Contributor: Zoe
Submission: A low-cost guide to fantastic LARP wear.
I have recently spent a lot of time showcasing and discussing extravagant and authentic LARP costumes. Unfortunately, although we'd all love leather armor, chain mail, and/or bone corsets, cost is an issue. Especially for new players, who aren't necessarily invested in LARP, purchasing boots, cloaks, and accessories, which can wheedle a hole in the wallet quickly, seems daunting. For players, such as myself, who simply don't have the money to spend on costumes, it can be a deterrent to playing the game (or, at least, playing it visually well).
So, I'm writing a few tips on how to build a low-cost LARP wardrobe. I'm fairly experienced at this, but I'd appreciate everyone's input. I think most people tend to spend as little as possible on LARP-- although I'm sure there are many who spend more on LARP clothing than civilian garb.
1. Use What You Have
A lot of people, myself included, look at PCing, which requires your own costume, as an excuse to buy or make an entirely new set of clothing. This is far from the actual case. Generally, especially if your wardrobe contains eclectic garb options, you have some key basics already at your disposal. A full skirt that is a standard summer option can be paired with a scarf. A vest in a drab color can fit over a tunic to individualize a costume. Currently, it's easy to go to any store and find peasant blouses, boots, gladiator sandals, batik-print skirts, and oversized vests and shawls. All of these things, many of which can be bought on the cheap, are perfect for many LARP settings. Moreover, many people already have a loose collection of these things in their closets-- I am hesitant to buy a piece of clothing, especially if it is over $30, unless it can multitask into my day-to-day wardrobe.
2. Thrift Stores
Obviously, for most people, thrift stores are a go-to spot for costuming. Especially in steampunk and modern games, thrift stores can supply amazing outfits. However, not all people appreciate the full worth of a thrift store. When in a Salvation Army, Goodwill, or second-hand store, you should be looking for four types of items. 1) As Is Clothing: These are pieces, like an overcoat, boots, or skirt, that need no alteration to fit into costuming. 2) As Is Accessories: I'll get to accessories later, but these are pieces, such as a large brooch or novelty hate, that can jazz up generic or more obviously modern clothing. 3) Home Improvement Pieces: This is stuff that needs a little alteration. Maybe a skirt is a little too short but, with some additional fabric, could be a cool character piece-- or a hat that, with some feathers, is perfect for a highborn. Or maybe a pair of slacks is functional and comfortable, but needs to be ripped and "patched" to fit the gameworld. These sorts of pieces, that require minimal effort and supplies, are the most common things you'll find in a thrift store. 4) Inspiration Pieces Maybe you found a blouse that, while totally inappropriate for your character, is exactly the color scheme and collar you want. Or maybe you want to cannibalize the buttons off an ugly coat. If they're affordable, purchase the pieces-- you can use them as patterns, source material, or a guide for craft-minded friends.
3. Share and Share Alike
Do you have a close friend who is, roughly, your size? Do you two PC/NPC opposite each other frequently? Try sharing key costume pieces like fancy coats, jewelry, gloves, or dresses. If your friend uses your majestic cape as "Evil Warlord" in a NERO campaign, and you use the same cape as a Naporean highborn in Madrigal, no one will know the difference. Better yet, one of you has saved some money. If you're tight on coinage, this can be a good option-- make a system where you take turns buying pieces, so that it's fair. Chris, my husband, and I do this alot-- especially with NPC garb and warmth layers.
4. Gender Relocate
It amazes me how many players never consider gender-swapping for their character costumes. Gentleman, I have some news for you: by-in-large, women's clothing sports far more LARP-appropriate wear, at reasonable prices, than men's does. (One of my favorite "barbarian vests" came from a trendy junior's clothing rack.) Go to any women's clothing store, and you'll find shirts, vests, scarves, and leggings aplenty. Similarly, men's departments often offer more in the way of sturdy, warm, and practical NPC garb.
5. Minimalize and Accessorize
As I've written before, I'm huge on minimalizing props and accessories, while relying on a focal piece to make an outfit or set sing. If you're money-tight, then focal pieces should be a go-to tactic for you. Design your budget for costuming: plan on spending about 40% on it on one or two pieces that are just dynamite. These pieces might be a cool piece of jewelry, a hat, a fancy bodice, boots, or a coat. The rest of your outfit can be pretty drab in comparison-- the focus will be on the one or two items on which you spent the most time/money. A caveat: be sure to shop around thrift stores and the internet before deciding on an expensive costume piece-- often you can find "signature items" that are relatively cheap when you go to a thrift store.
6. Keep Odds and Ends
Any crafter knows this, but it bears repeating: in an organized fashion, keep all the bits, bobs, and scraps that you can. Maybe that paisley fabric, scrapped after an NPC project, isn't right for your Highland warrior. However, it might be re-purposed at a later date. Similarly, costume jewelry and hemming scraps can be similarly useful. These pieces can make a generic skirt of top much more visually interesting. While I caution you against material hoarding, it's nice to have a stash when you want to improve an old or tired piece.
6. Be Creative
When you're on a budget, you imagination is your own personal ceiling. I've gone over a few ways to be creative: thrift stores, gender swapping, and recycling scraps. However, always be on the lookout for pieces that could, with a little reworking, fit well into a LARP costume. Especially now, when high-fantasy garb is leaking into day-to-day wear, this is easier than ever.
How do you costume yourself on a budget? What are you tips and tricks?
Submission: A low-cost guide to fantastic LARP wear.
I have recently spent a lot of time showcasing and discussing extravagant and authentic LARP costumes. Unfortunately, although we'd all love leather armor, chain mail, and/or bone corsets, cost is an issue. Especially for new players, who aren't necessarily invested in LARP, purchasing boots, cloaks, and accessories, which can wheedle a hole in the wallet quickly, seems daunting. For players, such as myself, who simply don't have the money to spend on costumes, it can be a deterrent to playing the game (or, at least, playing it visually well).
So, I'm writing a few tips on how to build a low-cost LARP wardrobe. I'm fairly experienced at this, but I'd appreciate everyone's input. I think most people tend to spend as little as possible on LARP-- although I'm sure there are many who spend more on LARP clothing than civilian garb.
1. Use What You Have
A lot of people, myself included, look at PCing, which requires your own costume, as an excuse to buy or make an entirely new set of clothing. This is far from the actual case. Generally, especially if your wardrobe contains eclectic garb options, you have some key basics already at your disposal. A full skirt that is a standard summer option can be paired with a scarf. A vest in a drab color can fit over a tunic to individualize a costume. Currently, it's easy to go to any store and find peasant blouses, boots, gladiator sandals, batik-print skirts, and oversized vests and shawls. All of these things, many of which can be bought on the cheap, are perfect for many LARP settings. Moreover, many people already have a loose collection of these things in their closets-- I am hesitant to buy a piece of clothing, especially if it is over $30, unless it can multitask into my day-to-day wardrobe.
2. Thrift Stores
Obviously, for most people, thrift stores are a go-to spot for costuming. Especially in steampunk and modern games, thrift stores can supply amazing outfits. However, not all people appreciate the full worth of a thrift store. When in a Salvation Army, Goodwill, or second-hand store, you should be looking for four types of items. 1) As Is Clothing: These are pieces, like an overcoat, boots, or skirt, that need no alteration to fit into costuming. 2) As Is Accessories: I'll get to accessories later, but these are pieces, such as a large brooch or novelty hate, that can jazz up generic or more obviously modern clothing. 3) Home Improvement Pieces: This is stuff that needs a little alteration. Maybe a skirt is a little too short but, with some additional fabric, could be a cool character piece-- or a hat that, with some feathers, is perfect for a highborn. Or maybe a pair of slacks is functional and comfortable, but needs to be ripped and "patched" to fit the gameworld. These sorts of pieces, that require minimal effort and supplies, are the most common things you'll find in a thrift store. 4) Inspiration Pieces Maybe you found a blouse that, while totally inappropriate for your character, is exactly the color scheme and collar you want. Or maybe you want to cannibalize the buttons off an ugly coat. If they're affordable, purchase the pieces-- you can use them as patterns, source material, or a guide for craft-minded friends.
3. Share and Share Alike
Do you have a close friend who is, roughly, your size? Do you two PC/NPC opposite each other frequently? Try sharing key costume pieces like fancy coats, jewelry, gloves, or dresses. If your friend uses your majestic cape as "Evil Warlord" in a NERO campaign, and you use the same cape as a Naporean highborn in Madrigal, no one will know the difference. Better yet, one of you has saved some money. If you're tight on coinage, this can be a good option-- make a system where you take turns buying pieces, so that it's fair. Chris, my husband, and I do this alot-- especially with NPC garb and warmth layers.
4. Gender Relocate
It amazes me how many players never consider gender-swapping for their character costumes. Gentleman, I have some news for you: by-in-large, women's clothing sports far more LARP-appropriate wear, at reasonable prices, than men's does. (One of my favorite "barbarian vests" came from a trendy junior's clothing rack.) Go to any women's clothing store, and you'll find shirts, vests, scarves, and leggings aplenty. Similarly, men's departments often offer more in the way of sturdy, warm, and practical NPC garb.
5. Minimalize and Accessorize
As I've written before, I'm huge on minimalizing props and accessories, while relying on a focal piece to make an outfit or set sing. If you're money-tight, then focal pieces should be a go-to tactic for you. Design your budget for costuming: plan on spending about 40% on it on one or two pieces that are just dynamite. These pieces might be a cool piece of jewelry, a hat, a fancy bodice, boots, or a coat. The rest of your outfit can be pretty drab in comparison-- the focus will be on the one or two items on which you spent the most time/money. A caveat: be sure to shop around thrift stores and the internet before deciding on an expensive costume piece-- often you can find "signature items" that are relatively cheap when you go to a thrift store.
6. Keep Odds and Ends
Any crafter knows this, but it bears repeating: in an organized fashion, keep all the bits, bobs, and scraps that you can. Maybe that paisley fabric, scrapped after an NPC project, isn't right for your Highland warrior. However, it might be re-purposed at a later date. Similarly, costume jewelry and hemming scraps can be similarly useful. These pieces can make a generic skirt of top much more visually interesting. While I caution you against material hoarding, it's nice to have a stash when you want to improve an old or tired piece.
6. Be Creative
When you're on a budget, you imagination is your own personal ceiling. I've gone over a few ways to be creative: thrift stores, gender swapping, and recycling scraps. However, always be on the lookout for pieces that could, with a little reworking, fit well into a LARP costume. Especially now, when high-fantasy garb is leaking into day-to-day wear, this is easier than ever.
How do you costume yourself on a budget? What are you tips and tricks?
I started really running into this problem in earnest once I started increasing the number of "face NPCs" I make use of after joining Madrigal plot. I noticed a lot of other folks tend to have a specific tunic/cloak/coat that is distinctive to a particular NPC, but for various reasons I have a lot of trouble finding pre-made garments I'm happy with, and money definitely becomes an issue.
ReplyDeleteSomething I've started doing as a result is assembling an increasing collection of very generic clothing items in various colors that can be swapped around to assemble different color schemes and themes appropriate to different characters. So, I tend to assemble a new outfit out of say a surcoat or tabard and cloak or hood, each of which I have in various basic colors and are unadorned so they're not immediately identified with a specific character in case I need to use that item as part of another ensemble. Then I worry about masks, makeup, or whatever else is being added.
Another advantage to using those kinds of garments is that despite my abysmal arts & crafts skills, they're on the easier side to learn to make yourself, which can also cut down on the cost if you have access to a sewing machine.
Color is something I should have mentioned.
DeleteColor can make a huge impact, and in a relatively cheap way. If you can find a tunic and one or two accessory pieces in the right colors, then you can really make a stunning visual statement. For a PC, this might be a bit cheezy-- purple on purple with purple may, after 24 hours of larping, look a little silly. However, for a face NPC, who needs to make a big visual impact, the color coding is perfect.
This one isn't common but can work: If you're the kind of person who likes to go to conventions (particularly a show like Gencon or other cosplay friendly shows), and end up being there on the last day of the show... swing by the vendor areas close to the end of the day. Very often the vendors don't want to ship/haul back extra inventory, and will give steep discounts on items (if not throw in extra things for free just to avoid dealing with packing it up). I've picked up several pieces of costuming or costuming-potential as throw ins for some unrelated thing I was buying at the show.
ReplyDeleteHahahahahaha. You're so in the biz, Mira. However, I hate going to cons and events like that at the start, so I'll keep it in mind...
DeleteLast day of any given Rennaissance Festival can often yield similar results :D
DeleteFrom hilariarex:
ReplyDeleteWhat I was going to say, though, was that one great source of costuming is old larpers. ;-) People like me who've been larping long enough to have garb from 1998 still in their closets. While that stuff does often get donated to other games for their NPC bins, I often do try to give away my nicer but old stuff to my friends who are new to larping and might have better use for it than I do (though I've noticed that stuff does then sit in their closets sometimes, too). A year or so ago I started to get together a big garb yard sale where we could all sell/swap garb we didn't want anymore, but never really got organized about it. But if we had something like that, a garb swap meet or yard sale, it could go a long way towards provisioning newer gamers and also clearing out space in our houses. ;-)