Medieval Costume Pictures

The question of how to make medieval costumes conjures images of Merlin, King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, plague, pestilence, Robin Hood and more. Modern renaissance fairs challenge you to dress up in medieval dress, play medieval characters and enjoy a rollicking good time.

The Scotsman is a very popular feature not only at Irish/Gaelic festivals, Ren Fairies and medieval dress up, but he is also an easy costume to put together. You'll need a guilt, a loose shirt. You can wear standard boots and a leather jerkin or throw a bit of matching tartan for a sash and a leather pouch for the belt and you're good to go.

The minstrel is a popular medieval costume. You need a loose shirt, a colored vest, and light leather or leather like pants. The minstrel can be scruffy and wear a floppy hat, but you should definitely carry a period instrument such as a lute or smallish guitar.

For little girls, look for velvet dresses at a thrift store, Christmas dresses often have a lot of fabric you can harvest or make use of. Trim back the neck to make it round and add some lace to the cuffs.

If you plan to wear your medieval costume to a Renaissance festival, be sure to check out the vendors and merchants. They often cater to those who enjoy dressing up and have handmade items like these hand tooled leather boots.

The layered look can help you achieve a very nice medieval effect. The simple white shift beneath a more elaborate over dress that ties at the bodice creates the right look and is easy to put together even if you don't do a lot of sewing.

You can buy costumes, make your own or even put together the pieces from different outfits, but when you are deciding on how to make our medieval costume, consider the person you are portraying. Peasants often didn't wear shoes or wore very loose ones, it wasn't all that likely that they were clean and that sometimes the most authentic look is the simple one.