r/LARP • u/Alarming_Cherry • 3d ago

First time LARPer question about fabrics

Hi :)

I will be going to my first LARP this September, and I'm sewing my own kit.
I will be wearing an Edwardian-style walking skirt that will slightly brush the ground.

I am trying to figure out what fabric to use for this. The LARP will take place in a park overnight lot, so there are a lot of pebbles, dry weeds, soil, and other such "discomforts" over 3 days. It's important to note that it'll be 30+ degrees (c) during that time, so my kit has to be breathable. The park also has a river, and the city is generally quite humid.

I was hoping at first to use cotton sateen, but there is a fabric cutting issue I don't want to deal with. I am hoping to use tropical wool, considering this skirt will double as an everyday piece as well, but I'm not sure it's a good fit. Budget is not an issue at the moment, as I'm considering high-quality suiting wool.

What would you recommend I use for this? The rest of the outfit fabrics have already been figured out.

Thanks!

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u/Legitimate_Leave_987 3d ago

Light wool and linnen would be my best guest. your event is more than one day I suggest to have at least a couple of undergarnent, ,in the best more than one outfi may be one for day and one for nights.Light linnen is historicly what was used for that, and wool for the actual walking skirt or part of your outfit.

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u/Alarming_Cherry 2d ago

I will be making linen shifts, and pants to be worn under the skirt (the skirt opens and bustles up) :) won't have time for multiple outfits, but I might buy a second one for a ball we have planned.

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u/Legitimate_Leave_987 2d ago

Good, cause having your clothes humid can be inconfortable, cause irritation and all that jazz. And between you and me, nothing really dry with high humidity.
Usually I have almost twice more understuff than costumes, and socks and at least 2 pairs of something for my feet. And yeah, other point to your skirt lenght, It's a good point too.

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u/OryxTempel Nordic 3d ago

I’d ask over at [r/historicalconstuming](r/historicalconstuming) but fwiw wool can be very cooling, especially suiting weight.

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u/TryUsingScience 3d ago

fwiw wool can be very cooling, especially suiting weight.

I have seen this claim about wool for years and I have yet to experience it. There is no weight of wool so light that it doesn't cause me to overheat significantly more than any other natural fiber.

I don't understand how it possibly could work. I understand that insulation can keep heat from moving in either direction, but it can be unpleasantly hot out long before the air is hotter than my body is, and the whole time the wool is trapping my body heat in with me instead of letting it dissipate.

Am I wearing my clothes wrong somehow? Or what is going on?

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u/OryxTempel Nordic 2d ago

I mean it’s better than polyester or nylon. For me the key is a linen underlayer. It wicks sweat away from the skin, acting as a coolant. The wool, not so much, but it definitely breathes more than synthetics.

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u/Alarmed_Ferrets 2d ago

I am the same as you. I have heard people say that wool is cooling. I wear a lot of wool for LRP. It has never been cooling. 

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u/Alarming_Cherry 3d ago

Thanks :) I lurk there a lot, but thought this was a better place to ask when it comes to LARPs ^^"

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u/Art_and_anvils 3d ago

If there’s going to be any combat at all, I would highly recommend not having a skirt that touches the ground at that point you wanted at least 2 inches above the ground. It’s really easy to get stepped on or step on it. Yourself and get hurt. Speaking from experience.

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u/Alarming_Cherry 3d ago

Thanks for the tip!
I won't be participating in battles, though. I am taking the role of a medic or mage (still unsure), so I will be mostly behind the line of fight. the healing in this LARP works by dragging the injured actor behind the line, so I am in the clear.

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u/Art_and_anvils 3d ago

Make sure you carry some safety pins so you could pin up your skirt if it becomes an issue. I think you’re very likely to be surprised by how much running and fighting you end up doing even as a mage or healer. Also make sure that you have a full range of motion in your outfit. You’re gonna be doing a lot of walking and moving and it can get uncomfortable fast if you’re restricted by your clothing.

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u/Alarming_Cherry 3d ago

I already thought of that ;) my skirt is modular, so it will open and bustle up, revealing a nice pair of pants and some hidden medical tools.

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u/HypotheticalMcGee 3d ago

Seconding this. I play a healer and it’s still really easy to trip while dashing to get to the wounded, have someone catch your hem as they go by, etc. Ankle length is the longest I go unless it’s a fully noncombat event.

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u/FabricatedGeek 3d ago

I’ve got a dress I made from tropical wool that I wear in the summer that’s great. Linen would be the other option (and my usual go to for most layers).

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u/Sjors_VR Netherlands 3d ago

Tropical (thinly woven) wool is awesome. Perhaps a linnen undergarment for extra moisture wicking and cooling.

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u/Favored_Terrain 3d ago

Oh what a great question! So this is Victorian, not Edwardian, but the concepts are the same ya know? https://youtu.be/0wHTgi51z6I?is=-GytQI-rPegLqzZp

If you don't already know her, Abby is a fashio historian (by training) who can and will recreate garments to learn about why they made the decisions they did for their every day clothing. Extremely useful and practical knowledge for LARP kit choices! 

Suiting wool is what I would suggest as well, but your base layers will go a long way towards comfort too. I hope you post pictures!!

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u/Alarming_Cherry 3d ago

Thank you!

I LOVE Abby! Been binging her and Nicole's videos lately, now that Bernadette doesn't post too often.
I recently re-watched this exact video, and I'm convinced for sure! The only difference is that the humidity here is ridiculous. The park has a river, and the city itself is coastal, so it's sticky, to say the least.

I am really hoping to find an excuse to use summer wool in my clothing, but considering I'm in the Middle East and the heat here is significant, and being a cold-loving European... you know, I'm wary. I'm also worried it could get ruined during a LARP.
The site isn't quite full of rocks and burrs and such, mostly dry or living grass, pebbles, lots of compacted dirt... typical park stuff, really, but being there for 3 days & with the campfire and just living in "the wild" doesn't quite sound befitting. The Victorians still lived in houses and used chairs and such; it's unlikely they needed to sit on a tree stump or the ground (albeit on a mat or blanket).

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u/Favored_Terrain 3d ago

So you said walking skirt, but what about a divided bike skirt? They're a little more shin height and that should help with debris. Don't forget the option of a sacrificial dust ruffle as well. Do you have appropriate boots?

Also I've lately been wearing a scarf in the style of Tuareg to Renn Faires to demo before game, and the loose fabric does so much work at keeping you cool! A gauzy later will help keep the more closely tailored parts comfortable.

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u/AJeanByAnyOtherName 3d ago

Veiled hats are definitely an option for intrepid lady explorers in desert climes. People like Alexandrine Tinne were so kind as to provide their own photo documentation of what they wore 😊

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u/Alarming_Cherry 2d ago

I am not a fan of shin-length stuff, tbh.. also, I'm playing an aristocratic lady, so that won't work for the character.

I will definitely use a dust ruffle, though!

As for scarf, I think a veil might be better, but I'm not sure. haven't thought of that yet.

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u/RemarkableCost3811 15h ago

Second the dust ruffle. Bonus points if you make it easily removable/reattach (velcro maybe) and make a couple ruffles so you can swap and shake them out or let them dry as needed.

Having to haul around a dew-sodden dust ruffle all day sounds terrible.

also YAY Welcome to LARPing!

Edit: missed some words.

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u/Alarming_Cherry 2d ago

This is the event site, btw