I’m hoping to go to the League soon. However, the brief seems to be very specific and I’m struggling to find kit that looks appropriate.
Underlayers are relatively straightforward. I can get hold of leggings or jodhpurs quite easily and for reasonable cost. I have a shirt that might do for the League, and if it doesn’t then that’s something else I can easily source. There’s a jacket I’ve had my eye on for ages and would almost certainly be on brief.
The biggest issue has been finding a doublet. I can’t do much beyond sewing on a button, meaning my options are limited. I have next to no resources for making costumes and I really struggle with following patterns.
So far I haven’t found anything online and I’m loath to spend a lot on something which may not be appropriate, or make modifications that ruin the garment.
I’m small and female which makes searching for LARP kit very difficult as it is. I specifically want the “doublet-and-trousers” style rather than a dress.
Can anyone recommend anything? I have tried the main LARP sites as well as eBay and Etsy but I haven’t been successful.
All costume is aspirational. The photographers will naturally gravitate to the best-dressed heroes, but there was quite a range of costumes within the league. I mean, I often wore my prototype jerkin (the one I used to iron out the kinks in my pattern) and nobody cared.
You will pick up the style over time, but the core league costume is leggings and a loose shirt with some gaudy rings. That’s it. Oh, you may end up searching for the perfect hat, for a dashing cape, for a suitable doublet or jerkin, but many of the most iconic league looks are simply based on a good shirt and a ridiculous hat with the longest feather you can find.
To be fair, you could get away with a Landsknecht shirt (about £22), something like this Tristan vest from Epic Armoury (about £22) and a pair of leggings from Primark. Many bravos from the League seem to like those shirts.
Edit:
And masks! If you want to fit in with the League, masks are very important.
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If you fancy learning a new skill sewing isn’t that hard, there are a couple of very nice simple doublet patterns available from commercial companies (this one I’ve made up several times http://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-pattern-4059-mens-renaissance-costumes/4059.html ) and curtain fabric from your local charity shop really does the League beautifully.
Be worth asking around if a friend or family can give you a hand, might take a bit of fiddling to get the fit right, probably need to adjust the waist to pull it in a bit, but make your first mock up out of the curtain lining (which came free with the curtains of course!) and it should be fairly easy.
(The shirt from that pattern also makes up very well - best use of a charity shop pure cotton flat sheet - well washed second hand is nice and soft next to the skin after all!!)