Pirates and piratical behaviour fire the imagination. Pirate clothing was not dictated by uniform standards, but rather by the fashion of the time and whatever could be plundered. The heyday of piracy coincides with the revolutionary war, so piratical costumes should be similar to dress in the late 1600s to early 1700s. Although the leaders frequently dressed in finery, the common sailors daily wear was simple - and probably often ragged.
- Skill level:
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Things you need
- Bandanna or paisley print cloth
- White shirt, size "too large"
- Tight, worn trousers
- Loafers or other slip on shoe
- Brightly coloured striped socks
- Toy sword
- Toy pistol
- Long, rectangular scarf
- Large hoop earrings
- Wide gross grain ribbon
- Big buckles
Create the shirt from a man's oversized white shirt. Cut away the collar and the top of the lapel and cut off the cuffs. Hem the shirt section where the collar was cut away or fringe it to make it look worn and ragged. Make a wide hem in the sleeve ends, leaving a little space open near the seams. Thread elastic through the hem to create a blousing sleeve.
Cut the trousers off just below the knee and fringe the ends. Add interesting slashes and fake blood stains to enhance the piratical look.
Cut an eye-patch from felt and sew it to the band of gross-grain ribbon. Tie it around the young pirate's head, letting the felt cover one eye. Tie the bandanna over his head, making sure to cover the eye-patch tie.
Attach the large buckles to the slip-on shoes. The shoes should be worn over violently coloured striped socks that reach to the knee.
Finish off the costume with a wide sash wrapped twice around the young pirate's waist. Blouse out the shirt to give it a tunic appearance. Thrust a toy pistol through the sash on one side and a toy sword through the other.
Tips and warnings
- If the young pirate wears an eye-patch to go trick-or-treating, it should be easy to flip up so as to not obscure vision while walking along roads or across streets.
- Some situations will not allow toy weapons. Keep this in mind when planning the costume.
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