Trying to get estimates

[Spotsknight]

I'm looking at getting married at Varf next year. My fiancée has a dress that at worst might need minor alterations. However my current garb is old and not worthy of a wedding. So I'll need a full set and we have 2 grow boys that may or may not want to dress in garb too.

I'm not a small guy so my outfit will some work. I'm looking for recommendations for the Chicago area and I need to get the total budget together. We are not looking really elaborate or historically accurate, just something that looks good and is affordable. The wedding is not until spring 2014, so I have plenty of time too.

[DonaCatalina]

Look around in the sewing section for people who make custom garb on commision; or try Pming Lady Kathleen of Olmstead.
Thene there is the thread on trusted garb shops.
Sofi's will give you an idea of the minimum dollar amount for better garb.

[Merlin the Elder]

Lady Kathleen created my ensemble. A word to the wise, however, if you are going for a custom job, don't wait too long to commission the work.

[Rowan MacD]

  I would also recommend Lady Kathleen, I can vouch for her work.   
As Merlin said: Don't wait too long to commission your garb.  She puts a lot of work into it, and if you want something fitted, you will need to either show up personally for a fitting, or have a muslin fitted to you so she has an exact idea of your dimensions. 
   Depending on your requirements, the piece could be pricy, but it will wear and look good for many, many years.
  The online, ready to wear garb merchants cannot say that.   I have pieces that looked OK out of the box, then fell apart after 2 wearings.   Most of the Asian made stuff falls into that category.

[stonebiscuit]

   Depending on your requirements, the piece could be pricy, but it will wear and look good for many, many years.

Plus, if it's for your wedding, go ahead and splurge. You shouldn't feel like you have to settle on your wedding getup. Get the best you can reasonably afford.

[Rowan MacD]

^^That^^.
  I you can afford to spend a couple hundred on a extra nice doublet, you will be able to wear it for years to faire, and nobody else will have one like it!
   Like the legendary 'little black dress'  you should have at least one really, really good piece of garb as the center piece of your wardrobe.
   Look in the galleries of in progress and finished projects in the sewing thread..Lady Kathleen and many of the other professionals post their commissions there where we can drool over them.   You will also find the names of the persons (many of whom are on the forums) who the garb was made for.  You can PM them with questions.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Lady Kathleen is the best in the business!  She made a noble gown for me in 2007, and 6 years later, it still looks brand new.  She made my husband's garb as well, and it still looks brand new, too.  It was not cheap.  But if you break it down by how many years wear you will get out of it, it is less than the cost of buying something to replace worn out garb every couple of years.

[LadyStitch]

When it comes to garb, you get what you pay for.  I know of a place where you can get a whole set of royal gown, minus the underpinnings for about $125.  That said, I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. The satin they use is called "costume Satin". It is what is used by people around Halloween to make outfits for their kids.  They aren't designed to look good, or last long.  There was a whole $50 of supplies in it (if that), and it looked it.  Then again I saw an amazing royal gown that just the gown it's self, not the underpinnings was $3500! It looked like it came out of a court member's closet. Really it is a matter of how much you want to spend.

A friend of mine dropped two grand in one day at faire fully kitting himself out, from top of his hat, to the tip of his boots.  The shirt, pants and doublet lasted him 5 years of wear. The other items are going on 8 years of good wear. It all depends on what you want.

My old tutor once told me that she would have to charge 25-30% higher price for custom fitted items vs straight from the pattern items because of the extra time and effort goes into them.  If you have a larger abdomen a special adjustment needs to be done to the pattern, as well as possibly extra fabric and trim.  If you have back issues, extra fittings may need to be done to take into account uneven shoulders.  Is that extra money worth it?  Oh yes. Is it cheap? No.

When a girl is shopping for her wedding dress, they recommend that she have picked out and ORDERED no later that 6 months before the wedding the dress she will wear.  That does not mean she should start looking, it means she has it picked, and being made at the 6 month mark. That gives the designer time to make it, and when it comes in the shop to alter it.   The same needs to be taken into account for our custom sewing work.  Seamstresses book up, and fast.  If someone wants me to do work I tell them, start talking to me 6-9 months before you need it otherwise you won't get on my calendar.  It isn't that I am being mean, it is that my 'dance card' fills up pretty fast as I expect others do as well.  I wish you luck.

[Lady Rosalind]

Lady Kathleen is the best in the business!  She made a noble gown for me in 2007, and 6 years later, it still looks brand new.  She made my husband's garb as well, and it still looks brand new, too.  It was not cheap.  But if you break it down by how many years wear you will get out of it, it is less than the cost of buying something to replace worn out garb every couple of years.

I just love this pic! You two always look like you are having so much fun!

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Lady Kathleen is the best in the business!  She made a noble gown for me in 2007, and 6 years later, it still looks brand new.  She made my husband's garb as well, and it still looks brand new, too.  It was not cheap.  But if you break it down by how many years wear you will get out of it, it is less than the cost of buying something to replace worn out garb every couple of years.

I just love this pic! You two always look like you are having so much fun!

We do!  And the nice thing about it is that we both enjoy it as much as the other.  It's not like Steve loves it and I go with him for his sake, or vice versa.  It is our common hobby, and we take every chance we can get to go to a faire!  Thanks, Lady R.

[Rowan MacD]

  It's the same for David and I.... mutual love of faire.

[Jade]

 I'm really hoping that when I eventually  find someone  that this is something we can  do.