Renfaire garb in off season

[Aderin]

We have a 2 bedroom apartment, and it is just m'lord and I. Bedroom # 2 is known as the "craft" room, but in reality it is a combination work and storage room. Sewing machine and fabrics are in there, along with more craft supplies than anyone should have, plus all our garb, accessories, and such - and there is a fair amount as we can costume ourselves for about 5 different eras from Medieval to Victorian, with some fantasy & steampunk thrown in.

Garb - we have the closet full - but mostly of stuff we don't use that often. We have a rolling clothes rack that we inherited from a retail job m;lord used to work. It dissassembles, if we ever need to take it places (which we have done when we ran back to back medieval education days (Thurs / Fri) and ren faire (Sat / Sun)) but it is currently loaded with all manner of clothing. We also have hooks in the ceiling with a rod for longer pieces - cloaks, medieval gown, etc.

Accessories - in tubs by era - a few things will get transferred between tubs, but we try to keep them as self contained as possible.

Hoop skirt - someone was looking how to store them - I hang my farthingales (I have 3, currently) on a hook over the back of the door, or even on a hanger - a nail in the wall on the back of a clost will allow you to hang them flat - just try to rotate them from time to time to keep them from warping. I find a few days on the dress mannequin will allow them to hang true again - but it all depends on what they are stiffened with.

A talented lot! I'm envious all over!

[Aderin]

I would totally dress in garb during off season if I wasn't 100% i'd be divorced <mundane wife >

I had that problem, ONCE,  a long time ago.  I don't have that problem any more....
Just saying.   

I love your response! I'm happy for your freedom

[genyferbelle]

Hi all,

I'm revivng this one a bit.

All of my stuff is in large plastic bins or duffle bags out in the garage. Not my ideal place to put it.But in Northern CA, the weather isn't too bad.All my leather items are in breathable bags. I try to keep certain characters together, but a few things carry over.

The worse part is I'm no where near my garb at the moment, and won't be till after the faire season here in Ohio. On the plus side, that means I get to make new costumes Unless I can convince family members to mail out three HUGE containers, 3,000 miles...hehhe

[Aderin]

Hi all,

I'm revivng this one a bit.

All of my stuff is in large plastic bins or duffle bags out in the garage. Not my ideal place to put it.But in Northern CA, the weather isn't too bad.All my leather items are in breathable bags. I try to keep certain characters together, but a few things carry over.

The worse part is I'm no where near my garb at the moment, and won't be till after the faire season here in Ohio. On the plus side, that means I get to make new costumes Unless I can convince family members to mail out three HUGE containers, 3,000 miles...hehhe

Ahh.. The woes of garb! Sometimes you can never have it all on hand!!

[Keno]

I wear my clothes all year.  We haven't made any winter garb yet so we mostly layer to fit the weather.  But if it hangs it goings into my closet, if it folds it goes into my dresser I have.

[Tazjia Swiftsail]

At this point I'm in the process of moving from my parents house to my boyfriends apartment but the garb is still at the 'rents as I will be leaving from there to get to faire. Things that can hang are heaped on each other til the hangers are about the bust and hung on my door and a stand/cabinet thing has the boxes holding the corsets and boots and other trinkets like my mug and flask that didn't really work out on the hangers and of course my hat! I wish there was no off season, if I could walk around in garb 24/7 without being looked at like a freak of nature I would. But the neighborhood I'm moving into it would probably not go off well. They probably already think I'm weird enough if they've noticed my pet rats playing in the window at night or seeing me bringing them to or from the car in carriers when I brought them home or take them to the vet. 

[Aderin]

At this point I'm in the process of moving from my parents house to my boyfriends apartment but the garb is still at the 'rents as I will be leaving from there to get to faire. Things that can hang are heaped on each other til the hangers are about the bust and hung on my door and a stand/cabinet thing has the boxes holding the corsets and boots and other trinkets like my mug and flask that didn't really work out on the hangers and of course my hat! I wish there was no off season, if I could walk around in garb 24/7 without being looked at like a freak of nature I would. But the neighborhood I'm moving into it would probably not go off well. They probably already think I'm weird enough if they've noticed my pet rats playing in the window at night or seeing me bringing them to or from the car in carriers when I brought them home or take them to the vet. 

Pssh! A pirate's rat is a mundane's dog! Shame on thy neighbors!   

Gladto hear you have access to your garb in the midst of your move!

[Jack Daw at Work]

I have my great kilt and woolen hose in a Lane cedar chest, with the rest on closet shelves or boxes.  My leather jerkin is kept in the hall closet.

[Mlle de Carcassonne]

I keep everything (which isn't much - maybe two or three outfits) locked away in an old black trunk. I look forward to having my own room so I can make it a Renaissance haven!

[Rani Zemirah]

Hoop skirt - someone was looking how to store them - I hang my farthingales (I have 3, currently) on a hook over the back of the door, or even on a hanger - a nail in the wall on the back of a clost will allow you to hang them flat - just try to rotate them from time to time to keep them from warping. I find a few days on the dress mannequin will allow them to hang true again - but it all depends on what they are stiffened with.

I was going to say the same thing!  I put mine against the wall in the back of the closest.  The other garb holds it in place just fine.

It just occurred to me that one of those low profile garden hose hooks would be perfect for someone who had more than one farthingale (or just wanted a nice way to store it), since it has a curved upper surface, preventing that whole "single-point-of-contact" stress... which led me to do a search to see what kind of price was available.  THIS is what I stumbled upon... and I am now thinking I might need to upgrade my own garb to include something that should be stored this way, just so I can have this pretty pretty on my wall!   




Oh, yes... as for our garb storage, I have an iron clothes rack made out of steel tie rods (so it is EXTRA heavy duty) that I can hang most of the corsets, bodices, chemises, skirts, bloomers, coats and cloaks on... and 2-3 of the medium/large (18-22 gal.) Rubbermaid storage totes for accessories.  Most of our things are mixed and matched to the point where just about every piece is interchangeable for several different looks/characters/outfits... so trying to keep whole sets together isn't at all feasible.  We just try to keep like pieces together, so we can look through each category of garb easily to put together whatever we want to wear for the day.  All of the corsets/bodices are together, then the chemises, then the skirts, etc... so we just move from one group to the next, building the outfit as we go.  It's never completely put away anywhere, though... because we would miss it if it wasn't able to be petted and admired, and tried on whenever a new piece is added, or when we are particularly missing Faire!