Take your Pirate Garb to the next level – Make it look real!!

Take your Pirate Garb to the next level – Make it look real!!

We all want to look like “real” pirates who have recently washed up from a long voyage, hopefully with gold in our hold. The distress, weathered look doesn’t just happen after your first festival, not even after a year of events…. It has to be forced if you want to look the part.  Truthfully, the more dirty the pirate and more aged, distressed and weathered the clothes are the more believable the character.

So I will share with you in this “How To be a Pirate” Tutorial just how to get the “real” pirate look I know you aRe after.

Step One:

Fitting-

Make sure your clothes fit the way you want them to. They don’t have to fit in modern day standards because it wasn’t unlikely that the clothes of a pirate might be a small fit or just a bit big as most pirates didn’t have a seamstress on hand nor did they purchase their clothing at the local big box store – it’s more likely they stole them. But your clothes do need to fit your character and your body comfortable. Think about wearing your outfit all day at a hot pirate festival or walking in a pirate parade – it’s not a Halloween costume that you just have to survive until the parties over. It’s your Pirate Clothes! Never think of it as a costume!!

Step Two:

Size up-

Size up your clothing and decide just how much damage your willing to inflict. It’s best to again think of your character and the persona you are trying to portray. The lower your status the more rugged your clothes should be. You want to have an informal plan on how much your willing to distress your clothing – because you don’t want to get carried away with the creative process and lose to much of the actual integrity of the clothing item – again you want to think of this as clothing and you want to wear it to many events to come.

Step Three:

Wash-

Wash your clothing! I know clean isn’t the look we are going for, however, a good wash will help the cloth feel good against your skin, get them clean for use (after all we are not going to use real dirt), and allow the aging process to start, as you will begin to break down the material fibers and allow for some colors to bleed and threads to loosen.

Step Four:

Tea Time-

Make some tea! Broil tea bags in a big pan, allowing the tea to get nice and dark. I also like to throw in some dark coffee. Now place your pirate clothing in the tea/coffee water to set for a few hours…. You can stir occasionally, or as needed, but not to much, I really like the look of the tea stain when it darkens in the creases and unevenly over the fabric… really adds a natural dirt and rustic look that can’t be beat!

Step Five:

Antique-

While the fabric is still damp I like to add some antiquing and well placed, distress stains. You can mix a dark coffee brew for this procedure or dilute a little paint (brown works best) in water and literally paint on your clothing in the areas that would naturally be the dirtiest. For example I like to add sweat rings under the arms, a little around the neck and down the back and the cuffs…. Anywhere you would naturally sweat, get dirty, wipe your hands, pockets, skirt hem, etc.

Step Six:

Distress (Artificially make old)-

After your clothing has dried, it's time to start distressing the material. Starting at the edges, take a razor and lightly break the material. Just lightly go over areas that would again naturally be used more than others – this will allow it to look naturally frayed. Use caution not to cut too much or cut yourself. You may also want to add a few rips and tears. A natural way to do this is with sandpaper and to rub the fabric – going against the grain until it begins to tear or wears through. This again should be done in strategic areas that would receive the most wear and tear. When tearing, cutting, or sanding place a piece of cardboard or wood between layers of fabric so you don’t go through to the other side of the garment.

Step Seven:

Add Some Sun-

Particularly if your clothes are dark you want them to look sun bleached, lightened by age and by the spray of sea salt. To do this add a little bleach to water in a spray bottle… you will want to test this inside the clothing if possible… you can also apply with a sponge… be careful not to get to much… you can always add more as you go and it does dry lighter… so let it dry prior to deciding if you need to add more. Again strategically spray the mix where the sun would naturally lighten the clothing after many years at sea. On a captains coat this would be the back of the shoulders, slightly on the upper section of the arms (never under the arms or down the sides).

Step Eight:

Add some Character-

Now it’s time to add some character. Again think of your persona and who you are as a pirate – this will allow you to add your own creativity to this step. I think its best to lose a few buttons, and replace a few with non-matching replacements. Sew a few patches on by hand (strategic placement). Each step can add to your characters story and help develop your persona – making you a real pirate.

These are only a few suggestions to get that “real” pirate look for your next festival or event. I recommend really thinking about who you are as a pirate and where you have come from so that your clothes can help tell your story and add as proof – credibility to being “real”. Of course you can always distress them by taking them to the shooting range, playing tug a war with your dog, throwing an axe at them, leaving them in the driveway for a few days or burying them in your yard…. Do what works best for you and your crew.

Thanks for reading I hope this helps further your pirate fun and I can’t wait to see what you have created at the next pirate gathering!

If you would like to see photos of pirate clothing I have distressed please visit 

http://www.mackaypiratefamily.com/character-models

Thanks