Extreme Costuming

Gardiner's Company guidelines for a Jolly Good Time at Events [tm]

The first one is a "basic clothing requirements for newcomers" pamphlet, with clothing choices ranging from acceptable to desired levels of accuracy.

The second is a short guideline on how to play in persona.  Gardiner's Company events are all first-person, with the requirement that everyone make an effort to stay in persona all day (there are areas of the site where one can take a break if needed).  Mention of any modern things is discouraged, unless disguised in period language, which can be quite funny; if you've never heard a review of "King Kong" in Elizabethan terms, you're missing out.

The Clothing Handout - TBL

This pamphlet is designed to give you a general idea of what we wear in the Trayn’d Bandes of London.  It covers men’s and women’s clothing, with descriptions of acceptable beginner’s clothing, and guidelines for improving your kit if you decide that the TBL is your kind of group.  It also provides tips on simple accessories, and a checklist that you can use to make sure you have everything you need. In addition, there is a list of things not to wear/use.

The guidelines have three designations:  ‘Good’, ‘Better’, ‘Best’.  ‘Good’ is what we would like to see for your first year of events.  ‘Better’ is what we look for after your probationary year as a prospective member.  ‘Best’ is the level we hope to achieve, based on our current research.  It is a goal, not a requirement.

If this is your first event with the TBL, DON’T PANIC.  A basic kit is simple to assemble, and pretty inexpensive.  If you are missing pieces from the checklist, contact a member of the group and we will make arrangements to lend you the things you need.  If you are an SCA or ECW member, check with us to make sure your clothing is appropriate for the class and time we are portraying.

We are re-creating the lower and middle classes of Elizabethan England, between the years 1580-1604.  Gardiner’s company is based in Southwarke, just over the Thames from the city of London.  The Trayn’d Bandes are the militia/national guard of their time; volunteers from all professions who meet a few times a year to practice military maneuvers. 

We are NOT portraying rich or important people.  While the Elizabethans liked to dress up at every opportunity, heavily jeweled clothing and rich fabrics are outside of the income of most of the personas we play.  If you wish to portray someone more important, you will be required to have a full retinue of servants, appropriate transportation, furniture, and plate, plus full armor, weapons, and a horse if you are male.  Fake jewels and modern substitutes will be laughed at mercilessly, as they would have been in the period.

It is acceptable for women to play male personas.  When dressed as a man, you are expected to behave like a man, with all bawdy references.  Fake facial hair is recommended to avoid jokes about “downy-cheeked lads”.  Latex works better than spirit gum, which has a tendency to loosen in the heat.

For more detailed information on Elizabethan clothing, we recommend the Elizabethan Handbook, by Jeffrey Singman and Jeff Morgan, available from Vox Clamantis Press, the publishing arm of the TBL.

Men’s Clothing - The Basics:

Everyone should have a shirt of some sort – either with a ruffed collar or a band collar.  No modern shirt collars or excessive lace.

Good:  White or off-white cotton muslin, buttons or tie fastenings.

Better:  White or off-white linen, no visible machine stitching, hand finished, button or tie fastenings.

Best:  White linen, completely hand-sewn, tie or hand-cast hook and eye fastenings.

Pants

Pants should be made of natural fibers (or an imitation that Laura Mellin can’t detect).  Pants do not have to match the doublet or jerkin.  The easiest kind of pants to make are simple knee breeches – loose pants cuffed at the knee.  If you can sew, there are more elaborate patterns available.

Good:  Heavy cotton or linen, or wool, plain wood or metal buttons.

Better:  Wool or linen, no visible machine stitching, plain wood or cast metal buttons.

Best:  Hand-sewn wool or linen, wrapped or cast metal buttons.

Doublet or Jerkin

A doublet has sleeves; a jerkin is a sleeveless over-doublet (sort of).  Most beginners have sleeveless doublets, though in period men would not go outside without sleeves.  SCA rapier doublets (NOT fencing tunics) are sufficient armor for skirmishing, but be aware that most SCA doublets are too fancy and not made from period materials.

Good:  Cotton, linen, wool, simple brocade.  It should have a button front (lacing isn’t very common for men's doublets), with or without sleeves.  Trim should be simple, no gold or silver.

Better:  Linen or wool, sleeves (detachable or sewn-in), cast metal or wood or wrapped buttons, no visible machine stitching, hand-sewn trim in natural fabrics.

Best:  Linen or wool, sleeves (detachable or sewn in with open armpit), entirely hand-sewn, period trim.

Buff Coat

A buff coat is a sleeved leather over-doublet worn as protection under armor.  (see ARMOR).  Not required, but if you happen to have one, you can wear it.  It is not a substitute for a doublet.  The front of the buff coat can be laced or buttoned.

Stockings

Also known as socks, nether-stocks, stocks, hosen.  Should be cotton or wool, plain is better than striped.  Use knitted or cloth garters to hold them up at the knee. 

Good:  Cotton knit, striped or plain.

Better:  Wool or cotton, plain, period colours.  Single men sometimes wore yellow socks to advertise their single status, but this seems to have been limited to the apprentices of the London guilds.

Best:  Wool with bias-sewn wool over-socks for fighting, or bias-cut hand-sewn linen (this takes a bit of playing around with the shape, but looks really cool).

Silk stockings are outside your price range, trust us.

Falling Band

The falling band is a pleated collar worn to keep dirt from getting on the doublet.  Should be pinned to the doublet, not the shirt.  Contact a TBL member for instructions on how to make or purchase one.

Good:  Cotton muslin, machine sewn.

Better:  Linen, no visible machine stitching.

Best:  Fine linen, hand-sewn hem, drawn-work hem, stitched pleats, simple embroidery if wished (nothing too elaborate, you’re probably going to be fighting in it, and certainly sweating on it).

Hats

If your hair is long, wear it tied back.  For a truly authentic appearance, the goatee and mustache is a popular style for Elizabethans.  A mustache alone was not as popular, and tended to be worn only by young men.

Everyone wore hats when outside, and most of the time indoors as well.  A simple flat cap is fine, though blocked hats and sewn hats are also good.  Contact a TBL member for instructions on how to make a flat cap, or you can borrow or purchase one.

Do not use velvet or brocade, and please, no big froufy feathers or giant decorative jeweled pins.

Good:  Cotton or twill flat cap or straw hat.

Better:  Wool or linen flat cap, round crown straw hat.

Best:  Felted wool flat cap or blocked wool felt hat, round crown straw hat for summer.

Shoes 

Shoes are usually the last part of the period kit newcomers will obtain.  There are now sources for period shoes, but they are a little more expensive than modern shoes.  Boots are acceptable, but horsemen wore boots in period, and as such, they are status symbols.  Any low leather lace-up ankle boots such as hush puppies or desert boots are fine.  No sneakers (not even black leather ones), Docs, or combat boots is all we ask.

Good:  Desert (chukka) boots, ankle-high leather boots, tall boots.

Better:  Shoes cut to look like Elizabethan shoes.

Best:  Reproduction shoes from a shoemaker such as Bohemond Bootmakers.

Cloak/Cassock

A cloak is a fine outer garment.  There is also the  cassock  - it looks like a short cloak with sleeves.  The pattern is simple – contact a Bandes member to obtain a pattern.

Good:  Twill cotton, or wool blend cloak, cotton or flannel lining.

Better:  Wool cloak, cotton or linen lining, no visible machine stitching.

Best:  Wool cassock, linen lining, hand-sewn.

Armor

Ideally, every militia-man should have a back and breast plate with tassets, a helm (morion), a gorget, a sword, and a pair of leather gloves. 

This was an ideal, back in 1590, too.  Most units in active service did not have complete armor.  The Trayn’d Bandes had even less armor than active soldiers (who would be in the pay of a nobleman, not paid by the government).

The TBL keeps helms for loaner, and occasionally may have a breast-plate or two for loan.  Since armor is expensive and hard to obtain, a large amount of leeway will be allowed.  (All officers are expected to have proper armor.)

New people are not expected to have any armor, but if you do, it’s cool.  Gorgets are recommended for fighting, as we use arrows and unusual boffer weapons.

NOTE:  Please refer to event flyers for rapier armor requirements – for convenience and safety, we follow the SCA standard.

Women’s Clothing – The Basics:

Period make-up doesn’t look attractive to modern eyes, so it’s best just to leave it off.  No modern make-up.  Nails should be short and unpolished.  The truly dedicated may want to blacken a couple of teeth, but it can look disturbing.

Shift/shirt 

Good:  White or off-white cotton muslin, buttons or tie fastenings.

Best:  White linen, completely hand-sewn, tie or hand-cast hook and eye fastenings.

Petticoats

Skirts in this period are called petticoats, even if they are on the outside.  You should have at least two.  The outside one can be pinned up to show the one underneath.  Fabric should be plain or woven stripe, no prints.  Red petticoats are popular among the lower and middle classes.

Good:  Cotton, cotton flannel or linen, drawstring waist.

Better:  Linen or wool, no visible machine stitching, drawstring or pleated waistline, simple trim.

Best:  Linen or wool, hand-sewn, period trim, drawstring or cartridge pleated waistline, lace-up fastening.

The most popular trim for women’s petticoats is a band or two of contrasting fabric.

Bodice/Bodies

Instead of a corset, Elizabethan women wore boned bodices, either alone or under a doublet.  These bodices were called bodies, and had detachable sleeves.   Many female Bandes members choose to wear a sleeveless corset underneath unboned bodices, so that they have the option of wearing just the bodice on hot days, or when doing more active work.  Front or back lacing is fine, but front lacing is easier to get into.  Other fastening options are hooks and eyes or buttons (both in front).  Boning:  Plastic boning will deform in the heat, so is not recommended.  Rigilene[tm] is widely available, but should be doubled up to get the best effect.  Steel boning is better, and reed boning (basket reed is available from craft stores) is also effective, and the closest to period. 

Good:  Simple brocade, heavy cotton, or linen, sleeveless.

Better:  Linen or wool, no visible machine stitching, lacing eyelets sewn over, simple trim, sleeves, boned or worn with a corset.

Best:  Linen or wool, boned, hand-sewn, period trim, sleeves.

Doublet

Doublets for women are exactly like men’s doublets, with the exception of the square doublet, which has a low square front neckline like bodies, but a high back like a doublet.

Good:  Cotton, linen, wool, simple brocade.  Button front (lacing isn’t as common for English doublets), with or without sleeves.  Trim should be simple.

Better:  Linen or wool, sleeves (detachable or sewn-in), cast metal or wood or wrapped buttons, no visible machine stitching, hand-sewn trim in natural fabrics.

Best:  Linen or wool, sleeves (detachable or sewn in with open armpit), entirely hand-sewn, period trim.

Stockings

Good:  Cotton knit, striped or plain.

Better:  Wool or cotton knit, plain, period colours.  Red is popular.

Best:  Wool knit or bias-cut linen, hand-sewn.

Silk stockings are still outside your price range.  Really.

Hats

In addition to (or in place of) a hat, women wore a coif, even indoors.  Hair should be up at all times.  Richer women could get away with no coif, but you should wear one, to avoid scandal and gossip about your loose behaviour.

Everyone wore hats when outside.  A simple flat cap is fine, though blocked hats and sewn hats are more period for women - flat caps were for men (but some women wore them anyway).  Contact a TBL member for instructions on how to make a flat cap, or you can borrow or purchase one.  Do not use velvet or brocade, and no big froufy feathers.

Good:  Cotton or twill flat cap or straw hat, cotton coif.

Better:  Wool flat cap, round crown straw hat, linen coif.

Best:  Felted wool flat cap or blocked wool felt hat, round-crown trimmed straw hat, hand-sewn linen coif.

Shoes

Any low leather lace-up ankle boots such as hush puppies or desert boots are fine, as are Chinese slippers (cotton, not velvet).  Depending on the weather, you may prefer the boots.  No sneakers, Docs, or combat boots.

Good:  Ankle boots or Chinese slippers.

Better:  Ankle boots cut to look like Elizabethan shoes.

Best:  Reproduction shoes from a shoemaker such as Bohemond Bootmaker,

Cloak/Cassock/Jacket

A cloak is a fine outer garment.   Women also wore a jacket that looked like the cassock called Dutch Cloak – it often had ribbon ties.

Good:  Twill cotton, or wool cloak.

Better:  Wool cloak or jacket.

Best:  Wool cloak, cassock or jacket, hand-sewn, linen lining.

Aprons

Women wore aprons pretty much all the time during the day.  A linen one is best, and will stand up to abuse better than a cotton one.

What Not to Wear

Please don't wear:

Sneakers, athletic socks that are clearly athletic socks, fencing "tunics", obviously modern fabrics, sunglasses, hair scrunchies, modern or too flashy jewelry, non-period accessories (cowboy hats, etc.), SCA award medallions or favours, or out of period (OOP) costume.  When in doubt, leave it out.

I’ve been invited to a Trayn’d Bandes Persona event – What do I do?

First of all, DON’T PANIC!  Persona play is simpler than it looks.  You don’t have to talk like a Shakespearean actor, or like a Renaissance Festival village idiot.  Iambic pentameter is hard, and cockney accents are 19^th Century.

Character

To play in persona, you will need a name and an occupation.  We can help you with both. 

It’s easiest if you pick a simple name you can remember (unlike the SCA, it’s perfectly fine to have the same first name as someone else).  Get used to hearing yourself called by that name (you can use your own first name if it’s period).  Then, pick an occupation you think you might like (you can always change it later).  Most people were servants or apprentices/journeymen – both are considered respectable occupations. In addition to several servants, we have a furniture maker, a cooper, a map-maker, a sundial-maker, a lawyer, an apprentice bear-warden, and an alewife.  

Speech

You don’t have to affect an English accent (in fact, Laura Mellin would prefer it if you didn’t).  The period Elizabethan accent is very different from modern speech, and very hard to learn, and so most of us don’t bother.  You shouldn’t talk about anything modern (obviously), and try to refrain from using modern slang, i.e:

Wrong:  “That’s really cool!”

Right:  “That is right flash!”

Or:

Wrong:  “He kicked your ass!”

Acceptable:  “He went all Spanish Armada on you!”

Right:  “He did beat you mightily!”