To Garb or Not?

[Brother Robert of Essex]

  In the last week, I attended my first faire and was immediately intrigued by it and all the friendly and interactive people.  I have long been interested in the period, and while I've read about life in the Middle ages and Renaissance, I've never actually attempted to play out the part ( With the exception of the Roleplaying games most of us seem to have done at one point or another! )

  I see some comments, which say that there is a big difference when you attend the faire in garb, vs when you attend without garb.   

  What differences are there that you notice? I mean I assume you personally feel like you fit in more, but is that the extent of it?  Is there some difference in the way you are approached by vendors or other patrons?  Not knowing anyone myself, I feel like it would be awkward to wander the faire by myself, dressed up in something.

   

[Pinn]

Isn't that why you joined this fourm to meet like minded people? If you get an R/F pin and start wearing it to faires, people will talk to you. I myself feel weird if I don't wear garb to a faire. I like the interaction with the cast and crew of faire

[Brother Robert of Essex]

Isn't that why you joined this fourm to meet like minded people? If you get an R/F pin and start wearing it to faires, people will talk to you. I myself feel weird if I don't wear garb to a faire. I like the interaction with the cast and crew of faire

Yes indeed, to meet like minded people, and to get information - it's a new culture to me, so I'm bound to ask some really stupid things at first. 

Case in point - Pin? Aha something else to look into. There is always another layer! 

[sealion]

Yes, vendors and cast do treat you differently when you are in garb. I don't really know how to describe it. A bit friendlier but also as if you are in on the joke? Find out if your faire has a scheduled meet & greet for R/F members. That really helped me to meet people because I am shy.

[gem]

It depends on the fair.  At KCRF (Kansas City), garbed patrons are much less likely to be approached by cast and lane acts.  You don't get heckled by the pickle vendor, for example.  At other fairs, though, I've heard the cast/acts definitely interact much more with the costumed patrons.

The best thing I can liken garb/non-garb to is a big tailgate party for a football game.  Would you go without at least wearing your team's colors?  A team sweatshirt is even better--and better still is if your whole family comes along, and everyone wears their favorite players' jerseys, paints their faces with team logos, and dances around in the parking lot with the team mascot.  I don't know why it's better--it just is.

I would say, though, that a *lot* of people who wear garb--particularly the more historically accurate clothing--go to fair just for a place to garb up.  I know one of the main attractions for Fair to me is the costumes--and what's even better than admiring the cast's costumes?  Having and wearing your own, of course!

[analise]

At MDRF, you're much less likely to be pulled up on stage for acts that do that sort of thing if you're in garb. They tend to go for the people not in garb. Not 100% of the time, but it's usual, or so I've observed. I assume it's probably because people might assume those in garb are actually a part of the act or something.

Like someone else says, generally you seem to be treated more as if you're "in on the joke". It's not an overt thing. It's just a...thing.

Oh, and people not in garb are likely to ask you for directions. Or if you're on cast. Et cetera. You may be asked for a photo op. Which is kind of weird, but fun?

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

To garb or not to garb is a choice everyone has to make and it is a great question on how you will be treated.

Personally when I am garbed I get the feeling that I am given more respect by venders and cast. While some do not interact with you, other do more so. A great example of this is at CoRF there is a nun and a brother. Everytime I came near they went prostrate for me. It added more of an element to the visit.

Going garb will possibly also garner you attention from paytrons. As someone who dresses in noble garb I cannot tell you how many times the little girls stopped to ask if I was a real princess or the amount of times I was called the Queen just because of how I was dressed and Toki was even refeed to the King a few times which was funny.

While at CoRF the cast will interact with everyone, they are more likely to interact with non-garbed people. The pickle guys especially. I would think that cast and venders would be more liely to intereact with non-garbed visitors as they are the majority and I think this brings them back again and again and again. Were as those of us who go garbed are those that fill in the holes that cast cannot do.

Out of 20 years of going to CoRF I have only gone non-garbed once. That was the least fun at faire I ever had. Toki went to CoRF for the 1st time last year and he is sold on going only in garb and wants to expand his garb closet.

[FireFaerie]

The best thing I can liken garb/non-garb to is a big tailgate party for a football game.  Would you go without at least wearing your team's colors?  A team sweatshirt is even better--and better still is if your whole family comes along, and everyone wears their favorite players' jerseys, paints their faces with team logos, and dances around in the parking lot with the team mascot.  I don't know why it's better--it just is.

I totally agree with this.

[sealion]

I do agree that you are much less likely to get pulled on stage when in garb (which is a good thing in my opinion! lol) and the hawkers tend to be less agressive. What I meant by more interaction is that, in my experience, the shopkeepers seem more willing to talk to me about their wares and this past weekend some of the ladies of the court engaged me in conversation which I doubt they would have done had I been Jane Doe in jeans and a t-shirt.

[Imestra]

The best thing I can liken garb/non-garb to is a big tailgate party for a football game.  Would you go without at least wearing your team's colors?  A team sweatshirt is even better--and better still is if your whole family comes along, and everyone wears their favorite players' jerseys, paints their faces with team logos, and dances around in the parking lot with the team mascot.  I don't know why it's better--it just is.

I totally agree with this.

Excellent analogy.
This is it, for me too. 

[Dayna]

Garb, Definitely!!  I went once in mundanes, after almost 30 years of garb only, and I Was Miserable!!!  Vowed Never to do that again.

Garb allows you to insinuate yourself into the scenery, you Walk differently, you Talk differently and no one mentions your accent, you Think and See Things differently.  And, you meet a Lot More People to play with since you're often mistaken for cast and asked for directions, photographs, etc.

Dayna

[Master James]

Garbed is definitely the way to go!  I'm ashamed to admit it but I went for years in danes and had fun but when I put on my first garb and went about 6 years ago, it was like night and day!  In danes you're just part of the crowd and nobody really much worries about you especially in a large faire.  In a large faire if you're in danes and get noticed by anyone on cast or at a show its unusual. 

In garb however its completely different.  I found that cast interact more with you, vendors treat you differently and the other playtons (those who pay but come in garb too), treat you differntly too and you start to make all kinds of friends quickly.  Even the danes treat you differently as if you are part of the show or something.  Its really amazing and so worth it.  Once you've gone garbed you'll NEVER go without garb again!

[gypsylakat]

Way easier to meet cute guys (shhh don't tell my bf!) I met a lovely knight my age who makes all of his chainmail... and he was hot! lol. Personally I just started going in garb, i've been twice in garb... the first I didn't have a whole lot different, because well... my garb sucked. I liked it, but it wasn't quite as evident what I was, and plus, for some reason MDRF doesn't have a lot of fairies... :-( I dressed as a wood spirit type creature... the next time I went in my rainbow fairy stuff, and had loads of fun, still didn't meet anyone from the forum *puffy face* but next time! I shall, *nods* but I know why I didn't, I don't spend a lot of times in the pubs because my lover boy is allergic to ciggarette smoke... and well, it's a bar! lol but next time I'll probably go a few times without him so then I shall meet people, and be wearing regular garb as soon as I get it made!

I have soo much more fun in garb just because it feels like you're part of something, I don't want to say like the difference between shopping at walmart and being an employee, but maybe like being an actress vs. an audience member, or a performer at a circus vs. the same...

[Athena]

When you're garbed, you really feel like you're part of the magic! Like Pinn said, get an R/F pin so fellow forum members can spot you! It'll look spiffy on your new garb. 

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

The Renaisance Faire scene is totally relaxed, fun, mystical, and habit forming.

Going in GARB adds more dimensions to the experience.

Try it!!!  You will definitely like it!!!