Hear Ye, Hear Ye!
Come one come all to Crestdale Middle
School!
The Globe Theater
London, England
On the Thirty-First Day of the Fifth Month of the Thirteenth
Year
of the Second Millennium of the modern era,
Crestdale Middle School’s sixth grade class invites one and all
to join a celebration of the Renaissance
May 31, 2013.
Tips for Putting Together a Homemade Costume
We encourage homemade costumes for achieving an authentic, comfortable Renaissance look.
You might find parts to assemble peasant garb in your own closet or your local thrift shop.
Tops
Men: Start with a long-sleeved white shirt several
sizes too large. When you button the cuffs, the
sleeves will be full and bloused or you can cut off
the cuffs to form bell-shaped sleeves. Cut off the
collar, leaving the collar band for a more authentic
neckline. Lace your shirt up the front with ribbons
or leather string. Top your shirt with a vest for a
layered look.
Women: You can find a peasant blouse of white
cotton, linen or muslin, with long, full sleeves in
your local thrift store. Tie colored ribbons around
the arms in two or three places, creating a puffy
look. To make a bodice, find a plain leather vest or
cut a vest out of burlap and lace up the front with
ribbon or leather cord.
Bottoms
Men: Take an old pair of pants in dark corduroy or
other rough fabric (not blue jeans). You can cut
them off mid-calf, hem them and run elastic
through the hem. Wear them bloused just below the
knee over tights or dark socks. You may also use a
pair of plain-colored sweat pants or baseball pants, pulled to the knew. Wear tights of leggings
underneath your britches.
Women: Layer two or more skirts of contrasting
colors for a full look. The fancier the fabric, the
higher your social class. Tuck up the top skirt here
and there to reveal the bottom skirt. You can also
wear a long plain apron over a long skirt.
Accessories
Belts: Wide leather belts, scarves, and old ties can become a
versatile accessory used to secure oversized shirts and finish the
look of an outfit.
Capes: Capes were often worn by travelers in the Renaissance and
can add a feeling of adventure to a costume. They are very easy to
make by cutting through the radius of circular items such as felt
tablecloths and velvet tree skirts.
Jewelry: Gold chains, costume jewelry, pieces of lace and fabric,
ribbons, bows, and cloth flowers are a great addition to any outfit.
Hang an ornament on a piece of ribbon for a Renaissance necklace.
Accessories
Hats & Hair Pieces: Everyone in the Renaissance wore
something in their hair. Courtly gentlemen and ladies have
many choices of styles, in rich fabric. Pin up the brim of a hat
and alter it with ribbons and feathers. Women in the upper
classes wore elaborate hair pieces. Middle class and common
people, men or women, can wear a felt or straw hat, or a beret.
Women can wear flowers or cover their heads with a white
linen cloth, bonnet, or scarf. Scarves tied up as turbans can
create an exotic Renaissance appearance.
Bags & Pouches: Whether you are a man or a
woman, rich or poor, hang from your belt a
pouch, a drinking vessel, a wooden recorder, and
other useful articles. Bring a basket or a bag in
some natural fabric for your practical necessities.
Remember, clothing did not have pockets in the
Renaissance.
Shoes: Boots, clogs, sandals, and flat loafers or
ballet shoes are the most authentic footwear for
the Renaissance. For highly decorated shoes for
nobles, make shoe roses. A shoe rose has a looped
bow of ribbon or leather strips like a bow on a gift
package, with a fancy button in the middle. To
convert a pair of sneakers into a boot, just pull an
oversized plain sock over the sneaker.
Renaissance men and women did not wear flipflops
or tennis shoes.
Easy & Common Renaissance Costumes
The Clergy
Members of the clergy would wear long, colorful
robes banded at the neck and hem in contrasting
colors. A large hat with the sign of the cross displays
higher rank. A cape secured with an ornate cross tops
everything off nicely.
Monks took a vow of poverty and wore a much more
simple robe. Find an over-sized blouse, night shirt, or
hooded robe in a subdued color (brown), and tie it at
the waist with a piece of rope. Add a wooden cross
hanging from a piece of dark ribbon or leather string.
Easy & Common Renaissance Costumes
Painter, Scholar, Musician
Find a large blouse with puffy sleeves.
Put a wide belt or sash around your blouse.
Hang utensils like a brush, quill, or musical
instrument from your belt.
Wear cropped pants and tights or leggings.
Top with a soft cap, like a beret.
Accessories like a paint palate made from
cardboard, a scroll for writing, or an instrument
such as a recorder or lute will make your costume
distinctive.
Pirate
Start with a large blouse with a wide belt or sash.
Add a vest or cape.
Wear a cap or tie a bandana around your hair.
Wear cropped pants or sweatpants pulled to the
knee.
Add a cardboard sword, hanging from your belt.
Draw some stubble on your face for an even more
dangerous look.
Gypsy
Find a scoop-neck peasant blouse.
Add a vest or cape (optional).
Wear one or two colorful, flowing skirts. You can cut
up the top skirt for an adventurous look.
Tie a scarf or turban around your hair.
Add lots of dangling gold jewelry – earrings,
necklaces, bracelets, anklets.
Wear strappy sandals.
Knight or Squire
Find a large tunic or long t-shirt (long-sleeved).
Put another cropped, short-sleeved tunic, over the
top of the first tunic.
Secure with a wide leather or metal belt.
Hang a cardboard & tin foil sword from your belt.
Make a cardboard shield and decorate it with a coatofarms.
Make a tin foil a helmet for your head.
Wear tights or leggings.
Boots make good shoes