Costumes for SCA and Renaissance Faires

• Jewelry. Metal jewelry looks wonderful, but could become very hot and even painfully uncomfortable if you're likely to spend a lot of time in the sun.
• Keep Cool. Wrap ice in a small towel that has been soaked in cold water and hide it under your headdress for merciful relief from hot conditions.
• Reflect Heat. Light colors will absorb less heat from the sun than dark colors, and may be more comfortable in hot weather.
• Natural Fibers. Natural fibers such as cotton, silk, and linen have several advantages over synthetics. They breathe better, and therefore won't feel as hot. There's also safety to consider. If you're likely to be dancing near a fire, natural fibers are much safer in the event a spark flies in your direction. Polyester and other synthetics can be very dangerous around fire.
• Washable Fabrics. Historical re-enactment events typically occur outdoors under dusty conditions. Consider fabrics such as cotton that hold up well under washing and beware of fragile design details that might not survive your laundry equipment.
• Color. I haven't researched what colors of dyes may have actually existed during the Medieval and Renaissance eras, so I can't advise you on that. But one consideration is to choose colors that will be easy to see in your dance environment. For example, at SCA events, people often enjoy dancing around the campfires at night. Costumes in red, orange, and black would be difficult to see in such lighting, so you might consider colors that would be more visible by firelight.

This article is part of the Suite101 "Middle Eastern Dance" topic area. For the other Suite101 articles, discussion forums, and opinion polls related to Middle Eastern dance, music, and culture, see the Welcome page on Suite101. For other articles written by Shira about these topics, please see Shira's own popular web site at www.shira.net.

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