I've worked at a viking museum here in sweden. I can say one thing... at the end of the day. All of us smell like smoke. The blacksmiths more so than anyone else. and honestly I don't think I've ever seen any of the blacksmiths with clean clothing. Charcoal has a tendency to basically turn any piece of fabric black.
A great thing to consider if you're playing a character that is a blacksmith. Roll around in some charcoal for realism! I find smoke after one day or so to remain fairly pleasant, but as soon as it starts to get stale, I at least begin to feel the need of visiting the village bathhouse ;)
The problem with pipeless "black" furnaces, sure. Not a thing for a later medieval period when chimneys appear. Soot used to be a black pigment for dying plant-based cloth such as linen. It doesn't stick to animal-based fibre such as wool or silk, so those are likely to remain colourful.
Man, knowing that you're in a children's wizard robe completely changes how I look at that outfit. Went from 'merchant's assistant' to 'wizard who spent all his money on books instead of clothes.'
To get the smell out of your cloth, you can also air them out. Just put them out in the sun for a few hours. The heat and UV-rays kill most bacteria and smells. Works especially well with wool clothing. Just brush off any dirt.
@@LivingAnachronism I traveled with a theatre troupe that had one-of-a-kind costumes that could not be laundered. The costumer was told by the designer and fabricator to use a vodka and water mixture 1:1 in a spray bottle. The costumes repeatedly went from the stage to being sprayed to the road case to the next venue without accumulating smells. Grab your ketchup and crunch away my friends.
One of the points why linen undergarments and woolen outer garments work so great. Wool doesn't smell, dirt can be brushed off and then aired. And linen takes all the sweat, doesn't smell either and can be cooked to clean it. And if dried in the sun it gets real white
I made a floppy medieval inspired hat using two cotton pillowcases inside one another and no sewing. The inside fabric has a cream color with silver floral pattern, while the outer one is solid blue. It can be rolled and folded into a couple styles of hat depending on your situation. I figure a medieval traveler would appreciate the ability to turn it into a storage bag or two if necessary. I appreciate how little work it required.
Turn one bag inside out and stick it inside the other. Fold the double bag back on itself for about half the length, like rolling up pant cuffs. Then roll back one corner to make the back of the hat. It covers my ears and neck for sun protection, reaching to the top of my thoracic spine.
Detachable sleeves that are obvious definitely give the fantasy vibe, which is cool if that's what you want. Most historical garments with detachable sleeves have the connection hidden.
I am very interested in seeing a video on converting a piece to have detachable sleeves. Also I love the fact that your glove was born out of necessity, helps add to the "lived in" feel of the character.
With that new/old tunic your whole garb has a very early medieval eastern european vibe. Maybe throw a Bocksten style cloak, seax and axe/sword on there and you might as well be a young Varangian prince.
me: "Detachable sleeves looks great, but they are not good protection against wind, rain or cold." also me, 5s later: "That's why you wear a cloak and a cowl!" And reusing wizards robe from your childhood as a tunic is brilliant idea!
As a larper myself, I cannot express enough how important especially tips 7 to 10 are. Projects from necessity, aside from providing you with exactly what you need, add so much flair, whether it's your glove, or an ingredients purse, or whatnot. Also, the worth of a piece of cloth cannot be ovestated. Impromptu face mask, loot satchel, makeshift bandages, or wet headscarf - always carry one on you.
As someone who doesn't larp, but likes going to ren faires, the spare cloth is invaluable when all the food and beverages available are greasy or sticky, and you don't want to stain your garb that isn't easily washed.
Very nice advice! If I may add to the point about belts, specifically for people who wear skirts/dresses: long, structured undergarment (stays, corsets, etc) are very good for supporting the wieght of whatever is on your belts and the sometimes heavy skirts. Just not lace it too tight or you can't move... It also provides back support as a bonus.
A good wide leather belt is great to wear outside of the clothes under the other two to help distribute the weight of multiple pouches and swords. You can make one yourself pretty easily, and lace it in front and back like a corset or like those sleeves on his outer tunic.
*Starts video, immediately notices glove* "Huh. Aragorn!" Also, I think your outfit looks kinda like a Celtic-esque merchant, perhaps a traveling one. Detachable sleeves are the best, super useful, stylish, and it adds that little extra Witcher-vibe.
Thanks for the tips. Your tip on repurposing/remaking outmoded garb is not only brilliant idea, but a financially sound one. The old wizard robe works well for a hired blade or spellsword look. It looks pretty Gondorian too.
Your thumbnail is literally what I'm working on right now. I have a habit of being too roasty, so I need the option to take off sleeves to cool myself. And the design of the garment has large flowy kimono-esque sleeves, having the option to take them off for practical activities is absolutely necessary. Mostly, with the garment, I wanted a combination of practical AND pretty, depending on what I'm doing without having to have a large wardrobe--which most people did not have back in the old days.
@@LivingAnachronism Yep, I'm planning to only lace around from the front to back over the shoulder only. It also makes it easier to remove and reattach.
WOW! Every time I watch one of your videos, it makes my heart sing. I'm an amature fashion historican and costume designer, and your points on natural fibers, projects out of necessity, and the historically accurate vs. authentic were all very well put and had me cheering! Thank you also for posting videos that don't sound like rambling or ranting. Everything is thoughtful and experienced, and I wanted to thank you for that.
A note about detachable sleeves. I constantly used a coat that I had altered with removable sleeves, and the natural fading on the chest part ended up vastly different.
Oh yeah, a video on making detachable sleeves would be awesome! Also, been meaning to say, your indoor studio area looks really great, it has such a cozy vibe. Thanks for another awesome video!
Another cleaning tip I learned from people I used to reenact with. This is for wool clothing specifically but I've used for other heavy materials. Have a spray bottle with watered down alcohol in it. I think we used a 1:1 mix. Turn your garb inside out and hit problem areas(underarms for example) with the spray. Just enough to get it slightly damp, not soaking. Then turn back right-side out and give a light misting. Hang dry. This is really good for when you're overnighting to make sure sweat smells don't accumulate.
I bought a cheap dress that ended up being way too short for me, so now I wear it more like a tunic, with leggings and either a nice belt, or a corset. It works beautifully.
1. commenting for the algorithm. 2. Came here from the discord server, thanks for setting that up. 3. I’d love a video on adding detachable sleeves, or even a series on modifying modern clothing. 4. Are you planning on giving your thoughts on the D&D OGL debacle? I’d love to hear what your plans are.
I have thoughts on it, however I'm not sure the channel is necessarily the right place for that, as it's mostly license issues, rather than content issues like RoP that I can actually address. It's definitely a problem if Wizards of the Coast is coming down hard on copyrights, the entire premise of D&D is that you can do with it what you want and you pretty much don't even need the rules at all. I can't imagine that the OGL will stand as it is, I'm worried with the "compromise" would be.
@@LivingAnachronism I agree. That conversation would seem a bit out of place here in your world. Looks like the whole thing is just going to implode on Hasbro anyway, so… I say let it ride and stay on your adventure. But, to steal a line for Blazing Saddles. If you must. You must. Just my thoughts put here for you to do with as you please. Grab your ketchup and crunch away my friends.
I feel that a video on manufacturing detachable sleeves would be very interesting. Beyond merely being more versatile, it would likely allow for greater ventilation under the arms. My old dojo did something very similar with their gi, in that they had eyelets spaced around the under arm, beginning from the ribcage. Given it was a black outfit, I was wholeheartedly in agreement.
I my opinion the glove goes beyond historically plausible to historically probable. Knowing what we do about humans and the materials and tools broadly available for most of human history it's an absolute certainty that plenty of people have said "I need a hand covering and I have scrap material of some kind lying around." It pains me when people stick to the historical record when things like this definitely existed, probably far more than they do today, but were mundane enough to fall through the cracks of documentation. It's adding intuition to academics.
You asked about ideas for your new outfit/character, and my first thought was "thief". Dark colors to help you blend in to shadows. That was my thought before you talked about the glove. The patchwork glove also makes sense for a criminal: he's less likely to be buying things at a shop and more likely to be making them himself from old scraps. You just need to trade the red belt for one that's less visible.
When I was regularly doing hema training I wore slightly padded leather gloves. Still my skin at the thumb got noticable thicker from the guard. And from all the sweating and rubbing the inside of my left glove wore through quite regularly. I think I covered the inside of the hand completely over time. In some areas there are about 3 layers of different leathers. Original pig leather, random modern patches, scaled fish leather. By the way, if you sometimes want to craft something very special looking out of leather, look for exotic leathers. There is fish leather that looks really nicely scaly (I have a small pouch of red fish leather, looks great like dragon hide and covered my scabbard in green scaly leather), bullfrog leather, stingray leather and extremely nice bird leg leather (from chicken or even ostrich, that looks even more dragon like, it's used for fake crocodile#
Absolutely do videos on converting upper garments to sleeve-optional, hat making, whatever you think people will actually do and use. The Welsh Viking has already done turned shoes and another popular channel whose name escapes me has done a custom wizard's cloak with inner pockets, but the sky is the limit otherwise.
Just out of curiosity, have you ever seen/interacted with LARPers that take inspiration from medieval Arab or African garb/kit? After living for a couple weeks in Amman, I can attest that a lot of clothing that people wear is made to be compatible with both the hot days and cold nights (even snow). It's a style of garb that I feel could help create a believable look that is also unique and comfortable. I would imagine similar clothing can be found in the histories of the Sahel, Ethiopian highlands, and parts of southern/sub-Saharan Africa that experience similar climate.
Another way to deal with smells on garments that can't be laundered: 1:1 mix of water and alcohol (I use cheap vodka) or 1:1:1 mix of water, vinegar, and alcohol. Just mix it and spray your garment. It's a theatre trick that I use for cosplays that can't be laundered. It's incredibly effective for how easy it is.
Our group has made a game out of who can find the cheapest most off brand vodka for cleaning. Also, we just do 50/50 water and vodka and it seems to do the job. Will definitely experiment with adding vinegar and see if it helps with toxic boy sweat. Lol
I'm really into court/noble fantasy novels so as a result I tend to lean into historical fashion to build from (henrician/English renaissance especially). I've reached the point where I have 2-3 bodices, under shirts/chemises and skirts (plus a petticoat). While it's no way larp suitable/proof, it def suits my community of ren faires and tea/picnic meets.
Doing living history I can 100% support your last tip. For a week at the museum I use plenty of differently shaped linen cloths to work as an apron, cover food, clean surfaces, use as a dish cloths or cover the head of my kid.
The glove was the coolest bit - noticed it right away and was wondering about it. Looks wonderful, and adds to the overall look ... just not sure what that look it going to be for the tunic in question.
Sure sure larping european fashion is nice. But personally, I love those Ottoman outfits. Now that activates the neurons, it is very underrated in fantasy settings.
yet more awesome advice :) for materials I would also add that while it's great to look up what was historically used where you actually live it, can also be good to research what was historically used in similar climates elsewhere in the world because while where you live it may be hot in summer and people used thin linen, somewhere else in also hot in the summer people might have used raw silk (an incredibly versatile fabric) so this kind of searching does often yield interesting and new ideas
It's funny that this got recommended me when it did. I'm currently working on a post-apocalyptic themed outfit. The centerpiece of the outfit is a leather jacket with detachable sleeves laced on with Paracord. I used a seam ripper to remove the sleeves and grommet pliers to make eyelets to lace it up with.
I agree 100 percent. I have been larping and doing medieval reenactment and similar things since I was 18 so I have a lot of medieval garb and for certain characters and people I can’t wear certain tunics or colors with because those characters don’t wear them. So I totally understand.
Just got some penanular brooches few weeks ago, shoutout to GlitterbeardsCrafts and MoggyMetals on Etsy in UK, good quality brooches, perfect for shawls and scarves too
You inspired me to remember an old cotton tunic I had gotten several years ago which is too small now, but which I am now thinking I'm going to try my hand at repurposing by ripping out the threadwork and adding grommets all up the sides and on the shoulders.
I'm surprised you didn't mention some even simpler and more historical ways to care for clothing: airing and sunning. A good airing out will refresh clothing quite nicely, and sunlight has antibacterial properties that will kill those stink germs as well. You can also diy fabric refresher spray quite easily: dilute rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol down to about 10% strength, and add essential oil if desired. Spray clothing, hang it up, and it's plenty fresh.
Great video! You can also use vodka and spray it onto garments that still contain a smell to deodorise. It's a tip used in the theatre for items that aren't easily cleaned and may have been stored for a long period of time
The use of gloves may have been regulated by the Sumptuary laws The detachable sleeves are great. When I was on cast (had to dress in historically accurate garb) we use to use ribbons to add some flare and color for the ladies outfits. For the men, I mostly went without sleeves, if it got too cold, we used ruanas to keep warm
I´m loving the fact that you´ve kept this piece once supposed as a wizard´s robe for a small kid. Satisfying to hear so, in times as people just live with that sort of a "buy-and-waste" mentality.
I finally went ahead and spent money on a good leather kit belt because I was tired of all my faux belts and cinchers deteriorating and falling apart every faire
AMEN TO NATURAL FIBERS!!! Just got rained out of Battle for the Ring this weekend. Yeah it's southern California, but hours of torrential rain in the chill ain't fun. I was in all wool from hood to Uggs. While breaking camp I was sopping, wringing, streaming wet, but BY GOD I was WARM ENOUGH!
I am an Archer, so i wear a finger less leatherglove on my bow hand as a restglove and a full finger leatherglove on my shooting hand. Makes me able to both use the medieval drew and the asiatic thumbdraw. My bows are not more than 30 lb in draw weight. And my leather armor wambraces are the armguard and armquiver combined.
i loved tip #10 haveing been to 'several' Pensic War Events (SCA), I have seen way too many people who don't think about climate/weather or take it into consideration. My personal recomendation, would be to find a (pre 1970s) Boy scout manual, and read up on how many uses their neckscarfs had.
As a man who works a great deal out in the field, I carry three bandannas every day. 101 different uses. Just be careful what colors you wear in what neighborhood. I always wondered if colored sashes or such were used in a similar way in those time periods
Greetings traveler! I hope you have been well. I have binge watched half this channel in 3 days lol I love and support the content. I am working on a dwarf kit for streaming and LARP. I have scoured pintrest and found some good ideas persay, but etsy is of no use for good dwarven armor. I would love to hear your suggestions for the start of the kit and getting deep (were talking daily wear lol) into the making of the garb.
Don't choke up on your sword; after drawing it, shift your hand down slightly just so the quillons of your hilt don't rub on your thumb knuckle, or the back of your hand. Or make it a habit to reach for your sword, and start pulling your hand away from the hilt before gripping to draw. Not sure how LARP fighting works, but this is what I was taught in my various swordsmanship classes. Another reason not to choke up so high is that the quillons wont get in your way as you maneuver the sword, giving you better range of movement. Yes, this takes quite some time to turn into muscle memory since drawing a sword isn't likely part of your daily life.
There are anyway several different grips. And a lot of time, the thumb goes over the crossguard. Of course, gloves are always helpful, but one should not get use to bad or wrong habits how to hold a longsword.
I can confirm this works great as an actor myself ;) Might even work better for some characters since odoban can smell very floral, but the alcohol scent might be more fitting for some
Tip number eleven: Get a water bottle. You need to stay hydrated, especially at larps. Getting some salty snacks is also a good idea to replace your salt, especially in summer.
The look you have in the SkillShare ad was great. I suggest more videos working in that (I assume basement) workshop. The white walls make for great contrast and your site is Living Anachronism so that concrete block fits that well for contrast for making things, aka we usually make things in the real modern world
Looking at historical clothes for for the Normans and other peoples that lived close to them, I found that they follow the three layer system used by modern backpackers and hikers. The base layer is to wick moisture off of the body, and I can not recommend wool socks enough for that. The mid layer is there to keep in the body heat. The shell layer is usually the cloak and is there to keep wind and any rain off of you.
Necessity.... is why I swordfight wearing lacrosse gloves under steel half-gauntlets with added leather lames... got tired of having my fingers mashed in finger gauntlets or work gloves. then got tired of having bits of my knuckles pinched off if someone came in sideways and got my hand. And also have foam padding on the me-side of my shield, almost got my arm broken through my shield once. Also on upsizing things you've outgrown.... armpit gussets. They can add an extra few inches to the chest and shoulders, and are pretty basic to add into an existing garment if you have basic sewing skills.
Extra tip from me and my Friends based on Tipp 8 we do LARP in Germany and if you want to get armor... get shoulder and upper arm armor or lower leg protection first, thats where you get hit most (from our experience)
The newbies deserve to know: it's more than a couple of grommets. More than a few even. You're going to need at least eight per edge to get a good connection between the sleeves and the body, so that's at least 32 in total, and you'll probably want more than that, especially if your character is a prosperous farmer. ;) I myself got to a dozen per edge before I was happy with how well it kept the wind out.
Love the video! Fantastic advice that I think all of us need to hear at some point. Not only for living anachronism, but just living in the modern age in a materialistic world
Really useful tips. To me, it is a real art to make believable items. Although I portray a science fiction character, it is also important to me that something "could be in that universe, but you see it nowhere in the material available". I disagree though a little with "too big is better than too small". For certain items, this can become very uncomfortable. Even worse, if you want to wear armor, especially metal. If your undergarments are not tailor made, the event can become really awful with chafing and clothing bunching up where it is not supposed to do that.
Great and informative video for the community! Adding on from your advice about some type of cloth, I would recommend some type of headpiece for thermal regulation. It doesn't have to be a fancy. A simple arming cap or a head cloth like a shemagh works wonders, especially if you're a fool like me who likes to get into a bunch of armor and traipse around the faire all day...
About the new outfit. When I first saw it I thought, “Oh. Kramer is working on a new outfit. I wonder what it will look like when he’s finished.” Then as I watched the video I didn’t give it much thought. After, I went back and paused the video in several places to get a better look at the outfit with the idea of how could it be finished. Silver/white filigree cord around the collar and down the front edges matching the cord on the sleeves. A splash of filigree on the chest and maybe a splash of something on the back. Perhaps some of the same cord running in an inverse v from the neck to the bottom to create a coat-tail appearance. Trim the bottom to give it texture and distinguish it from the clothing beneath. Now we’re looking at a merchant prince or traveling noble. Throw in a hood either red to pull the belt into the look or grey like the shirt beneath. Either with the same filigree cord on the borders to tie it all together. I like the grey better as it leaves the belt as the one splash of bright color while it compliments the upscale look of the rest of the outfit and draws the eyes of those around, like you do as a noble or merchant prince. Grab your ketchup and crunch away my friends.
Specialty sports equipment solves a lot of grip & chafing comfort problems, and horse riding in particular favors leather. 1 - Color guard gloves are fingerless gloves made for people gripping, throwing, and catching fast-moving 6' poles, 2' blocks of wood, and dulled sabers. Different brands offer different levels of padding on the palms; more padding means it's less practical for everyday activities. 2 - Half chaps are the easy and beautiful route for classy leg coverings, especially if you need to disguise more modern-looking boots. And they're sturdy, too. 3 - Horse tack is made up of various leather straps and loops that are intended for hard use, even the ones with decoration. Seriously, I'm just looking for an excuse to repurpose a browband.
My folks just started watching Side Story of Fox Volant on RU-vid. The first fight scene reminded me of some of your darker outfits, if you ever find yourself in an Asian setting lol
Another tip for cleaning garments that cannot be washed in a washing machine is to put vodka into a spray bottle and spray the inside of the garment. The vodka will kill the bacteria. Costume departments use it regularly.
For the last tip, not just for larp/reenactments, but for every day carry for me is 2 cotton bandanas. Sudden rainfall, hotter than you expect, as hot as you expected, mud you didn't see in the road, scraped knee from a dumb dog deciding to stop in front of your bike to keep you from going home on your bicycle (which you have done every day for the past YEAR AND A HALF!), and then when the mask order for 2020 happened I had a (felt like I was robbing a bank) mask.
Another tip for washing unwashables, if you are worried about shrinking an item or such you can make up a container of washing powder dilluted in water and then dip a cloth into that, wring most the water out and wipe your clothes or kit down with that. Essentially dry cleaning it. It works surprisingly well. Also works really well if your car has a canopy with carpet in it that your dog travels in and after one jaunt he's had about a dozen leeches attach themselves and get a bit of a feed between his toe pads. 🙄
