A Marcher costume diary
Costume Design for Larp
Getting the right costume can be a crucial part of developing your character - not all of us have the luxury of commissioning a complete outfit from scratch, and assembling a new look from a mix of old and new kit can be a real challenge. Here's how I generally go about designing and assembling costume, using my work-in-progress Marcher musician as an example as I go.
What sort of person is my character going to be?
Here's where you try and get a basic idea of the person you're going to portray. Are they rich or poor? Practical or fanciful? What do they like and dislike? What elements of the brief am I going to pick up on here?
One of the fun things I liked about the Marches brief is its practicality - it's not that the people aren't well off, it's just that they see no reason to squander money on fripperies - in fact, there's a real reverse snobbery that I thought I could pick up on. I want this outfit to be understated and very plain, for the most part, with a few little details that make it stand out. I'm going to use a palette of mostly browns, greys and creams, with a few touches of brass and gold here and there.
What IC and OOC practical considerations do I need to take into account?
Most outfits need a pouch to carry your IC money; it's helpful to have another pouch or a hidden pocket to keep your OOC essentials, such as OOC money and spirit gum for running makeup repairs.
I'm considering using facial prosthetics for this character, so the neckholes are going to have to be reasonably wide to accomodate potential horns, and I might need to consider lacing down the front.
What images from the media appeal to me that might help me with my design?
Have a look at the internet - it's full of pictures from films and TV that might help you get an idea of how you might want your outfit to look. You don't have to copy them, but forming a mini "mood board" can help you get an idea of what you might like your costume to look like.
The look of Marian in the recent Robin Hood film, Lady Stark in Game of Thrones and Eowyn in Lord of the Rings all appeal to me - that slightly worn, grimy practicality was something I really wanted to get across in my costume. I also like the layers of the toning colours in these costumes - while I'm not going to copy any of them exactly, I like the colour palette and the general style.
Ready to scribble?
You don't need to be a great artist to draw a quick sketch, and you don't need to show it to anyone but yourself! If you find it difficult to get the proportions of figures right, [this] webpage has templates you can print out and trace, then sketch the rough lines of your costume out over the top.
Terrible, isn't it? Wax crayons clearly aren't my medium. However, you can make out the rough outlines of the design - a white headscarf, an ankle length dress with apron and front lacing, a belt, elbow length sleeves and a darker brown shoulder cover/partlet (which I'm not altogether convinced by, on looking at it, but it can be added or not at the end.) I think I might also add a very similar overdress/kirtle, but I'm confident enough that it'll look ok that I don't feel the need to draw another layer - though I might before the end.
What have I got already?
You can have a look through your kit stash and see if there's anything you can use - in fact, sometimes you can base a whole costume around a really great bit of kit that you have already. What do I need? Always worth a rummage in your local charity shop.
Accessories
Despite having a huge pile of junk in my house, this costume is much more understated than what I usually go for, so I'm a bit worried that I won't have anything that'll work. However, a quick rummage shows up a wooden cup, a brown leather belt, a pouch and a big ring of brass keys, which all work with the look I'm going for. With this costume in mind, I also picked up a couple of linen tablemat type things from Oxfam for the princely sum of £2 and £4, which will be my apron and headscarf.
