Dawnish Autumn Clothes

Kit and Making Things Costume and Crafting
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So I made homemade clothes for the summer solstice that were a mix of charity shop purchases and homemade clothes…

But what kind of stuff should a Dawnish Knight Errant wear in September?

I’d wanna have a change of clothes as I found that super helpful at E3. One for combat, one for just plain chilling.

I had a simple over-the-head tabard which I think will need minimal adjustments for E4, but what should I do for “casual” clothes. I think my knee length skirt and light corset might be a bit too cold, seeing as it was already a bit chilly in the summer evenings.

Any places I should look? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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I’m not an expert on Dawnish kit, but I highly recommend buying thermals and wearing them underneath your kit. It keeps you warmer without having to make and changes to your IC kit. Two pairs of socks (if your shoes allow) too. You could try leggings or thermal coloured tights if you want to incorporate them IC too.

A cloak (or coat, but I think cloak is more on-brand for Dawn) is a necessity in the cold. A hat is a good way to keep warm but I’d have to have a read through the kit brief to know what a Dawnish hat looks like.

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Leggings are good, another layer underneath is also very effective, cloak is a good idea. You might want to look into a long-sleeve shirt in some material?

What sort of colour scheme, for yeofolk or noble?

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Some general hints are:

Thermal vests and long johns as already suggested.
If you’re wearing trousers, a pair of tights under them, and a pair of socks over the tights.
Any extra layers will add warmth - for instance a plain shirt under a fancier one will be warmer and also looks ace if it peeps out at neck and cuffs.

More specifically for Dawn, leaning femme because that’s what I go for:

A hood with a shoulder cape keeps your neck and upper chest warm (and if woollen, dry as well) which makes a surprising amount of difference. Dagging (cuts in decorative shapes) along the edge of the cape is super Dawnish. Look for reenactment merchants, or see here for a tutorial to do it yourself:

https://www.virtue.to/articles/hoodlum.html

In the past I’ve worn a short-sleeved fitted kirtle in a lightweight wool, with pin-on sleeves for extra warmth in the evenings. That, with a cotton smock and leggings underneath plus my caped hood has been perfectly cosy for dry autumn events.

For a something a bit more dynamic off the shelf, the Burgschneider Ranwen dress ( Undergarment Ranwen - Grey ) has nice flowing lines without the extra fuss of handling a full skirt.

This pattern from Simplicity has two lengths/styles of gownwhich could work very well for a combat + a casual set.

Houppelandes are really cosy, luxurious medieval overgowns with hanging sleeves. The female version traditionally was long enough to pool on the floor (not ideal in a field), and belted just below the bust, while the male version was often just to the knee and belted at the waist. Either looks good on any gender and makes for a nice Dawnish ‘coat’.

If you have any thoughts about whether you want to go masc or femme, full length dress or not, off the shelf or make your own, do say and I’ll try to tailor advice to be a bit more specific!

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I’m a Knight Errant, so I have a Blue and Yellow Tabard but I otherwise wear a red corset/skirt/medieval dress with white undershirt thing.

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This is all super helpful! Sorry, should have clarified that. Both I and my character are She/Her femme. Will say I’m comfortable being a bit more androgynous with combat stuff when fully girded in Mage Armour, etc, but for casual stuff yeah, full femme is ideal

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A couple of other sources:

Basically anything here mixed-and-matched to taste:

https://rosaliegilbert.com/tutorials.html

This spits out a really good base pattern for shifts, shirts, tunics and less fitted dresses:

http://www.elizabethancostume.net/smockpat/

This is a really, really simple cheaty gown with epic sleeves, which look good on its own or with a surcoat or tabard over it. Unfortunately it does not sit well if you have anything much of a bust. But if you take the basic idea, with the skirts and sleeves cut right out to the bottom corners of the fabric, and then use the measurements and gussets from the smock pattern, you get a hugely improved fit around the bust and shoulders.

Add a long belt, double-wrapped if possible, to pull it in at the waist. Some pin-on sleeves (Pin on sleeves- a quick tutorial | HANDCRAFTED HISTORY) are an easy way to add warmth and bling.

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