I have a 9 year old son who has just started to attend faires. He is very open to dressing and as far as clothes go, this is no issue. It is what to wear for shoes/boots that we are trying to figure out. Since his foot size is changing quite a bit at this age, I would not like to spend much for shoes/boots. Recently we had him wear these 'sleeves' that came from an old pirate outfit that simulated the look of boots, but was looking for somethting a little more 'authentic'. His basic character is that of a squire if that helps.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I know it doesn't help right now because its summer... but in the fall there are great boots at most shoe stores and department stores that would work, don't cost a fortune, and after a year or two would end up replaced anyhow.
Or Medieval Moccasins has great shoes for children and aren't really pricey. (I own a pair of their shoes and they are so comfortable!) I'd say they are about what the average person would spend on a nice leather gym shoe for the school year
http://www.medievalmoccasins.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MM&Category_Code=IC
I started out in a pair of cheap cowboy boots. They were forest green with fringe and fit my little archers outfit perfectly (I was also nine)!
I would look in the discount section of cheap shoe stores or even go to the local Goodwill. That is where I found my perfect Civil War boot look-a-likes ($7 baby!)! A simple boot will always work great.
We have had lots of luck putting Jamison in womens boots from Wal-Mart or Target. They usually have a selection of renaissancy boots with no heel.
Lurk at you local second hand stores they always have lots of fun stuff. So finding boots for the lad should not be that hard!
Or Western Wear stores have all sorts of boots for vaired prices
With four kids and a troupe of twenty at faire I have learned many shoe tricks LOL. My fave place to look is thrift stores. Also if your child is older than a toddler look at womens shoes, whether it be good will or Walmart, etc. I've always had some luck at stores like Walmart and Kmart too. For the girls I use simple leather (or leather looking) Mary Janes, or the china doll type shoes, I've even done sandles in summer for my girls. Not exactly period but for visiting a faire they fake it pretty well and the kids are more comfy. For the boys you can find simple slip on loafer type shoes that looks somewhat period or can at least fake it. If you work entertainment at a faire you may want to get approval first but those are the things that have worked for me.
One other note. Make sure the shoes fit and you're kid is comfy. It's true when the feet hurt everything hurts and it a kids feet hurt it can ruin a day at festival. Opening weekend for me is always an adventure because I'm sure to have a kid with blisters from ill fitting shoes. I've taken to telling my parents to please have their kid wear their shoes to school or around the house frequently so they are well broken in. A good rule of thumb for us grownups too!
You can also try a Moc shoe...Here is a link to a great site and relatively inexpensive: http://www.moccasinsales.com/minnetonka_childs_boots.htm
This is a timely thread - I've got a month to enshoe three little rennies. I was wondering if my fledgling leatherworking skills would be up to crafting ghillies in time, but that's dicey as it would be a real problem if they turned out to be uncomfortable. Some of these ideas sound like a safer bet. Thanks!
RoyalMocc