The Brass Coast costumes

Look and Feel

Extract from the relevant art brief – expanded into specific costuming ideas

Colours (with images), fabrics, etc

Similar nations

Compare it to other nations with overlaps and discuss how to differentiate

Research

Historical/cultural inspiration (and how the nation differs/adheres to it), films, books, tv, google search terms

In detail

Breakdown of each garment worn, typical layers and fabrics for each

links to patterns, shops, traders etc.

Good substitutions for each garment

Specifics

Costuming high, middle and low status character

Men/Women/children in each category?

What you can achieve at different price brackets? (thinking of doing something along the lines of the Odyssey £30 kit challenge maybe Daisy and Jude!)

Hats and outerwear

Examples, materials, patterns etc.

Armour

Scale is the ideal armour, ideally in a bright golden colour. Chain in the “jannissary” style, particularly the chain helmets, is also great. Small pieces of plate or breastplates are also good especially if ornate and inlaid. Leather armour is common, either magnificently tooled or used to hold pieces of metal armour in place.

Armour, whether metal or leather, should have embellished edges and rich decoration, with calligraphy and ornate designs. Shields

Golden scale is the ideal armour, worn like mail or else secured with leather.

Mail worn in the “jannissary” style and armour reinforced with ornate metal or leather plates are both good.

Weapons

Round (ideally domed) metal shields, highly decorated if possible. Weapons

Scimitars are less common than straight swords and axes. The Bhuj, a large heavy single-bladed spear, is the ideal pole-arm. The best quality weapons are intricately etched and engraved.

Scimitars are not common, most Freeborn prefer an axe or straight sword. Weapons should ideally be inlaid and decorated with complex designs. The Indian “bhuj” is the favoured pole-arm.

The perfect Freeborn shield is a domed, round shield that is intricately decorated in gold.

Bibliography

Both an online “would you like to know more!” and a guide to the amazing books you can get on amazon.

Nation specific garment

Possibly – if we can think of something suitable for each nation!