The various ways and means of costuming in the SCA

By Keri-Anne Lawton (Lady Manyra)

Written for a very introductory class.

There are five basic ways to make a costume in the SCA:

Buy it from one of the many merchants
Barter for someone to make it for you.
Follow a Simplicity or McCall’s Pattern
create a basic SCA costume
Or go all out and research, embroider, embellish and hand stitch to your hearts content.

I, myself, do a combination of these. The following pages will guide you through what each way entails.

1. Buying off the Rack

Costumes can be bought through various sources: SCA Merchants, Retail clothing stores, thrift stores, costuming shop (after Halloween), Theatre Department, Dance Stores.

Pros:

Can be worn immediately (you may have to adjust things bought retail such as hide a zipper)
Usually well-made – strong seams, neck holes lay flat.

Cons:

Can be expensive.
You do not always know what type of fabric was used.
Usually very little embellishment
Not always available in a good size.

SCA Merchants

You can also buy ready made items from any number of merchants found at SCA events or online.

Take alook at the following websites:

Castle Garden Creations http://www.castlegardencreations.com/index.html

Greenberg Hammer Inc. http://www.greenberg-hammer.com/

Kalupe Jewellery Ltd. http://www.kalupe.com/About.htm

http://sca-garb.freeservers.com/merchants/garb.html

EBAY

2. Barter for someone to make it.

This is when you offer to do something for someone in return for them to make you a piece of garb.

Pros:

Anything you do, have or can make can be bartered
Helps you meet more people.
The person sewing for you may have a better idea of what is period and doable and will probably come up with something much fancier than you expected.
You may or may not have to supply fabric.

Cons:

You don’t get to learn the joys (yeah right!) of sewing.
For more intricate costumes, there will be more “fittings”

3. Use a Simplicity or McCalls Pattern

In the last few years since I joined the SCA, Simplicity and McCall’s have designed quite of few patterns that are easy to use and fairly accurate. There are many smaller companies that have sewing patterns that can be ordered online or by mail order.

Pros:

Easy to make
Reusable
Works with any type of fabric.

Cons:

Should be aware of what is period about the pattern and what is not.
Have to know how to put together a pattern.

Simplicity Patterns:

9966, 9832, 8715, 8881, 9452, 9531, 7756, 8192, 7761 (Men’s), 5974, 5794, 5922, 5925, 5843,

Some McCall Patterns:

3282, 3286, 2664, 2802, 2810, 3315, 2793, 2814, 2248, 2806, 2798, 3282, 8937

Other pattern Suppliers:

Costume Connection

La Fleur de Lyse

Alter Years

Folkwear

Period Patterns

Mantua Maker

D.L. Designs

Kannik’s Corner

Period Impressions

Look to the Great Pattern Review from the Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild (http://www.gbacg.org/Patterns/) to get an idea of what to look for in a pattern

4. SCA Basics

Pros:

The 10 foot rule is a good thing. 85% of SCA’ers wear SCA Basic.
Easy to make
Even easier to embellish

Cons:

Once you find out how easy it is you will want to make more.
Depending on your sewing skills the seam, etc may not last long.
There’s usually no pattern available.

SCA Basic Garb:

T-Tunic (An Tir t-tunic) (worn with sweat pants, tights etc)
Viking Tunic (similar to T-tunic)
Staight Dress (t-tunic type Dress)
Fitted Dress (Blaiut)
Gathered Dress (Late period under dress)
Wenching Skirt
Bodice
Cloak

5. Advanced Costuming

This is where it gets complicated. Elaborate costuming requires research, hours of embroidery, beading, appliqué, and hand stitching. Of course there are varying levels of how period or detailed you can get. (Personally, I sew everything with a machine and then embroider a period design. One step above that is hand sewing the hems, and it goes all the way up to spinning your own threads and weaving the fabric.)

Pros:

You learn a great deal.
You look great.
There are a lot of people willing to help you.

Cons:

Can be expensive.
A ton of work

Elizabethan Middle Eastern

Houpelandes Full Viking

Coathardies Norman

Russian Italian Renn w/sleeves, beading etc

Mongol

>Types of Fabric To Look for:

Silk – silk noile is easiest to find and least expensive. It can be used but in period it was considered unsuitable for clothing and they stuffed beds with it.

Cotton – all weights

Broadcloth – great for under dresses and tunics

Velvet (both high pile & brushed) for anything late period

Wool – Different cultures and time periods used different weaves and types of wool.

Linen – Alone or combined with silk or cotton is great and so much cooler for hot camping days.

Corduroy (cloth of Kings) for skirts, bodices, and tabards

Denim – any colour but blue and a lighter weight than Jeans works well for pants.

Leather – for anything!

Suede- again for anything.

Brocade

Should avoid Polyester, Rayon, anything synthetic. You can use these fabrics but they often (not always though) look fairly modern and some are flammable. They also do not last as long and aren’t as comfortable>

>Types of Embellishments

Embroidery

Beading

Black work

Appliqué

Woven Trim (card or tablet woven or braided)

Bells

Jewellery

>Websites:

http://sca-garb.freeservers.com/

http://www.costumeclassroom.com/

http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/

http://www.virtue.to/articles/

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/crafts/historical-costuming/

http://members.aol.com/nebula5/costume.html

Costume Histories & Interpretation

Stella Mary Newton, Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince: A Study of the Years 1340-1365 ISBN: 085115767X

Jean Hunnisett, Period Costume for Stage and Screen: Patterns for Women's Dress, Medieval - 1500, ISBN 0-88734-653-7 A wide and useful range. This would be an ideal book for a serious costumer.

Dorothy K. Burnham Cut my Cote, ISBN 0-88854-046-9 an overview of rectangular construction across time and ethnicity. Interesting; booklet style.

Carl Kohler, A History of Costume ISBN 0486210308 General overview, useful pictures, a few extant garment photos, incomprehensible pattern diagrams.

Francois Leon Louis Boucher, 20,000 Years of Fashion ISBN: 0810916932. Covers a lot of time, has a few apparently unfounded conclusions, generally a useful book. Has several small pictures of extant garments, including a sideless surcoat.

Francois Piponnier & Perrine Mane, Dress in the Middle Ages, ISBN 0-300-06906-5. Sociological overview of clothing, class, and with many good pictures.

For an overview of this era with lots of drawings, the following book is very useful. However, be aware that some of his conclusions seem to be utterly unsupportable from the references for them that he gives; before taking anyting as gospel, look up his source. With that caveat, it's a good book to look through for inspiration before going to more narrowly-focused sources:

Herbert Norris, Medieval Costume and Fashion, ISBN 0-486-40486-2. Note that this is the 1999 Dover Edition, which claims to be an unabridged version of his 1927 book Costume & Fashion, Volume 2: Senlac to Bosworth, 1066-1485.

>A book to use as only the most general of references, because many details are missing or invented: John Peacock, Costume 1066-1966.

Don’t forget to look at art books, especially ones of portraits done in the renaissance.

Inspiring movies:

There’s an amazing number of Medieval Films that can kick start your ideas. Even the over the top fantastical movies such as Excalibur can give you a sense of medieval style. All you need to know is what type of fabric you should use & what elements to keep or throw away. Keep an eye out for many layers of clothing, embroidery/beading patterns, sleeve length and style and hem length. All of these will vary on what time period you’re looking at.

>The Adventures of Robin Hood

Ok there are many men out there that won’t wear tights. For the most part I agree. But, the tunics are quite nice with the dags at the sleeves and bottom hem. The tunic should be made a bit bigger.

>The Advocate

Nice understated 15^th C. French costumes inspired by illuminated manuscripts. Not your usual dirty peasants. Neat hats.

>Romeo & Juilet (Zefferelli)

Beautiful lush late period costumes. The detailing and embellishment is sometimes overwhelming. Won the Oscar for best Costume.

>First Night

The styles are nice but no body should have that much blue fabric around. Let this be a warning – don’t make many costumes out of one colour of fabric and no neon.

>The Thirteenth Warrior

SCA’ers in Victoria actually worked on this movie. Still the costumes are a bit rough for us.

>Robin Hood Prince of Thieves

>Braveheart

Truly both lovely films but the makers were not concentrating on costume accuracy. You could get away with them at any event though.

>Monty Python and the Holy Grail

>Camelot

> Campy Costumes – as they were meant to be

>Queen Margot

Beautiful costumes. Not always accurate (a bit too much cleavage) and the women would never have gone out without a chemise

>Royal Deceit (The Prince of Jutland)

A great look at some rather rustic Viking garb.

Other Movies to consider

>Excalibur (weird but neat)

Merlin

>Becket

>The Lion in Winter

>Ivanhoe (all versions)

Ladyhawke

Messanger: Joan of Arc

>Brother Cadfel

>Anne of a Thousand Days

>Atemesia

>Lady Jane

>Shakespear in Love

For a Listing of Medieval type films see: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medfilms.html

Oscar’s for Best Costume: http://us.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Academy_Awards_USA/Best_Costume_Design