We need help keeping warm.

[Sir. Kindle]

My wife and I are planning on attending the Conn. Ren. Faire this Sunday. The problem is, according to the weather report, Sunday looks like it's going to get a bit chilly. While I'll be fine, as I can always wear 'ye old thermals' under my garb,  my wife, on the other hand, only has short sleeves on the outfit she'd like to wear. She already has a muff, a half cloak, and will be wearing thicker stockings for her legs. However, we are afraid this won't be enough to keep her arms warm. She was a little cold the last time we went and it wasn't nearly as cold as the reports say it will get this Sunday. We were wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to keep her arms warm, without ruining the look of the outfit?

While we are at it, I'd like to get opinions on which outfit color you prefer, gold, or black? She prefers the gold outfit, but I like the black outfit. Your opinions?

Here are some pictures to help with ideas.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

This is her Black Asian pirate outfit.



And this picture, from last year, is her gold outfit. We've added a few small things to the outfit since, but this is still the best picture I have of the outfit.


Sir. Kindle

[gypsylakat]

If you found long gloves she could wear those, and if they were long enough she might be able to throw some underarmor on underneath

[Taffy Saltwater]

Gloves, armwarmers, bolero style jacket, or layer her dress over a thin warm blouse.

[escherblacksmith]

A much larger cloak, half-circle or larger.  in addition to what has been said before.

btw, what is "chilly" to you ?


edited to add this:

we had a cold wet time at the end of MNRF this year, I used these, which I got from CVS for fairly cheap.  Kept my feet warm, which kept the rest of me fairly even as well.

Good luck!

[Dinobabe]

If she is a pirate why not add a coat?

I know this is way costumey (sp?) but I think the shape would work well.  I won't hide her pretty dress.


Or perhaps a large hooded cape.

Or a man's cloak/coat she stole, one of yours?

Something like this would look cute and you can usually find them in the juniors section at the mall.  Maybe try goodwill.

[bellalye]

Hi!  

I know you don't want to ruin the look, but you might want to consider something I know a few performers do, take a pair of tights, cut out the crotch, and wear them as an undershirt...

here are some folks who (I think) wear sleeves in this manner
http://www.pbase.com/paul42/image/69539886
http://www.pbase.com/vstrick/image/77392382
http://www.pbase.com/autumn_leaves/image/96361012
http://www.pbase.com/vstrick/image/106623763 (these also might be socks)

I would suggest buying tights with a gusset at the crotch and not a simple inseam (these will stay on your shoulders better)

toodles!

[gem]

First off, I completely sympathize!  They're predicting a *high* of 48 degrees for Saturday at KCRF, which is winter coat (and scarf and mittens and earmuffs...) weather for me.  Milord can't wait.   

I would definitely start with getting her in some long underwear--tights and a tank top, at the very least.  She can wear those invisibly under her current ensemble.  Keeping her core warm will go a long way to keeping her whole body warm.  Another option would be to find a long-sleeve top in a color that coordinates with one of the accent colors in her gowns, and just wear it proudly!  (I had to wear a turtleneck to fair once, and I *really* hated the way the neckline looked, but a basic long-sleeved T wouldn't throw things off so much, I don't think.)

This might not help for *this* weekend, but what about planning some kind of kimono-type coat for her?  If you made it yourselves, you could give it a nice warm lining, and she could wear a long-sleeved top under her current gowns.  Or, Oh!  A Mongolian jacket would be wonderful.  I couldn't find a picture online for some reason, but they're typically short (waist length), velvet or velveteen, with beautiful trims and silk tassels (my father brought one back from Mongolia, and it's absolutely beautiful.  I made him wear it to fair one year!).  If you look at any of the traditional clothing of parts of Asia that get very cold (assuming she wants to stick with that region's garb), you should be able to come up with lots of ideas.

Good luck!  Definitely let us know what you come up with.  It's always great to have ideas for this issue!

[shadowcat546]

Hi.
usually in stores, near first aid, are the one-use, thermal packs --"Therma-care" or store brand. once take out of package, the 5 inch x 7 inch pack is fairly flat, and some have the "belt" around it already.  Last about 8 hours.  Keep the core of your body warm: belly, back, etc. You could put one (made for the small of your  back) on over a shirt and have it warming you.  Throw away when done.  No smell, hardly weighs anything

sizes vary depending on which type pack you get: for shoulders, knees, abdomen, backache, etc.

--Shannon--.............southeast Michigan......The Colonial Peddler

[Trillium]

You could make her a quick simple cloak out of fleece.  it would be warm and fleece does not need any finishing seams.  And I agree with gypsy, long gloves would help and look great with the outfit.

BTW, I love both colors but surprisingly lean more toward the gold. (I'm not normally a gold person)

[gypsylakat]

Home depot usually sells "hand warmers" or foot warmers near the registers,

[Amyj]

What about legwarmers (you know, like from the 80's) but worn on the arms???

[Adriana Rose]

Leg warmers RAWK! they have been at Hot Topic or they were when I went in one in july.

Try looking for ladies thermal leggings or just plain ol' leggings they are in the ladies sections thank the gods that part of the 80's is back!

A fleece cloak is a very simple and comfy way to stay warm and they are water proof to a point. I made one that was super simple. I took about 2 yards of fleece folded it into quarters, then I took a little plate like 8in around traced half of it on the center corner. Cut it so there was a circle in the middle, dont forget to cut an opening, that would not look so good a aisan pirate in a pancho. Then I rounded the straight edges on the hems added a frog closer and a hood that started as a 12x13in square on the neck line. Its very warm and very stylish if i do say so myself

good luck!

[Lady L]

I like the gold one a bit better.
It WAS cold/rainy/windy at MNRF last weekend, only in the 40s. I wore my polar fleece jacket under my wool cape and I was still cold. So Sunday, I wore my winter parka under my wool cape and sweatpants underneath.
I also cut out some polar fleece inserts to put in the bottom of my shoes, which helped keep the cold from coming up through the bottom of the shoes. Wool socks are another option.
I was disappointed that I couldn't wear my garb, but I didn't want to catch pneumonia. Glad we aren't having the show this weekend, as we are expecting snow.  

[Sir. Kindle]

First of all, thank you all for responding. If I don't cover everyone here, I apologize. There were so many wonderful responses that I don't really know where to start...but I'll try.

First, I failed to mention the temperature for the day. They say Highs of 62 (not that bad really), but lows of around 39! (much colder than the last weekend we went). They are saying that there will be wind gusts up to 16 miles per hour, so I'm expecting some chilly moments.

Now, we went shopping yesterday (unfortunately, before reading this) and we picked up some warmer tights, which aren't the best color, but they didn't have as large of a selection as we were hoping for, so they'll have to do. You can only really see her legs from the side, or when she sits, so we aren't that worried about what she wears on her legs. I also order, with overnight delivery, a couple pairs of elbow length, satin gloves (gold & black). They had nice looking buttons that ran down the sides of them, so I'm hoping they will look really nice with her outfit. Finally, she cut up a pair of skin colored stockings and will be wearing them as fingerless, arm long gloves. They aren't exactly made for warmth, but something is better than nothing and, once she put them on, they were barely noticeable (I actually got this idea from the most recent episode of "The Big Bang Theory," before getting the chance to read these responses).

Moving on, now that I've read all these responses, I will be doing some more shopping. We will be buying a thermal top today (we might cut off the sleeves, but we'll see). I will also be heading to CVS and buying some of those warm packs. She's used them before and loves the idea.

This is all we think we will be doing before Sunday and I really hope it's enough.

As for the future. After reading these responses, I'm kicking myself for not thinking of a simple jacket. I've already done a very quick search online and come up with a couple that she really likes so far. I'd love to hear some responses on these two coats.
This one is the right price and has the option to add a lining to it, which we will. Not sure how it will ultimately look, but I'm willing to risk it. I think with all the add ons, it will look great with her outfit. They also have different color options, which is nice. This time, she likes the black (and the black[dragon]) and I like the gold. Which do you like? http://www.chinesemoods.com/product.php?productid=561&cat=0&page=1
We also like this one, but we are afraid that the style and length might cover too much of her outfit. http://www.goodorient.com/Secret_Black_Long_Coat_P17276
Suggestions, ideas, comments, and/or links to other coats/jackets that you think will work would be greatly appreciated.

As for cloaks. I'm terrible at making anything (and I mean anything). We do have several full length cloaks, which we are bringing as back up, but they don't match her outfits at all, so they will be our last resort options.

Final thing, someone asked if I was cold last time we went. The answer, not until the very, very end. As we were walking to the car, I noticed how cold it was getting, but during the faire, I wasn't really cold. I will be wearing thermals under my outfit though and I have some leather gloves, if it really starts to get cold, which should be enough to keep me warm.

Once again, thank you all for your responses. If you have comments on the coats, I'd love to hear them. Also, if you have more ideas, please let me know!

Sir Kindle

[Aiacha]

Quick $.02 - if you want to spend a little money, I love my silk long underwear.  It's not as bulky as thermals, and helps as a barrier.  I have a pair from www.wintersilks.com and I'm very happy with them with the few times I've had to break them out.  I even have silk glove liners to wear under my leather gauntlet gloves (and when I bike ride in early february!)

[Sir. Kindle]

Quick $.02 - if you want to spend a little money, I love my silk long underwear.  It's not as bulky as thermals, and helps as a barrier.  I have a pair from www.wintersilks.com and I'm very happy with them with the few times I've had to break them out.  I even have silk glove liners to wear under my leather gauntlet gloves (and when I bike ride in early february!)

Thank you for the link. I've bookmarked it and will be buying some asap.

[gem]

I couldn't get the Good Orient/Secret Black Long Coat page to load at all, but I wanted to say... don't think of whatever you get in terms of "covering up" her outfit.  Think of it as being *part* of the garb--something she loves as much as any other part, and something she looks forward to it being cold enough to wear. 

ETA: I Googled "Secret Black Long Coat" and found a thumbnail of it (I think), for anyone else who can't get the site to work:

[Hoowil]

You could make her a quick simple cloak out of fleece.  it would be warm and fleece does not need any finishing seams. 

I make these for the kids somewhat often, but if you get a 60' fleece, you can make a half circle that would fit an adult pretty easy. Find the fleece on sale, and the entire thing, including a frog or clasp would run you probably less than $20. On top of that, they have SO many colors, and patterns (if you wanted one) that it would be easy to match just about anything. Putting it together, if you can mark out a circle take all of an hour, including attaching the clasp. Even faster if you use a brooch pin, or non-attached closer.

[Lady L]

Both of those coats are very pretty. The fabric says "brocade", but not if it's silk or polyester brocade. Polyester wouldn't be warm in cool weather and not cool in warm weather.

When you said "chilly" I wasn't thinking 62! We think 60 is perfect weather for wearing layers of garb, such as velveteen, leather and wool. We are getting snow now, the ground and cars are all white here in Minnesota. By the way, we keep our house inside temps around 60 all winter, so I wouldn't consider that cold at all.

[Sir. Kindle]

Both of those coats are very pretty. The fabric says "brocade", but not if it's silk or polyester brocade. Polyester wouldn't be warm in cool weather and not cool in warm weather.

When you said "chilly" I wasn't thinking 62! We think 60 is perfect weather for wearing layers of garb, such as velveteen, leather and wool. We are getting snow now, the ground and cars are all white here in Minnesota. By the way, we keep our house inside temps around 60 all winter, so I wouldn't consider that cold at all.

You are right, I don't think 62 is that bad at all, it's the afternoon/evening temperature, which they are now saying will get down to about 35, that worries us. For my wife, it started getting chilly between 2 and 3pm, which leaves 3 to 4 hours of faire time, where it will only get colder. That day, it only got down into the mid to high 40s, so we are quite worried that it will get too cold for her to manage.  In addition, they are calling for an increased wind chill, which will only make it colder.

Also, I'm pretty sure, at the price of the cheaper one, that it's polyester, though I'm not sure about the more expensive, longer coat. However, if we do end up getting the cheaper one, if it turns out to be warm, that would be great, but if it isn't, we aren't that worried. The nice thing about wearing long sleeves, or a coat, is that we can stack up lots more warmth underneath, where no one will see it.

Sir Kindle

[Dinobabe]

Not trying to be snarky but why not have separate outfits?  Hot weather vs. cold weather.  I have different options of what I want to wear depending on the weather (and how I am feeling!). 
And adding a jacket is PART of the outfit, not covering it up!
I love this one.  Especially at only $40!