Costume

sampa

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Are you wearing a costume for any upcoming parties or trick or treating/trunk or treat with kids? Have you in the past? If so what are you going as or have gone as? Do you like wearing costumes even outside of the Halloween season?

Personally I don't care for Halloween in general but I love wearing costumes. Not the scary ones though. I'm working on a rococo Victorian gown for a gathering I organized in November. And last weekend of this month I will go to a botanical Garden to help with a trick or treat event outdoors in the woods. Haven't figured out my costume for that one. Plus my workplace has a contest and I will put something together for that. Last year I submitted a picture of myself as blueberry muffin from the strawberry shortcake collection. I think for the botanical Garden I'm going to be Katniss from hunger games.
 

Sif

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I have a costume I've worn on Halloween and on other occasions. It is a Viking Shield Maiden costume. It is a mail hauberk, helmet, sword, dagger and spear with period approximates for garments and footwear. The mail and weapons are real in that the weapons are forged and tempered carbon steal and the mail is made of hammered rings.

There are no "trick or treaters" where I live due to the distance between houses and the cold that comes at this time of year. The county coordinates trick or treating for the kids with local business and other organizations so they have a fun and safe time.
 
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sampa

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I have a costume I've worn on Halloween and on other occasions. It is a Viking Shield Maiden costume. It is a mail hauberk, helmet, sword, dagger and spear with period approximates for garments and footwear. The mail and weapons are real in that the weapons are forged and tempered carbon steal and the mail is made of hammered rings.

There are no "trick or treaters" where I live due to the distance between houses and the cold that comes at this time of year. The county coordinates trick or treating for the kids with local business and other organizations so they have a fun and safe time.
Your costume sounds absolutely wonderful. That's neat that it sounds like it's authentic also.:)
 
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Miles

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I like Halloween for the costume parties, and often go as characters from science fiction and fantasy, but it's been a while since I last attended one.

I have a costume I've worn on Halloween and on other occasions. It is a Viking Shield Maiden costume. It is a mail hauberk, helmet, sword, dagger and spear with period approximates for garments and footwear. The mail and weapons are real in that the weapons are forged and tempered carbon steal and the mail is made of hammered rings.

That sounds really cool. I'd imagine there's a story behind the weapons and mail. I've thought about putting together a Viking outfit, for reenactments and such. What colors did you choose? Also, is there a design on your shield?
 
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Sif

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That sounds really cool. I'd imagine there's a story behind the weapons and mail. I've thought about putting together a Viking outfit, for reenactments and such. What colors did you choose? Also, is there a design on your shield?

The sword was forged by a friend of mine who works with metal. I paid a leather worker to make a sheath and belt. The mail was purchased from a person suggested to me. I do practice HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), along with other self-defense/martial arts.

The mail ,and the sword are just their natural metallic collar. The shirt I usually wear beneath the mail is tan and the wool cloak is also tan. I have faux fur (looks like wolf fur) I wear wit it as well.

There is very little (if any) archaeological evidence for shield maidens. There are stories about them, both in the Sagas and in modern fiction. Eowyn (Lord of the Rings (movies and books)) is probably the most widely known from fiction today.
 
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sampa

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My costume today worked out. I had a handful of trick-or-treaters (at a haunted trail in a botanical Garden) comment and say they could see I was Katniss. Two teenagers (most were under 7 years old) as they walked away turned around and said "that's Katniss!" Made me feel pretty good every time someone got excited to see me, someone said, you're that girl from that movie. And I would have to remind them that it's hunger games. It was so cold standing outside today or two and a half hours, but it was fun and hopefully the scratchy throat will go away.
 
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Miles

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The sword was forged by a friend of mine who works with metal. I paid a leather worker to make a sheath and belt. The mail was purchased from a person suggested to me. I do practice HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), along with other self-defense/martial arts.

The mail ,and the sword are just their natural metallic collar. The shirt I usually wear beneath the mail is tan and the wool cloak is also tan. I have faux fur (looks like wolf fur) I wear wit it as well.

There is very little (if any) archaeological evidence for shield maidens. There are stories about them, both in the Sagas and in modern fiction. Eowyn (Lord of the Rings (movies and books)) is probably the most widely known from fiction today.
Sword making is impressive. The different temperatures, alloys, how the metal is folded etc. What kind of sword is it modeled after? That sounds like one you'll want to hold onto.

Your costume does sound like a Viking warrior, even if the myth of shield maidens overshadows the reality. One thing I like about history is that people are still people, regardless of where they find themselves. As such, I'd imagine that there's a bit of truth behind the myth. Women who fought in battle, even if they weren't common.

From horned helmets to being portrayed as uncivilized brutes, there are many popular misconceptions about Vikings. The truth might be somewhere between the singing Vikings in Monty Python's sketch about SPAM, and the more stylized Vikings of the History channel series for all we know, but historical artifacts paint an interesting picture.

We've been able to determine that they wore colorful clothing for instance, bathed more often than one might expect for the time, had advanced shipbuilding techniques, used toothpicks and combs for grooming etc. In some ways, they seem surprisingly civilized.

Admittedly, when you invade England often enough, you're likely to get a reputation. Their ships were fast and light, their invasions swift, it seems purposeful to me and I can appreciate that. If there were berserkers around, one would probably want them to fight on their side. I can only imagine the psychological impact on their enemies.
 
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Sketcher

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If there were berserkers around, one would probably want them to fight on their side. I can only imagine the psychological impact on their enemies.
The berserker at Stamford Bridge is the only one I know of from history. He held the bridge to cover the retreat of his fellows, killing 40 men before he went down. That wasn't just a raging brute. He made a tactical decision, then fought like a lion. A true warrior.
 
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sampa

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Tomorrow is my girls gathering in period dresses or corsets at a local brewery that used to be a corset factory many years ago. It will be 5 to 6 of us. Possibly a guy too. I will have my mom do the final touches with a black glitter bow in the back. A little bit of gone with the wind Scarlett O'Hara. If it works out well I'm hoping to do it again next year. I already have a friend that she has a rococo dress she wore for the botanical gardens trick or treat.
 
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sampa

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I haven't dressed up since high school. I have a lot of couples costumes ideas tho. :(
Maybe you can think about a costume for next year. And little by little piece it together through the year. I have some ideas that are outside Halloween season for putting costume gatherings together. The girls seemed interested in our next adventure.
One of them wants to wear 50s dresses, so I will organize for the spring going to a botanical garden and Tea room wearing our 50s dresses.

I also want to put together a world war II type clothes along with hairstyles. I just have to find the right venue that gives us a history of world war II. Do you know of any in Michigan?
 
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DragonFox91

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Maybe you can think about a costume for next year. And little by little piece it together through the year. I have some ideas that are outside Halloween season for putting costume gatherings together. The girls seemed interested in our next adventure.
One of them wants to wear 50s dresses, so I will organize for the spring going to a botanical garden and Tea room wearing our 50s dresses.

I also want to put together a world war II type clothes along with hairstyles. I just have to find the right venue that gives us a history of world war II. Do you know of any in Michigan?
I do not, sorry. :(
 
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