What to Wear With an X-Kilt at the Faire?

[mneimeyer]

Sorry if this is long... Short version: If I make an X-Kilt for RenFaire what should I wear with it?

Longer version: Every time in the past that I've gone to a Ren Faire I've gone with friends who do not costume. This time I got invited to go with people that go ALL out. I've got nothing in my closet and a limited budget so I'm scrounging and buying a few accents. I'm hoping not to stand out like a sore thumb or like the Ren Faire version of the Charlie Brown ghost costume and offend people.

I found the instructions for the X-Kilt here and I feel like it's something achievable and while perhaps not "period accurate" still better than "street clothes". It doesn't hurt that I just happen to have a couple yards of denim left over from another project that is going to waste. Also, I've been wanting to try a kilt for a while now so I can wear it around and make use of it even if I'm not at a different Ren Faire every weekend (almost) like my friends.

I can't decide what to wear with it though so I'm seeking some advice. I'll probably stick with a basic "poofy pirate / ren fest / find at any halloween costume store" white shirt (whatever those are called). Might be a bit on the tacky side but again, it is October and those Halloween pop up stores are everywhere.

And... that's all I've got so far. Now I want to try and "do it right" without spending buttloads of money on something I'll use once a year. So far I've considered the following:

I've got a braided solid black belt which I had considered augmenting with a chunky metal buckle over the existing buckle and then adding some of those "replacement button / rivets for jeans" (or something else from the local craft store) spaced around the waist for accent.

I've been told a knee length cloak would be easy to make but even bargin bin cloth is going to stretch my budget and I'm not fond of being "encumbered". I'm not sure what else I could do up top. A vest? Bracers? The former scares my sewing abilities... the latter scares my rusty leatherworking skills from those many years ago at summer camp?

Headwear? I've found plans for both Balmorals and Flat Caps... I'm leaning towards a Flat Cap because I hate stuff on my head unless it is keeping the sun out of my eyes but reading around here that might be less than "traditional" (but I'm guessing so is Denim...)

Sporran? If I can find anything furry (stuffed animal?) at Goodwill I might "freehand" something.

Lastly, across all of this, I can't decide how much color to play with. For example, I'm thinking of doing the pleat backing color variant of the X-Kilt... should I then carry through that color? Thoughts on how?

Thanks in advance (especially considering how vague this all is).

Matt

P.S. If I understand right, appropriate "re-payment" for any assistance is pictures... I will do my best if I succeed.

P.P.S. Again, I'm trying to balance "acheivable" with "non-offensive to the hardcore" with "budget... what budget".

[Pleater]

For a sporran, rather than something furry take a look in a charity shop for a suitable handbag or if nothing suitable in that section perhaps a slightly scruffy leather jacket to cut up to make a simple spog/circle with folded edges.

To wear over the shirt perhaps a plaid - a long one like a piper or drummer maybe, or a more blanket like one for a laird.
Personally I favour a long plaid, as it is little bother to wear and can be adjusted swiftly to ward of wind, rain or hailstones and the folds under the right arm - worn loosely rather than militarily tight - make a handy place to hide anachronistic items either in the folds or in a shoulder bag concealed beneath it.

If you make a balmoral from woven stuff then you need two discs about 13 or 14 inches diameter - you can always reduce them if you find that is too large, join the outer edges, cut a head shaped hole in one and add a folded over strip of fabric to make a band, thread a ribbon or tape through the fold. You could put a badge or some small decoration - usually worn somewhere above the left temple, with the cap pulled down to the right to show the underside of the ring of fabric.

If cash is limited I'd suggest a single colour kilt and plaid rather then going for a fancier kilt - unless it would be cheaper to buy different pieces to join up. I made a kilt very cheaply from a king size duvet cover, using the fabric doubled so there was a fold or a join rather than a hem at the lower edge. If it is a bit faded all the better - so you don't look as though it is your first time in costume.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[mneimeyer]

To wear over the shirt perhaps a plaid

It is always fun to Google "plaid" soooooo much cruft comes through. I did find this https://youtu.be/xpti3K1RF9Y and ignoring the military style dress under it... I assume this is what you mean. Another several yards of suitable fabric, folded over into pleats and wrapped/draped appropriatly. Then add a pin of some sort.

Would it help if I add epaulettes to whatever shirt I'm wearing? Or a few careful stitches to keep it under control on the shoulder.

If cash is limited I'd suggest a single colour kilt and plaid rather then going for a fancier kilt -

I was feeling a little monochrome and I figured a yard of some inexpensive, brighter colored fabric would be an easy way to add some flair. (Or sacrifice an old pillowcase those seem to last forever while the sheets die and vanish)

unless it would be cheaper to buy different pieces to join up.

I've already got about 6 yards of denim right off the bolt and a few odds and ends chunks here and there (that probably amount to another yard or two) for accessories which is why I was planning on that. Plus it would be something I can wear "without question" outside of Ren Faire. Now that I've reconnected with these friends, I'd probably do Ren Faire maybe once a year (this is the first I've been in maybe a decade) and conversely if I do start going a lot I'd want to upgrade the bits of costume I aquire to be more "real".

I made a kilt very cheaply from a king size duvet cover

That is an interesting thought... I am definately going to have to see what I can find at Goodwill.

Thanks!!!

[Tarheel]

Other folks here will give you fine advice on the particulars of the attire. I offer this. Put together a ensemble that you will be comfortable living in for two days (in case you have so much fun you don't leave.) That means focusing on durability and being repairable.

Other faire goers I know pick a persona that fits who they are. Soap makers take their goods and materials to make soap with them, musicians take instruments, etc. Think of the professions of the period. Are you a tinker, candle stick maker, baker, Indian chief? The idea is also to have fun with other like minded folks, why not be the person you are in present day that is visiting a past era.

[mneimeyer]

Other faire goers I know pick a persona that fits who they are. Soap makers take their goods and materials to make soap with them, musicians take instruments, etc. Think of the professions of the period. Are you a tinker, candle stick maker, baker, Indian chief?

I'm a web developer who reads a lot. (Why do you think I ended up at a website for advice! ;) )

But in all seriousness, I've given a lot of thought to persona, and thinking back to the times I tried acting/theater in High School and College, quite honestly, I'm just not good at it.

Which means whatever persona I assume is going to be 95% "just me".

why not be the person you are in present day that is visiting a past era.

Any time I've seen anything like that done (at Cons or similar) it always comes across as over the top(?) with lots of wide eyed, jazz handed, "good golly gosh where are we" play acting. (Said with love for the Good-Golly-Goshers... it just isn't me)

The closest I get to a "real" renaissance persona would be book maker or printer or something related but I'm not sure how to "represent" that in costume. A sporan full of little books (preferably hand made) is all I can think of. Otherwise, in my head, I get stuck carrying heavy reams of paper around. Maybe... ink stained hands... but that seems vague.

I'd welcome any thoughts though.

Matt

[Grunthos]

I'm hoping not to stand out like a sore thumb or... offend people.

It's easy for me to say but harder to do, but you really need to not worry about it. Sure, there are Ren Faire snobs, but they don't matter. The most important thing is to have fun, and enjoy your time with your friends. Anyone who might be offended there has a personal problem they need to deal with; it's not your problem.

instructions for the X-Kilt .... perhaps not "period accurate"

Here is the bottom line on ALL ren faires: NOTHING at any of them is period accurate. NOBODY has period accurate costumes. Everything you see is, at best, inspired by eclectic bits and pieces of history. The people who go "all out" are having fun, but none of them have historically accurate costumes. The supposed periods are a mish-mash of 14th to 18th centuries, ostensibly covering a variety of European regions, while people talk with fake 19th century English accents. Forsooth, 'tis an historian's veritable nightmare.

But that's OK. It gives complete license for fun and enjoyment, which is all the faire is about.

I'll probably stick with a basic "poofy pirate / ren fest / find at any halloween costume store" white shirt (whatever those are called). Might be a bit on the tacky side

Generally called a "ghillie" shirt, or sometimes a "Jacobite" shirt, in the kilted community. "Ghillie" refers to the lacing. White should be available in any Halloween store as you observed. Black is a good look too.

(The entire ren faire is tacky, but that doesn't get in the way of me and everyone else having fun)

Sporran? If I can find anything furry (stuffed animal?) at Goodwill I might "freehand" something.

Scrounge the second-hand stores for small leather purses or bags. Or google for "Rob Roy" sporran design; easy to make from some soft leather scraps, also from second-hand store bags or old leather jackets.

P.P.S. Again, I'm trying to balance "acheivable" with "non-offensive to the hardcore" with "budget... what budget".

I'll say it again: the "hardcore" are just made-up fantasy players who have as much in common with Harry Potter, Pirates of the Carribean, and Game of Thrones as they do with any historical reality. Just Have Fun!!!!

I have never worn quite the same outfit twice to Ren Faires. I've gone in traditional Highland kilt look (which is more Victorian than Renaissance), or subdued color in mostly black Nightstalker kilt, or even khaki "kilted Aussie" look. Every time, somebody pays me a compliment. I think everyone enjoys the variety at the Ren Faires, and my opinion is the only one that counts

Make your costume yours. Good luck and best wishes with it!!

[Pleater]

I think that denim is one of the more difficult fabrics to make into a kilt - I find that materials which are softer and more easily deformed are much easier to twist into folds which lie flat around the 3 dimensional shape required.
I like the way pleats swing, and I have settled on the reverse Kingussie style for the way it moves.
To shape the fell in a denim kilt I suspect that it is only possible if the pleats are cut away so as to allow the joins to lie flat.

I wear a long plaid more like a simple toga, with one end to the front, to about hip level and the other to the back to below the knee.
I secure the cross over point with a bit of cord or the strap of a bag so that the wrap around is not so tight and narrow as the drum major's style.
If spread out the plaid acts like a coat in bad weather - in a storm it can be opened out and wound around to make a head to toe covering - tuck in a corner at the right hip and wind anticlockwise once around then around the upper body and over the head. I have been soaked to the skin under a woollen plaid, and so warm that steam was rising.
As for character or persona - it isn't acting. Just relax and enjoy yourself.
I used to do English Civil war stuff and had fun as my natural Yorkshire North country girl who could not understand the Midland accents, nor make myself understood in the foreign place I'd come to.

You could always claim to be able to write - an ability less common than reading throughout a long period of history.

Perhaps to be more obscure you might be a secretary - one who keeps secrets is the origin of the word.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: