I’ve always loved dressing up in costumes. Most likely because, as with writing, it’s a way to become someone else for a short while. A way to “live” something you normally wouldn’t. With this fascination, it is a little sad to admit this was the first year I attended a renaissance faire. I should have done so sooner.
If you don’t know what a ren faire is, picture a field spread out around you. Maybe it’s surrounded by a forest, hazy blue mountains rising up in the distance and a hot blue sky hanging overhead. Add in rows of stalls and attractions, all featuring medieval-type goods and demonstrations, of course. Musicians move among the crowd, choosing paths to stand by and perform on. There is a jousting arena where knights and their steeds compete to the cheers and calls of the gathered crowd. Nearly everyone is wearing some type of medieval garb, whether they are nobles, shop keepers, or peasants. There are even a few pirates and a gypsy or two moving through the crowd.
Some ren faires are strict about being in-period if you come in costume. Everything about your garb has to ring true to the renaissance time period. The faire we went to was very lax about costume, which I enjoyed.
I only had a week to work on my garb, and I was on a budget. At first I thought I might end up going to the faire in street clothes. But where is the fun in that? :) I never really planned out my costume; I started by sorting through what scraps I had on hand and seeing what took form from there.
First I turned on old button-up dress shirt of my brother’s into a peasant’s shirt. Then I used scrap fabric to make myself a vest. From this point on I knew I was going to be a gypsy, but I had no idea what the end product would look like. Two runs to a fabric store—and an hour or two of looking through sale fabrics—later, I had the beginnings of my skirt, hip scarf, purse, and headband. It may not be entirely period, but I’m really happy with how my costume turned out.
We arrived just in time to watch the joust before walking through the faire stalls. It was my second time seeing a joust, and I loved it just as much as I had the first time. The announcer was hilarious, and he had the best pirate costume at the faire, in my opinion. :)
Over the course of the day I learned many interesting pieces of information about the medieval era, which will probably find their way into a future book. We ran into several people we know, and I ended up(no surprise here) purchasing a fancy knife to grace future costumes of mine. :)
Everyone at the faire was friendly, especially those running the stalls. They would try to draw you in to their booths, and some would barter over the price of items with you. It was a fantastic day, and I dare say I will be attending a ren faire again. :)
Have you ever gone to renaissance faire? What was your experience like?
Just B. Jordan is an award-winning author of fantasy and sci-fi. She graduated high school a year early and received her first publishing contract at the age of 18. To Ashes We Run is her most recent novel. Find it here.
Jennette
I love the renaissance faires. I’ve gone to a small local one twice and I loved it. The music, the horses, the costumes, and everyone was friendly. I even threw a few axes and actually hit the target. I hope to go to some more down the road.
Love your costume, and that dagger is awesome!! I’m not sure my hubby will let me have any more blades in the house. ha!
Kelly willis
I have this knife. In excellent condition. Can you tell me the value?
Rebecca Grabowski
I also have this knife and very good condition actually excellent and I was wondering if it was worth anything that belong to my great uncle.