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Originally Posted by Mark12_30
Regarding wearing cloaks outdoors-- wear them on brief walks, or out to check the mail, or out walking the dog if you have one. You'll get used to it. Also-- wear them with normal clothes, with a pair of boots. (Wearing a full constume takes a lot more nerve than just wearing "a nice full coat with no sleeves.") When Raefindel sent me my lovely, wonderful, new-favorite long green cloak, I wore it out in the front garden and ran around and played tag with my dog. (It moves beautifully!)
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Alas, I have only to cross the room to check my mail and I have no dog. But last summer I attempted to get my cats to use harnesses. If I succeed (which I doubt as they sensibly hiss and spit when they see aforementioned items and work feline magic on my 'guilt' centre) I shall take them for 'walkies' while wearing a cloak and add to my eccentric reputation.
But, I'm hoping to wear my cloak at Tolkien 2005 in Birmingham, so I'm going to have to 'roadtest' it soon, aren't I? I have actually been toying with the idea of making a wizard's hat for fun, as I have a pattern for one; if I do, I shall have to take up wood-whittling and make a staff to match.
About boots, I found a pair in the sales that are made from pale brown suede, with a fake lacing effect up the sides and a foldover top. I snapped them up because they look very Middle Earth - I have the same ones in black, bought for three times the price a few months before, but they strangely look more pirateish.
I was at York Viking Festival at the weekend and there were some wonderful stalls selling 'authentic' Viking goods including the heaviest, hairiest wools you can imagine, good cloak fabrics, furs (which I steered clear of, sometimes things are a little
too authentic), jewellery and all kinds of interesting stuff including horns (for Boromir wannabes), drinking vessels and hand made knives. Here's a weblink to a site selling some rather nice cloak pins which I saw while I was there:
http://www.runesmith.co.uk/index.html