What LotR Costumes/Clothes Have You Made?

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

You could have a look for some UK web-based shops, as there seems to be rather a lot of fake 'vintage' around at the moment, and lots of it is in the sales too. Lots of strange floaty things, coupled with nice hobbity tweeds, and when worn the right way quite interesting!

Was it that long ago I made my cloak? Since then I have also bought a rather lovely velvet cloak; it was double sided and so thick and soft that I just had to have it. So now I have two cloaks, but alas, I don't have the nerve to wear them outdoors...

Thanks for the suggestion, and the "note" of hope-- when things go out of style, they arrive in the thrift shops-- HURRAH! I shall begin haunting the mathom-houses...

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 costume 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!)

[Lyta_Underhill]

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.")

Sometimes it is so cold that the grey cloak is mandatory walkwear for me! I can tell you that I don't wear hobbit breeches in cold weather--too many drafts! Suffice it to say that the winter hobbit wardrobe here at Chez Lyta is military surplus pants with many cargo pockets, one of which holds an East German canteen full of water (I find that miruvor tends to make the path a bit harder to follow!), a British military wool sweater over one of several Frodoish white buttondown shirts (easy to find at yard sales and thrift stores in many variations). The vest was harder to find, and I had to make it--it broke ten sewing needles in the process! AAARGH!

You're right about the full costume taking more nerve to wear, Helen. I have worn the full Frodo outfit a couple of times on my walk, but oddly enough, the looks I got were no stranger than the ones I get every day (since I carry Sting whether I dress up or not!)

I can tell you that, besides thrift stores, the upcoming yard sale "season" is a veritable gold mine for finding odd clothing and also material. Last year I bought a large remnant of brown velvet that was exactly enough to complete one pair of Mr. Frodo hobbit breeches! (Incidentally, the VERY hard to find button attached suspenders proved impossible to find at normal venues, but since Mr. Lyta is an avid collector of all kinds of military surplus, he dug out a pair of old style German submarine pants suspenders, which, although they didn't quite color coordinate, matched the hobbit style of suspender quite nicely!) So my recommendation is yard sales and military surplus stores, the less organized the better for lots of fun digging through the bins!

As a postnote to this, I managed some years ago at one of these dark, unorganized military surplus outlets to find all the components necessary to build an authentically beaten up looking lightsaber for a Jedi outfit I made. The parts cost $3, and replacing the Dremel head that was broken while making it cost $7--total outlay $10! And boy did it look used--not shiny like those things you buy out of catalogs. This one looked like it had been through the Clone Wars and several summers on Tatooine! But I digress...

Cheers!
Lyta (now back to box diving for fun and employment....)

[Lalwendë]

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!)

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

[Thinlómien]

When I was six years old I made Tom Bombadil's boots. I took paper, coloured it yellow with crayons and somehow taped them around my feet like boots. Then I jumped around singing Tom's songs. I also wore a blue shirt and made a beard from my hair. (I luckily happen to have brown hair... ) I was a bit crazy child then.
After these boots I haven't made any LotR costumes...