Completing the Look~ Accessories & Hair

[Cilean]

Hello All!

So I was asked recently what I thought would take a basic Kit- to splendid, and all I could think of is making sure you have a proper headpiece and accessories.  I am not saying you must only have 36" long hair, because I don't, however I do have hair pieces that I have either made or bought.  I have short hair, so I make sure to have mine covered and a head covering!  I love them in the morning when I am camping at events, so while my bedhead is still around? No one can see it! LOL

I have known a lady who has had blue, purple, orange and polka dotted hair, in real life yet you would never know from her Persona, as she makes sure she has proper head attire and wig pieces to cover her mundane awesomeness.

Accessories are also something I feel will give you a proper look, if you are wearing a lovely Upper Level gown? Don't have things hanging from your belt, invest in a good basket, to hide all of your mundanity. There are so many lovely things we can do to make our kits look better!

What say you all?

[LadyFae]

Well, I'm sure there can be no real disagreeing with you- accessories make the outfit!
As for Nobles hanging nothing from their belts, well, I do because I still hold the hands of my little girls so when they are grown more I'll invest in a good basket!
Currently I do not have the "correct" type of hat but I do make sure to wear a beaded snood over my hair and a hat on my head.
When I go peasant I have a straw hat, when I go pirate I have a head scarf, and when I go Faerie I have different headpieces depending on which Faerie I am.

[isabelladangelo]

My hair is currently 40" going on 41".  :-)  Still doing it up properly is often an issue as mine does NOT like to behave.  I often just do the Heidi braids thing because it's a) period and b) quick!   I also throw it back in a bun a lot.  However, I do have a couple of coifs that I've made to fit over my bun.


coif par Isabella, on ipernity

This coif is hand embroidered with seahorses (seahorses in embroidery patterns are very period.  Mine is based of one done by Queen Mary of Scots herself) and has some spangles to it.  The other I have is plain but does have the forehead cloth like it should.   

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

The only article I have hanging from my belt is my fan. The rest goes into a basket.

[CalliopeCC]

I have short hair, so I make sure to have mine covered and a head covering!

As do I - but playing a Courtesan means I have to 'go big or go home' in terms of hairdo. This bob just will not cut it if I really want to look the part.

I have a new set of 'Horns of Venus' this year, made mostly by my fellow Lady of Leisure, and finished and blinged up by me. The horns seem to be very popular, everyone comments on them, even if they don't comment on our gowns. 

They are also relevant to my character... she looks a little like she's overcompensating for something (in grande 'Capitano' style), and she loves being noticed.

To me, nothing ruins the look of a winning ensemble like modern or unkept hair - especially on a noble! (and even more so on a Courtesan - Ladies like us must look very coifed and 'together' from head to toe!)

Accessories are also something I feel will give you a proper look, if you are wearing a lovely Upper Level gown? Don't have things hanging from your belt, invest in a good basket, to hide all of your mundanity.

I'm going to out on a limb here and chance becoming unpopular - however, if we're telling it how we see it... and I'm not one to shy away from other's displeasure.. so here I go:

Favors are really nice things to recieve -- but wearing more than two or three NICE ones (not handmade, hastily glued together tidbits) on a middle class or higher gown looks like.... a walking curio cabinet. Fussy, messy, cluttered... unfocused.

I am honored to have received favors from performers and friends over the years, and a few from a few patrons. But I keep them in my memory box AT HOME. This way, they don't break off at faire and get lost, or get dirty and dusty. And they don't clutter up the gown I'm wearing.

For my mundane bits, it's a pocket under the skirts. And I generally carry my goblet, because I don't want to drink something then have the last drops of it drip down my gown when it is hung from my girdle. Besides, that way, I'm always ready for a Toast. ("Ciabatta!"  "Panino!" )

[Rowan MacD]

   I  found a nice  basket (.99 at Goodwill) and quickly cobbled together a cover for it from bits of leftover gown fabric and trim bits.  I weighted the corners with some largish, heart shaped glass beads to keep it from blowing off.
   My goblet, a hankie to wipe it out with, a fabric goblet cover to keep the bugs out, a water bottle, neck cooler (home made) small purchases, schedules and programs go in there.
    I have a pretty velvet pouch that I hang from my waist with my money and cell phone in it-I won't risk those in a basket.  Other than that-my fan/flea fur is all I have on my girdle now a days.

  I cover all but the front edge of my hair with a hat/caul combo since it is shoulder length.   I do not color my hair in unnatural shades.

  Disclaimer: I realize that some folks require glasses, and there are some cases where they are unable to wear contacts, and that their vision is so bad, they cannot do without corrective lenses for safety reasons. You must do what is right for your health. 
  I am fortunate enough to be able to wear contacts comfortably, so I do for the sake of the overall look.
   Faire is one of the few places that I do not wear my prescription  glasses or sunglasses;  to my eyes, modern eye wear ruins the look of the outfit, especially with Noble or (I've seen this) Royal garb. To be honest it looks even odder with peasant and pirate gear.
    Since I don't want to go through the expense of having a period looking pair of prescription lenses made (I understand they may have been used in period, but probably not at court or in public)  I use contacts and carry a pair of reading glasses in my basket or pouch to compensate for my Presbyopia. 

[DonaCatalina]

I have a pearl girdle so nothing hangs from it.
However, I do have a fan and a small velvet reticule attached to the bottom of my bodice.
I do have a husband, he calls himself the mule, to carry my goblet when I'm not using it.
I have hair down to my waist so I either wear it mostly clipped up or in a pearled snood. One of my friends has shortish hair but she is blonde, so she stuffs her snood with 'nude' pantyhose. She had just enough to fluff out and disguise it.
Necklaces are a must, but for the nobility it needs to be something that passes for pearls or gemstones.

[isabelladangelo]

DonaCatalina, for your friend, I'd suggest getting some of those fake hair braids and scrunchies to fill out the snood with.   They work very well with shorter hair.  Or something like this as well.   

[Rowan MacD]

ooooooo.  I like that hair piece! 
  My hair is not long enough to fill out a snood. I tie on a semi matching scarf to the base of the pony tail when I wear one.

For my noble garb; I finally made an escoffion.
It's opaque and  covers the back of my head and hair completely.  My hair is long enough to pull back into a short ponytail, and I can stuff the escoffion with mesh or a scarf to help it stay in shape if need be.   It is pretty stiff since it's made with wired ribbon.

[Jade]

I  have very short hair.  There isn't enough of  it to attach anything to.   On a typical day it is spiked.    For  faire I either wear  a long blonde wig  covered with a hat,  or if the day is too hot I wear  it like I am in my avatar.  The  way  I place it in the back gives the illusion of hair tucked up under there.  I tend to go  wench more than anything else,  and have an eating dagger,  tankard,  pouch and fan  hanging from my ring belt.

[Prima]

I have thinner, shoulder length hair and would never fill out a snood.  So I've modified one (I sewed the underside together to make less of a "pouch") to make it smaller because I'm too cheap to buy a handmade one.  I wear a ponytail hair piece with a hairnet over it to help the stray hair stay in place.  I wear a girdle and a feather fan.  M' lord Bogie carries my goblet.  I am adding in a small book of psalms I've made to carry my cell phone in, a pomander as well.  M'lord bought me a canvas parasol earlier this year at CoRF and I'm struggling to figure a way to carry that as well.  Might you ladies be able to help with ideas? 

[Lady Catharine]

After reading the comments, makes me think do,I need to wear my leather belt with my nobles garb?

Beginning of Faire season, I bough a black chain wide links from Home Depot and use that as a belt
I have a pewter goblet but choose to take my tankard
I better re think my look
Gramercy
Great ideas here

[Rowan MacD]

  I don't think leather will go with a noble dress.
   I have a similar chain as you do, but  I use chandelier chain (in gold) for my belt since it's fancier than regular.  it is very strong and can take a lot of weight, but that doesn't mean you should load up ala wench or pirate with a court gown.
   Get over to Goodwill or any thrift store and get a basket ($1 or less).   If you didn't make your gown yourself and have leftover scraps to make a basket cover, then check out Hobby Lobby or fabric stores for fabric remnants to match your outfit.   Make sure you weight the corners with something to keep the wind from blowing it off, I use glass or pewter beads.
   Carry your goblet and water bottle in the basket.  You may attach an elegant cloth pouch to your bodice or belt for money, cards and phones, or you can modify a small book to carry the same items.

[gem]

I'm so happy to have switched from belt to basket! I'll still wear a few things on my belt on certain days, but for most of my ensembles I've completely converted to a basket. I find it a gazillion times more comfortable and convenient.

For my basket cover, I sewed twill tape ties to the side edges of a pretty cloth napkin, and tie it to the handles. I can flip up either end to access the contents (like a picnic basket lid). Easy peasy, and it's not going anywhere.

I will say I've noticed a big difference between a basket meant for decoration, and a basket meant to be carried. I have a functional basket I bought in a local Amish community a couple of years ago--it was pricy, but it's sturdy and ergonomic, the handle is comfortable, and it hangs on my arm like it was made to (which it was!).

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

When I dress as a noble, I always use a basket.  I spray painted one black and hand sewed pearls on it to match my garb.  I have purchased doilies from Goodwill to use as a basket cover.  Usually there is some kind of hand embroidery or lace on them, so it looks a little fancier.  I have one that has ties on both sides to tie onto the handles, as Gem mentioned, but the others don't, and I never have any problem with them blowing off.  I also have a chain belt that my husband made using square filigrees with "jewels" glued on.  In between the filigrees, he used gold chain from a belt I had purchased from Goodwill, and threaded pearls in the chain.  On the bottom that hangs in front, he put a large cross Christmas ornament that I bought at Hobby Lobby.  Nothing hangs on this belt at all.

Most of the time, as a wench and/or pirate, I have a leather belt that carries 2 pouches, my mug strap and wooden mug, my flip clock, and my fan hanging from a mug strap.  I like having hands free, but if I need to carry more stuff for any reason, I carry a basket and just keep my mug and fan hanging from the belt.