Faire Garb

[Genievea Brookstone]

Sometimes what a person does to themselves on the outside is a reflection of what they are feeling on the inside.

[VIII]

I have a friend with two daughters, both sweet and lovely, but in clothing they are as different as night and day.

The first will meticulously arrange her garb to be matching, tasteful, symmetrical, and perfect.

The second will put on whatever she likes that day, without regard for the things listed above.

They are both happy when they go out wearing what they have decided how they want to look.

[Khaalis]

I think I get what you mean here. Like at faire on Sunday seeing a gentleman wearing a blackwatch kilt, ren shirt, green jerkin, leather belt and pouch, wood mug (and none of which was brand new, it was obvious they were well worn attire) with Converse sneakers in bright red.  Something like that? Its definitely a 'What was he thinking?' moment.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Sometimes what a person does to themselves on the outside is a reflection of what they are feeling on the inside.

Mine is usually an antithesis...  I go out looking neat, tidy, decent, but inside I'm a chaotic tangle of ideas and thoughts.  I think I keep hoping the tidiness outside will soak in. Hasn't worked yet!   

[LadyShadow]

Good luck with that one Kate.  If it works for you please let me know, so that I may start trying harder

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Being that I am an extroverted  peon in my everyday life, dressing as a Countess for faire gives me a more extroverted way to express myself. To be more a part of the entire faire experience than just as an observer.

I have also noticed that when dressed in garb, people treat you with more respect.

The motto for the House of Olmsted is..."MORE MONEY THAN COMMON SENSE" I wonder how that would translate into Latin? Anyone a Latin expert??

[Lady Neysa]

No offense taken, Anna.  And to everyone else who posted, from what responses I'm reading, I don't think I worded the question correctly.  Because I don't mean it's about their garb per say.

What I mean is that when a person usually goes to work or to church or to the mall or to a party or anywhere, most people try for some degree of "looking decent" which, I understand means different things to different people.  And that's good, since we are not clones - boring!

So, if a woman - and I'm not being gender specific, I'm just relating it to what I know  - will wear undergarments, comb her hair, maybe wear makeup, maybe not, but I think you get my drift, why wouldn't this woman make the same attempt before going to faire?

Does this mean she's not as good as everyone else?  No, of course not.  Does this mean I wouldn't have any interaction with her if I stood next to her in line for food or sat next to her at a show?  No, of course not (by the way, I am a hugger!).

So, after reading this, if you still don't understand what I mean, maybe I just can't express it and we should end this thread, because I would never, ever hurt anybody's feelings intentionally.

And tomorrow, I'm going to Bristol and am gonna have fun!

Lady Renee, this still may not be what you're talking about but....You wonder why a person would go through the trouble to look good, according to what they think looks good for them personally, yet not put forth the same effort at faire?  Well, it's impossible to know how they dress and present themselves on a daily basis, or how expeienced a rennie they are. Lets just say though, for the sake of the discussion, that they attend faire frequently, and they "know" what they're doing. Perhaps faire is like "down time" for them.  Yes, faire is  an escape for all of us, but what I mean is; when preparing for faire, most people go all out, possibly taking days to coordinate their garb, plan their itinerary for the day etc., and have everything just right.  For some people though, maybe they don't feel like they need or want to put that much effort into it.  Many of us refer to faire as "home", so maybe some people really do feel comfortable enough at faire to truly be themselves- not their "public" self, but the person you are when you're at home, perhaps by yourself and truly relaxed.  It's like when you get all dressed up for a special event, or if you wear dressy office clothes everyday.  Then when you come home, it's time to ditch the fancy clothes, scrub off the make up, let your hair down, and get into the comfy sweats...Maybe faire is like "coming home from the office" for them, and they don't always feel like they have to look their personal best.  Even though most people don't like going out in public unless they look decent, perhaps they don't mind because it's faire. Not that faire isn't important enough for them to put forth their best effort, but the opposite. They're going to a place they consider a second home, surrounded by friends and folks who, for the most part won't care what they look like, as long as everyone is friendly and having a good time.

If I'm still off base, then I'll move along.  I know it's frustrating when you can't get an idea across. 

[Elennare]

I'll take a crack at answering Lady Renee's question.

I think some of it may have to do with the fact that it's faire.  Faire has a reputation, in general, of being accepting of people however they are, and of being a place to live out a fantasy for a day.

To use an example from above, the large woman wearing a leather thong.  Ok, in her normal life she dresses in clothes that make her figure look nice.  But, she dreams of being sexy warrior woman.  Well, her body doesn't have the shape normally associated with that.  Going to faire, she has what she feels is a safe environment to wear her sexy warrior woman outfit.  If she has the guts to go for it, and spend the day feeling sexy, and doesn't care what other people may be thinking, why wouldn't she wear it?  Sure, most people don't really want to see that, and may be wondering what she was thinking, but is she going to be more accepted wearing something like that at faire or at the beach?

Also, I think some people dress in certain ways just to get attention.  Like goths, for example.  Lots of people think they intentionally look ugly, but they like dressing that way and a lot of them like the reaction they get from people.  They do it for attention.

Or, some people do it just because they like the way it looks, and could give less than a thought to what other people think about them.  As many different people as there are in the world, you will find that many different senses of style.  And some subset of that cares more about their own personal sense of style more than what others think of them.

Is that the kind of thing you were talking about, or did I miss the mark as well?

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

I'll take a crack at answering Lady Renee's question.

I think some of it may have to do with the fact that it's faire.  Faire has a reputation, in general, of being accepting of people however they are, and of being a place to live out a fantasy for a day.

To use an example from above, the large woman wearing a leather thong.  Ok, in her normal life she dresses in clothes that make her figure look nice.  But, she dreams of being sexy warrior woman.  Well, her body doesn't have the shape normally associated with that.  Going to faire, she has what she feels is a safe environment to wear her sexy warrior woman outfit.  If she has the guts to go for it, and spend the day feeling sexy, and doesn't care what other people may be thinking, why wouldn't she wear it?  Sure, most people don't really want to see that, and may be wondering what she was thinking, but is she going to be more accepted wearing something like that at faire or at the beach?

Also, I think some people dress in certain ways just to get attention.  Like goths, for example.  Lots of people think they intentionally look ugly, but they like dressing that way and a lot of them like the reaction they get from people.  They do it for attention.

Or, some people do it just because they like the way it looks, and could give less than a thought to what other people think about them.  As many different people as there are in the world, you will find that many different senses of style.  And some subset of that cares more about their own personal sense of style more than what others think of them.

Is that the kind of thing you were talking about, or did I miss the mark as well?

'

You got it exactly.  I wasn't criticizing specific garb, just why people would wear something.  Thank you for presenting it more eloquently than I did.   And thanks to everyone else who also understood what I meant.  As I said, I wasn't criticizing specific people for what they were wearing, my question was "why" would they do things at faire they wouldn't do in ordinary life. 

[Tygrkat]

I think I get what you mean here. Like at faire on Sunday seeing a gentleman wearing a blackwatch kilt, ren shirt, green jerkin, leather belt and pouch, wood mug (and none of which was brand new, it was obvious they were well worn attire) with Converse sneakers in bright red.  Something like that? Its definitely a 'What was he thinking?' moment.

In this particular instance, I would probably think one of two things:

      a) The man LOVES his Chuck's and won't give 'em up for anything ~ He'll probably wear them at his wedding/graduation/other important event, too.  

 ~or b) He had a boot blow-out at the last minuet & didn't have any footwear that would be comfy for the day...maybe he's shopping for replacements at Faire?

Generally speaking, I'll have to agree with Elennare...What looks 'good' is a matter of personal perspective, and Faire is a place where exploring aspects of one's self that we have to curb in mundane life (would you ever think of participating in a wenching at the office?) is more acceptable.

[Lady L]

I'll take a crack at answering Lady Renee's question.

To use an example from above, the large woman wearing a leather thong.  Ok, in her normal life she dresses in clothes that make her figure look nice.  But, she dreams of being sexy warrior woman.  Well, her body doesn't have the shape normally associated with that.  Going to faire, she has what she feels is a safe environment to wear her sexy warrior woman outfit.  If she has the guts to go for it, and spend the day feeling sexy, and doesn't care what other people may be thinking, why wouldn't she wear it?  Sure, most people don't really want to see that, and may be wondering what she was thinking, but is she going to be more accepted wearing something like that at faire or at the beach?

As I was the one that gave that example, I just wanted to ask this...
What happens when someone else at faire that she doesn't know and probably doesn't even see, takes photos of her and posts it on the internet? I also came across a guy selling photos on smug mug of people he took photos of at faire and I really doubt he had their permission to sell them, because how could anyone get model releases from everyone they take photos of in a candid way? Would the large woman be comfortable with someone selling her pics on the internet? What if someone she knew or works with discovered those photos? It would be embarrassing, I would think. It might even cost someone their job, as has happend on some of the social networking sites, when their employer found it. Just my thoughts on that.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Uncomfortable thought, isn't it...

And where do we draw the lines with descriptions?  Is a difference between describing one distinctive person and a general trend (such as the prevailing fashion for 'muffin-top' jeans - ghastly look!)?

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

As I was the one that gave that example, I just wanted to ask this...
What happens when someone else at faire that she doesn't know and probably doesn't even see, takes photos of her and posts it on the internet? I also came across a guy selling photos on smug mug of people he took photos of at faire and I really doubt he had their permission to sell them, because how could anyone get model releases from everyone they take photos of in a candid way? Would the large woman be comfortable with someone selling her pics on the internet? What if someone she knew or works with discovered those photos? It would be embarrassing, I would think. It might even cost someone their job, as has happend on some of the social networking sites, when their employer found it. Just my thoughts on that.

I hadn't even thought of that.  But there is a website that I've seen about the "what was she/he thinking" in faire garb.  I can't remember it, but I think it would be very hurtful to find yourself on that.  And you're right about the employer finding out.  I was told by a HR director that they google job aspirants.  Can you imagine seeing that?

[Dinobabe]

I think I get what you mean here. Like at faire on Sunday seeing a gentleman wearing a blackwatch kilt, ren shirt, green jerkin, leather belt and pouch, wood mug (and none of which was brand new, it was obvious they were well worn attire) with Converse sneakers in bright red.  Something like that? Its definitely a 'What was he thinking?' moment.

I have a 16 year old friend and she and her friends wear Converse with EVERYTHING.  Prom, fancy parties, church, Ren Faire, doesn't matter. 

[bellevivre]

Related to the photo thing- once at TRF, Hubby and I were watching E Muzeki and afterwards were literally surrounded by asian tourists taking our pictures. Now, yes, lol when I'm at faire I am not exactly modest, but I do stay legal at least, and try to be sure it's still attractive and not 'too much'... but, regardless, I know that somewhere there is an asian-language site with my picture on it- and that kinda creeps me out. But really, whenever we go to faire in garb we open ourselves up to that.

As to the WHY? I know one wench who bares quite a tract of land because that's what her SO likes- it's not in a controlling way, but sort of in the same vein as keeping your hair long because you know HE likes it. I bare what i do because faire is one of the only times i feel i can be ME and feel attractive at the same time. While I know I am not the worst offender out there, i know it is 'too much' by other standards. I try to strike a happy medium.

as for the garb 'non-sequitors'? Hubby once went into faire in a khaki utilikilt, a green dra shirt, and his army green crocs. I still dont know why!