What Medieval Clothing to Wear to the Renaissance Festival

Hark, what light through yonder landscape breaks, it is the Faire, and Lady Visa is stunned..

Okay, enough of that. Fashion police! Who told you that wearing a long sleeve button up shirt and a pair of black slacks was medieval garb? I don't care HOW old the sword is at your side, if you've got buttons and zippers, YOU'RE WRONG.

Look, and learn:

Ladies, stow your pants. Women in the medieval times wore stockings, but not as outerwear. No matter what your station, you wore a skirt. The width and length of the skirt and sleeves varied dependant on your station in life during those times, as it would never do to be cooking with belled sleeves. Likewise, a noble lady's sleeves were larger, either between the shoulder and elbow, or between the elbow and wrist. It is difficult to add lace and trimmings, pearls and embellishments if the sleeve is very close to the skin.

High waistlines are dominant in medieval design, so to recreate this you want to look for a seam right about in the middle of your rib cage. From there, the full length of the skirt should descend and slope out. The neckline of your dress can be very low, very high, or nonexistant in the case of some Tudor era designs.

Stick to natural colors, muted pastels and rich gemtones. Consider your hair, which can be arranged in a nearly infinite number of ways so long as you don't use things like scrunchies to hold the style together.

You have a vast advantage over women in your choices of medieval garb. Remember, no zippers and no buttons. Hook and eye enclosures are the simplest way to ensure your garments close effectively without resorting to elastic waistbands.

You can go without headwear, or not. No baseball caps, though. Common folk wore common garments, so a skullcap of linen fabric or a light leather are acceptable there. Noblemen wore feathered velvet, or if a station of power was held, a metal circlet.

You have the option of wearing a robe or long tunic, or wearing a waist-tunic and stockings. You can wear trousers, leather pants, even a skirt if you had the proper vest and shirt to go with it. Men's clothing, outside of nobility, tended toward utilitarian purposes. Keep in mind simple lines, complementary colors, and the purpose of the event you are wearing this garb to.