In our product range we have many items that are placed in a specific category. This is usually based on the time period the products come from, such as the Viking period or the Middle Ages. Because of this, it might sometimes seem like the products are only suitable for outfits from that period, but that's definitely not the case. In this blog we're going to show you three very different costumes that all use the same product, the Mytholon medieval cloak Aaron in the most popular colour, black.
Medieval Cloak Aaron Look 1 - Thief
The first outfit we've put together is a thief outfit. In many fantasy media, such as books and games, thief characters appear. This is a character that can be easily used and adapted to different settings.
Our thief wears a black shirt in a fairly simple style. As a thief you don't want to stand out, so dark colours are good choices and you also don't want any overly flashy details. The garment should be practical and comfortable above all.
You can find more options in our Medieval shirts and tunics category.
We combined the shirt with simple, loose-fitting trousers. The trousers are, just like the shirt, black to avoid standing out in the dark.
In our Medieval trousers category you can find other options.
Over the shirt we had our thief wear a brown suede doublet. This extra layer breaks up the all-black of the shirt and trousers. For a thief it's also a practical item to wear. An extra layer provides extra warmth in the evening hours, but the doublet doesn't restrict movement. Leather also works as a bit of extra protection against small weapons.
We gave our thief a good pair of suede boots. The boots have laces that you can either wrap crosswise upwards or wrap multiple times around your ankle. This keeps the boots in place.
Over the doublet our thief wears a simple but sturdy belt. Belts are the perfect accessories for almost any costume. They add something extra to an outfit in an easy way, but they're also very handy for hanging other accessories from to complete the look.
In our Fantasy belts category you can find other options.
In this case we used the belt to hang two additional accessories. One accessory is a leather pouch. Always handy for keeping your money or small valuable items.
The second accessory is a knife. As a thief you naturally don't want to sneak around unarmed, but large weapons, such as a sword or bow and arrow, are too cumbersome. A knife is nice and small and subtle to use.
When you're trying to break in somewhere in the dark, you naturally want to stand out as little as possible and be as hard to recognize as possible. The less of yourself you show, the better. For this reason we gave our thief a pair of black gloves and even a leather mask.
As the final item in this outfit we naturally have the black cloak that forms the basis of this blog. The cloak, especially with the hood up, immediately gives a mysterious feeling to the character. Of course you have to be careful not to get caught on anything, but for a good thief that's naturally no problem at all.
Look 2 - Knight
From our honourless thief we move to the honourable knight. The second look we've created is a knight outfit.
Since our knight wears (partial) armour, it's important to have the right base. We therefore started with a gambeson, or arming doublet. A padded tunic that ensures that blows on the armour are cushioned.
Our knight also wears black trousers. This style isn't too wide, as that fits less well with a knight character. Of course the trousers aren't so tight that it's uncomfortable to move in. A knight needs good freedom of movement.
In our Medieval trousers category you can find other options.
To complete the base of the look we used a black pair of boots. These boots come over the trousers to create a little material contrast on the legs.
Over the gambeson our knight wears a mail hauberk. Mail hauberks are an essential part of armour. Plate armour rarely covers the entire body, so a mail hauberk provides protection where plate armour can't.
You can find more mail hauberks in our Mail hauberks category.
Knights often wore the colours of their lord. In the case of our knight that's a combination of red and black. We add this colour to the outfit by having our knight wear a surcoat over his mail hauberk.
In our Medieval surcoats & coats of arms category you can find alternatives.
Mail hauberks are quite heavy and it's uncomfortable to have all that weight hanging on your shoulders. It was therefore also common to wear a belt over the mail hauberk. The belt catches some of the weight. Because we're not using a complete suit of armour in this look, we've chosen a two-piece belt that also serves as a sword belt.
In our Fantasy belts and Medieval belts categories you can find other options.
To keep the outfit from being too heavy we decided to add only partial plate armour. One of the armour pieces we gave our knight is a gorget. A gorget protects the neck and can be used to mount shoulder armour. In this case we also used shoulder armour for a more knightly effect.
To complete the armour we also added steel arm guards to this look. This way we create the illusion that the knight is wearing quite extensive armour on his upper body. A breastplate wouldn't really be visible under the surcoat, but the rest of the upper body is covered with plate armour.
Look for more armour pieces and alternatives in our Plate armour category.
Of course no knight outfit is complete without a sword. Our knight carries a medieval single-handed sword with a few subtle extra details and a leather grip.
In modern interpretations of knights they often wear a dramatic billowing cloak. To add this dramatic and noble effect to our knight composition as well, our knight also wears a cloak. The black Aaron cloak pairs perfectly with the red and black surcoat.
Look 3 - Orc
The third and final look we've created with the black Aaron cloak is an orc costume. The thief and knight were already very different, but both still human and somewhat more historically inspired. With this final look we want to show you that with this cloak you can also create a truly fantasy costume.
To create an orc costume, we first start by setting up a base. For this we started with a brown tunic with a somewhat rougher texture. Orcs aren't exactly refined beings, so rough and coarse fabrics are perfect.
Other options can be found in our Viking tunics category.
We combined the tunic with a greenish pair of trousers with unfinished details. The colour combination is dark and not too bright, but it does provide a more interesting base than entirely black or brown.
For alternatives you can look in our Viking trousers category.
Because we're going to give our orc lots of accessories, we kept the shoes relatively simple. This way we can build up layers nicely.
Now that the base is done, we can start building up layers. Orcs are warriors. They need armour too. But steel armour is expensive and too much of a luxury item for an orc costume. That's why we chose leather armour. The rough stitches with which the strips of leather are sewn together work really well with a rawer character like an orc.
You can find more leather breastplates in our Brigandines & scale armour category.
Over his leather armour the orc wears the black cloak that is central to this blog. With the hood and the black colour the cloak adds an unknown and threatening element to the outfit. An orc will very likely take off the cloak during a major battle, but on the way and in a camp setting it's also a nice addition to a look like this.
To emphasize the barbaric nature of the orc even more, our orc wears an animal fur over his shoulders. An orc won't bother to make complicated pieces of clothing.
We have more options in our Fur & faux fur category.
The arms are always a vulnerable part of the body in combat. It's no different for an orc. When our orc is in combat, his forearms are also an easy target for his opponents. To protect the forearms our orc also wears leather arm guards.
Our orc's lower legs are also protected with leather armour. This is both a logical addition to the outfit of a warrior, and a good way to balance the top and bottom of the costume a bit. The leg guards our orc wears are quite rough, fitting with the rest of the look.
We have more options in the Leather arm & leg protection category.
To further build on the layers and textures we
