Historical Costumes

The thing about history is, there's a lot of it! If you want to travel back in space and time to a different place and era, you have a lot of options. Medieval or Renaissance Europe. Ancient Egypt. Prehistory. Ancient Greece or Rome. The American frontier or old south. Victorian England. Pretty much you-name-it! You can become a specific historic figure such as Cleopatra, Benjamin Franklin, or Julius Caesar. Or you can be a generic medieval knight, Greek goddess or Renaissance maiden. 

Renaissance festivals or costume parties are the perfect places to show off one of our historical costumes. If you're going to play a specific historic or literary figure such as Queen Elizabeth I, find a picture of the person to see what kind of clothing he or she actually wore. That will make it easier to select a historical costume that will give you an authentic look. Once you've picked your costume, learn about your character. If your character is a literary figure, read the literature. For a Shakespearean character, for example, perhaps memorize a few lines from the play. For a historic person, find something that the person wrote, or a transcription of a speech she or he gave. Many kept diaries or journals, and everyone wrote letters in the days before computers, the internet, and email.

If you're playing a generic character, learn a bit about the era you want to portray. Find pictures of historic figures of the day to get a sense of the authentic style. Historical novels are a good way to learn about the lives of ordinary people and how they spoke and behaved. For example, a medieval tavern keeper and his family would dress and behave differently than a knight and his family.

We have many costumes that cover a large part of human history. Search through our medieval clothing and renaissance costumes to find your perfect historical outfit. Even if you hated history in school, we're sure you'll find a historical costume to love!