fabric and cause it to fade.

Step Four – Bring Out the Summer Wear: This is the fun part! After all the gathering, mending, cleaning and storing, you finally have room to break out your favorite summer Renaissance wear and embrace a new season with old-fashioned style.

Summer LARP season is upon us and it’s time to decide on a character for the year! Are you going to reuse your outfit from last year, or are you excited to switch it up a bit? It’s always good to see what else is out there; perhaps you will find a new favorite guise! Plenty of thought goes into this big decision, so we’ve put together a few tips to consider in figuring out what to re-roll as:

Have passion for your new character: So, being an English Longbowman has grown stale. You love the culture and motif, but you’re willing to try something new. Great! Look up the histories of the many medieval civilizations. Which ones pique your interest first or the most? Who knows, you might be wearing a Monk’s robe this year!

Choose your weapon: Tired of touting your trusty tomahawk? Maybe you’ll prefer the piercing power of a pike! The weapon you carry can make a huge impact on you and your character. Choosing a new weapon can breathe new life into any costume.

Mind the Weather: For years, you’ve been a knight in the rootin’ Teuton army. Your armor is thick and heavy and your favorite faire is in Georgia in June. Not only that, one of your LARPing guilds’ biggest battles is in the beginning of August. Needless to say, dehydration is a huge factor when prepping for these events. Why not mix it up a bit? There is plenty of light and breathable medieval clothing that is much more comfortable in the summer months. Don’t be afraid to take it for a spin!

What tips do you have for those thinking of trying on a new character this spring or summer? Any specific recommendations you’ve tried your own hand at, or been impressed by when you’ve seen others? Please share in the comments!