Any Costume Vendors at event?

New Players
1

Hey guys!!

I’ll be attending my first LARP event at the end of this month and was wondering if there are any costume vendors that will be there for the start of the event?

I know that there will be armour vendors so I’ll be picking up my armour from them but I’ve had such a busy few months that my costume planning has unfortunately been left to the last minute! I am panicking a little bit. I’ve bought some craft materials so that I can make a quick tunic but having some vendors as a backup would put my mind at ease hahaha

Any knowledge passed over would be appreciated!

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There are often quite a few clothing vendors at the event, and many of them are open once they’ve set up on thursday or friday. Traders - Empire

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Ah okay brilliant! I did see that Traders page on the wiki but I wasn’t sure the last time it had been updated! That’s definitely relaxed me a bit more knowing that as a backup I can grab some stuff from the vendors :joy:

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And these are the specific traders booked for the event :slight_smile:
There’s a bunch of costume traders in there but I can recommend getting along to them as soon as you can as they can sell out of stuff.

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As you may have gathered above, in a word, yes.

Most traders sell a few bits and pieces, several have racks of costumes for a variety of nations.

If you’re after a few basic bits (tunics, trousers, belts etc), you should be able to get hold of plenty of stuff. If you’re after something more specific, start early, search diligently, and be prepared to compromise a little.

I can reccomend Chow’s Emporium out of that list, for variety and useful accessories.

Would you like any further assistance re budgets, styles, or quick shopping for bits of kit before the event?

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Oh that’s fantastic! I hadn’t seen that page on the wiki before, super helpful! I’m going to try and get there on the Thursday so I get some early pickings!

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So far I’m looking for some antlers that’ll arrive in time for the event! I sent an email to Mandala studios to see if they’ll be able to rush some through for me but I haven’t had a reply yet!

So any advice on that would be awesome! :joy:

I’ll definitely keep an eye on Chow’s Emporium, looks like a great store!

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Ah, playing a changeling! Well, from the wiki:

“This process does not go in reverse, you cannot become more human over time. However if your lineage trappings are problematic, for example if you are having an allergic reaction to a prosthetic, then you can reduce or change the way your lineage manifests. Otherwise please try to keep your lineage consistent.”

If you can’t get the antlers in time, and you can’t get some on site (possible), you may want to try some of the other trappings (intricate markings, pointy ears), and then shift that for the antlers when/if you get some.

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Great idea!! I can’t believe I miss so much on the Wiki, thank you so much for helping me out! I might have to do that! There’s totally some other avenues I can take :smiley:

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Word to the wise, buying at event is expensive (Although Chows makes good stuff, the prices usually go up to £300~ for a full kit set) but I’d say getting basic costume at event would cost around £80-100~, so have a hunt round charity shops!

Also, Armour cost really does vary, but I’ll run the average here.

Poly Plate, Bracers and Greaves- £150~ if you get a good deal, but more than likely £200~ range.

Leather Cuirass, Bracers and Greaves- £250~ because leather is expensive, Darkblade tends to be the best for this, but Umbra make really amazing commissions!

Gambeson, Bracers and Greaves- £80-£100~, and this can function as soft kit in cold weather

Chainmail- £80-£200- The higher the price, higher the quality, but due to armour changes, the materials don’t really matter. You can also get sets off E-Bay for £20~, but they don’t last more than 2 events, and have no resale value

(I would also recommend buying a gambeson for any set, as it helps with chafing, but will put you up armour size)

This, plus weapon costs being around £120-£150 for Sword and Shield, or a spear (Epic Armouries and Saxon Violence for stab safe) means that its gonna be expensive, so consider cutting down on Soft Kit costs in any way you can

And Mage Armour can go for £5 when homemade, or £50 for a nice set from Darkblade.

Don’t let this discourage you though, many veterans will be happy to loan you stuff to make sure you come back through the gate.

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Indeed. You may find many a veteran player with a large pile of old kit happy to sell it off to a good home (and a new comrade) for a token fee.

Also, as mentioned, a trawl of charity shops can yield various possibilities.

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I’ve actually looked in a lot of my local (and not so local) charity shops and haven’t come across much of anything useful! Lots of great things for more feminine characters but not so much for me!

Interesting to know about the veterans selling of/lending out their kit! That’s super nice of them, maybe I’ll be able to get some stuff there too!

Thanks :smiley:

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One thing I’ll say is that aside from fitting issues, the gender-blind nature of the setting does mean you are welcome to wear femme-coded clothes for all genders. But also some nations are waaaaay easier to find charity shop kit for than others.

Which nation are you hoping to join? We could offer some advice on what iconic little pieces you could pick up to quickly get that look if you like. :slight_smile:

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Oh absolutely, I love that it’s a gender-blind setting!

I’m going to be playing in Dawn so I’m open for any advice, thank you so much!

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For Dawn you’ll be going for bright colours, maybe with some fancy fabric. Look for shirts (preferably laced). Heck, if you can find a suitable dress and cut it into a tunic with enthusiastic scissors, that can also work. Colourful sashes made from whatever, trousers in some sort of neutral colours, and sturdy boots… It’s possible to tweak fairly basic kit towards any national brief.

Do you have the time/ability to do some basic sewing? Ribbons or braid in bright colours (which could also be looted from charity shop finds) attached somehow to the edges of a contrasting colour can also look good.

Do you have a House or colour scheme you want to stick to?

There’s a few other threads here which may be of use…

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17

Men’s kameez (Pakistani dress tunics) in a rich jewel colour can be a good base for Dawn. Sling on a long belt knotted over itself and narrow trousers (and tall boots, if you have them!) to steer well clear of the Brass Coast. If you can source some really iconic headgear like a dagged hood, a bicorn or a chaperon hat you’re golden!

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18

I haven’t got any specific house in mind but I’ve got some royal blue linen and some yellow/gold Bias tape, my plan is to make the Tunic from this tutorial this weekend and see how it comes out! Not sure how well it will go but it’s better than nothing :smiley: I’ve also found some black leggings that could probably go underneath! And I’ve heard a lot of people say that generally ‘cotume stops at the ankle’ so I might just get some black hiking boots until I can either make or find some nice shoe coverings for the next event!

fingers crossed that everything works out, I really appreciate all of the effort you guys have put into helping :sweat_smile:! I hope I bump into you out in the field :muscle:

I’ll definitely get myself better prepared for the September event…

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Well, “costume stops at the ankle” generally means waterproofing and warmth over immersion", but those hiking boots look good.

That tunic should be fine, especially in the Dawnish colours. You’ll be able to source plenty of accessories on site.

If you’re willing to make an investment, my wife persuaded me to go for these toggi boots. Expensive, but durable, waterproof, good grip, insulated, comfortable and look good.

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Oh those look good! I’ll definitely look into them for the next event for sure, i was wondering about some riding boots since they hand that kind of medieval look!

Thanks again for all your help😁

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A quick note that “costume stops at the ankle” is not an actual PD stance as people can misinterpret it. As Geoffrey says though, those black hiking boots look fine!

More information on IC footwear:
https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Costume#Footwear
https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Writing_about_Empire#IC_Footwear

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