In our assortment, we have many products that are categorized into specific categories. This is usually based on the time period from which the products originate, such as the Viking era or the Middle Ages. As a result, it may sometimes seem as though the products are only suitable for outfits from that period, but that is certainly not the case. In this blog, we are going to showcase three very different costumes that all use the same product, the Aaron cloak, in the most popular color, black.
Look 1 - Thief
The first outfit we've put together is a thief's ensemble. In many fantasy media, such as books and games, thief characters are common. Therefore, this is a character that can easily be utilized and adapted to various settings.
Our thief is wearing a black shirt in a fairly simple style. As a thief, you don't want to stand out, so dark colors are good choices, and you also don't want too many conspicuous details. The clothing should be practical and comfortable above all else.
Shirt Francis, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/shirt-francis-black.html
You can find more options in our Medieval shirts & tunics category.
We've paired the shirt with simple, loose-fitting pants. Like the shirt, the pants are black to blend into the darkness and avoid standing out.
Trousers Gerald, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/trousers-gerald-black.html
In our category Medieval trousers you can find other options.
Over the shirt, we've dressed our thief in a brown suede doublet. This additional layer breaks up the all-black ensemble of the shirt and pants. For a thief, it's also a practical item to wear. An extra layer provides warmth in the evening hours, yet the doublet doesn't restrict movement. Additionally, leather provides a bit of extra protection against small weapons.
Leather vest Orthello, brown: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/leather-vest-orthello-brown.html
A good alternative is the Tabard Justus, brown leather. https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/tabard-justus-brown-leather.html
We've outfitted our thief with a sturdy pair of suede boots. These boots feature laces that you can either crisscross up or wrap multiple times around your ankle for a secure fit.
Suede boots Rolf, dark brown: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/suede-boots-rolf-dark-brown.html
Our thief wears a simple but sturdy belt over the doublet. Belts are perfect accessories for almost any costume. They add an extra touch to an outfit effortlessly, but they're also very practical for hanging other accessories to complete the look.
Leather X-belt, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/leather-x-belt-black.html
In our category Fantasy belts you can find other options.
In this case, we've used the belt to hang two additional accessories. One accessory is a leather pouch, always handy for keeping your money or small valuable items safe.
The second accessory is a dagger. As a thief, you certainly don't want to be unarmed while sneaking around, but carrying a large weapon like a sword or bow and arrow would be too cumbersome. A dagger is small and subtle, perfect for use in stealthy situations.
Leather pouch Michelangelo, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/leather-pouch-michelangelo-black.html
Scottish dirk: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/scottish-dirk-6021306.html
A festival-friendly alternative could be:
LARP RFB dagger: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/iron-fortress-larp-rfb-dagger.html
LARP basic dagger holder: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/larp-basic-dagger-holder-black.html
When attempting to break into a place in the dark, you naturally want to attract as little attention as possible and remain as unrecognizable as you can. The less you reveal about yourself, the better. For this reason, we've provided our thief with a pair of black gloves and even a leather mask.
Leather gloves Clemens, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/leather-gloves-clemens-black.html
Leather Mempo half mask, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/leather-mempo-half-mask-black.html
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, instantly adds a mysterious aura to the character. Of course, you have to be careful not to get caught on anything, but for a skilled thief, that's certainly not a problem.
Cloak Aaron, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cloak-aaron-black.html
This cloak is available in multiple colours.
Look 2 - Knight
Transitioning from our rogue thief, let's move on to the honorable knight. The second look we've created is a knight's outfit.
Since our knight is wearing (partial) armor, it's important to have the right foundation. Therefore, we started with a gambeson, a padded tunic that helps absorb the blows on the armor.
Gambeson Maciejowski bible: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/gambeson-maciejowski-bible.html
Our knight also wears black trousers. This style isn't too loose, as that doesn't quite fit the knightly character. Of course, the trousers aren't so tight that they're uncomfortable to move in. A knight needs good freedom of movement after all.
Cotton trousers Alin, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cotton-trousers-alin-black.html
In our category Medieval trousers you can find other options.
To complete the foundation of the look, we've used a black pair of boots. These boots go over the trousers to create a bit of material contrast on the legs.
15th century boots black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/nl/15de-eeuwse-laarzen-zwart.html
Over the gambeson, our knight wears a chainmail hauberk. Chainmail is an essential component of armor. Plate armor rarely covers the entire body, so a chainmail hauberk provides protection where plate armor may not cover as effectively.
Cavalry hauberk, mild steel: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cavalry-hauberk-mild-steel.html
You can find more hauberks in our category Hauberks & haubergeon.
Knights often wore the colors of their lord. In the case of our knight, that's a combination of red and black. We add this color to the outfit by having our knight wear a surcoat over his chainmail hauberk.
Tabard Geoffrey, red: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/tabard-geoffrey-red.html
In our category Medieval surcoats you can find alternatives.
Chainmail hauberks are quite heavy, and it's uncomfortable to bear that weight entirely on your shoulders. Therefore, it was common to wear a belt over the chainmail hauberk to distribute some of the weight. Because we're not using full armor in this look, we've opted for a two-part belt that also serves as a sword belt.
Two part sword belt, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/two-part-sword-belt-black.html
In our categories Fantasy belts and Medieval belts you can find more options.
To keep the outfit from becoming too heavy, we've chosen to add only partial plate armor. One of the armor pieces we've given our knight is a gorget. A gorget protects the neck and can be used to attach shoulder armor. In this case, we've also used shoulder armor for a more knightly effect.
Gorget Adam: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/gorget-adam.html
Pauldrons Adam: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/pauldrons-adam.html
To complete the armor, we've also added steel vambraces to this look. This way, we create the illusion that the knight is wearing a fairly extensive upper body armor. A breastplate wouldn't be very visible because of the surcoat, but the rest of the upper body is indeed covered with plate armor.
Steel vambraces: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/steel-vambraces.html
For more plate armor parts, look in our category Plate armor.
Of course, no knight's outfit is complete without a sword. Our knight carries a medieval one-handed sword with a few subtle extra details and a leather grip.
Medieval single handed knight sword: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/medieval-single-handed-knight-sword.html
A festival-friendly alternative could be:
LARP sword Knight Steel 87cm: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/larp-sword-knight-steel-87-cm.html
In modern interpretations of knights, they often wear a dramatically flowing cloak. To add this dramatic and noble effect to our knight ensemble as well, our knight also wears a cloak. The black Aaron cloak complements the red and black surcoat perfectly.
Cloak Aaron, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cloak-aaron-black.html
This cloak is available in multiple colours.
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 quite different, but both were human and more historically inspired. With this final look, we want to show that you can create a truly fantasy costume with this cloak.
To create an orc costume, we start by establishing a base. For this, we've started with a brown tunic with a rougher texture. Orcs are not known for their refinement, so rough and coarse fabrics are perfect.
Viking tunic Hans, brown: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/viking-tunic-hans-brown.html
You can find other options in our Viking tunics category.
We've paired the tunic with greenish pants featuring unfinished details. The color combination is dark and not too vibrant, yet it provides a more intriguing base than entirely black or brown.
Rusvik trousers Rurik, green: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/rusvik-trousers-rurik-green.html
For alternatives you can look in our Viking trousers category.
Since we're going to give our orc plenty of accessories, we've kept the shoes relatively simple. This way, we can build up layers effectively.
Viking shoes Jorvik with rubber sole, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/viking-shoes-jorvik-with-rubber-sole-black.html
Now that the base is complete, we can start building layers. Orcs are warriors. Therefore, they also need armor. However, steel armor is expensive and too much of a luxury item for an orc costume. That's why we've opted for leather armor. The rough stitches that hold the strips of leather together work very well for a rough character like an orc.
Leather armor Erend, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/leather-armor-erend-black.html
You can find more leather chest plates in our category Brigandines & scale armor.
Over his leather armor, the orc wears the black cloak that is central to this blog. With its hood and black color, the cloak adds an unknown and menacing element to the outfit. An orc will likely take off the cloak during a major battle, but on the way and in a camp setting, it's still a cool addition to a look like this.
Cloak Aaron, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/cloak-aaron-black.html
This cloak is available in multiple colours.
To further emphasize the barbaric nature of the orc, our orc wears an animal pelt over his shoulders. An orc wouldn't bother to make intricate clothing pieces.
Shoulder fur Bjorn: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/shoulder-fur-bjorn.html
We have more options in our category Fur & immitation fur.
The arms are always a vulnerable part of the body in battles. This is 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 bracers.
Pair of vambraces Fighter, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/pair-of-vambraces-fighter-black.html
Our orc's lower legs are also protected with leather armor. This is both a logical addition to a warrior's outfit and a good way to balance the top and bottom of the costume. The leg guards our orc wears are quite rough, fitting with the rest of the look.
Pair of greaves Fighter, black: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/pair-of-greaves-fighter-black.html
We have more option in the category Leather arm & leg armor.
To further build up layers and textures, we've given our orc a braided sword belt. For characters like an orc, it's fun to play with a variety of textures. This creates an almost restless ensemble, which fits well with characters of this nature.
Braided sword belt, brown: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/braided-sword-belt-brown.html
In our category Fantasy belts you can find other options.
Our orc wears a couple of different accessories on his belt. To emphasize the idea of barbarism once again, we've used a belt pouch with an animal fur flap. Additionally, our orc carries a drinking horn in a holder on his belt.
Viking belt Avaldsnes brown: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/viking-bag-avaldsnes-brown.html
Drinking horn holder Argast, black L: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/drinking-horn-holder-argast-black-l.html
Drinking horns, several sizes: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/drinking-horn-several-sizes.html
To complete the orc look entirely, a real orc face is needed, of course. The easiest way to achieve this is with a mask. It's also possible to build an orc face using separate special effect prosthetics, but that's much more challenging and time-consuming.
Orc mask with hair: https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/epic-armouries-orc-mask-with-hair.html
In our category LARP masks, noses, ears, teeth and horns you can find more masks and seperate prosthetics.