A Marcher costume diary

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Costume Design for Larp

Getting the right costume can be a crucial part of developing your character - not all of us have the luxury of commissioning a complete outfit from scratch, and assembling a new look from a mix of old and new kit can be a real challenge. Here's how I generally go about designing and assembling costume, using my work-in-progress Marcher musician as an example as I go.

Part 1 - Design

What sort of person is my character going to be?

Here's where you try and get a basic idea of the person you're going to portray. Are they rich or poor? Practical or fanciful? What do they like and dislike? What elements of the brief am I going to pick up on here?

One of the fun things I liked about the Marches brief is its practicality - it's not that the people aren't well off, it's just that they see no reason to squander money on fripperies - in fact, there's a real reverse snobbery that I thought I could pick up on. I want this outfit to be understated and very plain, for the most part, with a few little details that make it stand out. I'm going to use a palette of mostly browns, greys and creams, with a few touches of brass and gold here and there.

What IC and OOC practical considerations do I need to take into account?

Most outfits need a pouch to carry your IC money; it's helpful to have another pouch or a hidden pocket to keep your OOC essentials, such as OOC money and spirit gum for running makeup repairs. You can set yourself a budget here if you like...!

I'm considering using facial prosthetics for this character, so the neckholes are going to have to be reasonably wide to accomodate potential horns, and I might need to consider lacing down the front. I'll tuck the skirts up when it's muddy.

I also really, really hate getting cold at events, so I want lots of layers that I can pile on at night.

What images from the media appeal to me that might help me with my design?

Have a look at the internet - it's full of pictures from films and TV that might help you get an idea of how you might want your outfit to look. You don't have to copy them, but forming a mini "mood board" can help you get an idea of what you might like your costume to look like.

The look of Marian in the recent Robin Hood film, Lady Stark in Game of Thrones and Eowyn in Lord of the Rings all appeal to me - that slightly worn, grimy practicality was something I really wanted to get across in my costume. I also like the layers of the toning colours in these costumes - while I'm not going to copy any of them exactly, I like the colour palette and the general style.

Ready to scribble?

You don't need to be a great artist to draw a quick sketch, and you don't need to show it to anyone but yourself! If you find it difficult to get the proportions of figures right, [this] webpage has templates you can print out and trace, then sketch the rough lines of your costume out over the top.

Terrible, isn't it? Wax crayons clearly aren't my medium. However, you can make out the rough outlines of the design - a white headscarf, an ankle length dress with apron and front lacing, a belt, elbow length sleeves and a darker brown shoulder cover/partlet (which I'm not altogether convinced by, on looking at it, but it can be added or not at the end.) I think I might also add a very similar overdress/kirtle, but I'm confident enough that it'll look ok that I don't feel the need to draw another layer - though I might before the end.

Breakdown - Layer by layer

So, I'm now fairly confident that I know what I want my outfit to look like. Layer by layer, I'm going to wear:

• a white cotton or linen long sleeved smock (I have a short sleeved one that'll do at a pinch). I might make a couple of these as they'll get pretty sweaty in use, and it'd be nice to have a fresh one each day at the event. They also keep my outer layers from getting stinky.
• a brown wool kirtle. I think I'll line this, for neatness and durability, but I'll use lightweight cotton for the lining to stop it being too hot. Elbow length sleeves and pin-on ones for cold nights.
• a slightly different shade of brown wool over-kirtle - I'll make this one a bit baggier and not bother with a front closure. This may cause problems if I have outsize horns, but I think two layers of centre front lacing, one over the other, might be a bit clumsy. I'll line this in wool for warmth, I think.
• I'm considering a dark brown wool cloak, possibly lined in polar fleece, with fur trim around the collar.
• A pair of short hose (possibly in red wool)
• Belt, with accessories
• Headscarf and apron, possibly a hood as well, but I'll come to that at the end (and once I've decided on horns/no horns)

What have I got already?

You can have a look through your kit stash and see if there's anything you can use - in fact, sometimes you can base a whole costume around a really great bit of kit that you have already. What do I need? Always worth a rummage in your local charity shop.

Accessories

Despite having a huge pile of junk in my house, this costume is much more understated than the kind I usually go for, so I'm a bit worried that I won't have anything that'll work. However, a quick rummage shows up a wooden cup, a brown leather belt, a pouch and a big ring of brass keys, which all work with the look I'm going for. With this costume in mind, I also picked up a couple of linen tablemat type things from Oxfam for the princely sum of £2 and £4, which will be my apron and headscarf. I've got my medieval boots, which I might dye or beeswax to a co-ordinating colour (but I'll save that for the end).

Fabric and materials

I've got three metres of some heavyweight homespun looking wool (charity shop, £10), which will do nicely for the overkirtle. I've also got about 8m of cotton calico leftover from other projects which will line the kirtle nicely. Brown thread, check. Packet of eyelets for the front, check.

So what do I need?

Fabric

For the kirtle, I'll need 3m of wool -- a quick call to [Ceolred Monger] furnished me with 8m of lovely brown wool herringbone (£5 per metre)- lightweight and with a great stretch across the bias. Why 8m I hear you ask? Well, the first three metres is for making into my dress. The second 5m is for lining the overkirtle for coziness, but I want to machine wash it (and dye it) so that it felts up, and you lose a lot of length doing that. (2 packets of Dylon later, and it's a subtly different brown, but it does look like a different fabric, which I wanted - I don't want to be too "matchy" across the layers).