07 August 2007

Action Garb!!

I said it a long time ago and I'll say it again... All garb should be action garb! Good garb doesn't impede what you want to do at your event. It doesn't get in the way any more than the laws of physics mandate and doesn't have to be stripped out of to do what you want to do at any given moment. Not even the buttoned-up noble garb needs to put that tight a constraint upon you. Even my wife's noble allows her to do whatever might strike her fancy.

So it is that I advocate putting it through its paces before you finalize the design, prototype and beta-test your costume! Can you dance? Quaff and ale? Prepare a meal? Eat a meal? Drag a fallen comrade to safety? Swing from a chandelier? Ride down a sail on the point of a dirk? Jump on a passing horse? Do a backflip? Catch a golden snitch? In short, can you really do all that you need to do in it?

Remember that these aren't Halloween costumes! People lived in this stuff. These were the clothes they wore as they danced, played, quaffed ales, wrote letters, cooked, fought duels, and even swung from the occasional chandelier when the situation warranted it.

Here are some pictures from last weekend of my new suit of clothes in action at WRFF this past weekend...

Penning a letter of protest 'gainst the tyranny of Henry, Lord Darnley "Does anyone know if 'doody head' is hyphenated?"

When I am not in my fool's motley, I play the character James Bynder, Bookbinder, Natural Philosopher, Anatomist. He writes letters and acts as a legal counsel for the unlettered villagers and takes a ghoulish interest in all manner of things, being especially interested in finding bodies to further his scientific research...

How would you like a nice career as an anatomist's skeleton?

Could I perhaps interest you in donating your body to science?

And here are some additional photos taken by Chris Yetter, a professional photographer who covers our faire. He got some good action shots of the sort of things I expect from my garb (and arrogantly think you should too). He has kindly given permission for our actors to use images of themselves for non-commercial blogs and so forth...

Staring pensively out over the approach hordes of... patrons!


Um, you know I can recommend a good poultice
that will take care of that rash on your leg...



Helping a fallen fighter back to his feet during the closing battle
against Lord Darnley and his mercenary army...
"Now get back in there and fight!"


Celebrating Darnley's demise outside the gate...
"Ding Dong, the tyrant's dead!"

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