Product Reviews: Historical Shirts & Shoes Worth Buying

Sometimes, you don’t have time to sew. Or there are certain things you just don’t care to sew for yourself. Or you realize that someone, out there, somewhere is making & selling something better than you could sew & for a price that is more reasonable than you tearing out your hair to attempt to create a similar item. There’s no shame in not making every last item of your historical kit with your own two hands — few people in history did! Then, as now, people specialized, & some artisans were master embroiderers or master cordwainers or master wigmakers or master milliners. It’s a reenactorism to assume that one person must know how to exquisitely make everything she wears from skin-out all by her lonesome.

I’m always on the lookout for good value in readymade historical clothing & accessories. This isn’t easy because inexpensive items tend to be wildly historically inaccurate, & accurate reproductions tend to be wildly expensive. I do want to support skilled artisans who are selling their work because I can appreciate what goes into it. You’re not getting mass-produced junk from foreign sweatshops, & everything from the materials to the tools used may be higher quality. Of course, you still have to suss out these sellers & make sure their goods are worthwhile.

Here are a few vendors I’ve found to be reliable, reasonable, & a good deal, in a variety of historical eras & items…

Readymade & custom-made 16th-century embroidered shirts & smocks

Thistlebees does machine-embroidery that’s a dead-ringer for handmade blackwork. Or it must be, because whenever I wear my embroidered shift from Thistlebees, I have people in the SCA who claim to know a lot about embroidery complimenting me on the work. Anyway, I love it & find it to be awfully pretty. Check out their Etsy shop for one-offs at bargain prices — that’s admittedly where I do most of my shopping. You never know what goodies you’ll find. But if you want a wide selection of chemises, collar & cuff sets, coifs, or something custom-made with elaborate, historically accurate embroidery, head to the main shop.

The Tailor’s Eye doesn’t make many things, but their shirts are fan-freakin’-tastic. Not the cheapest, but reasonable imo because the final product looks & feels perfectly accurate & is of top-notch quality. Plus, it’s custom-made & customizable, so you’re not getting a cookie-cutter shirt. I wear my shirt at least once per SCA weekend event, so its cost-per-wearing is pretty low by now. And again, this is superb machine embroidery that fools embroidery people, so it’s really a great score.

Readymade 16th-century shoes

Boots by Bohemond has a good, all-purpose renaissance shoe for women or men in it’s Mary Rose shoe. This one is always in stock, & you can upgrade to a nonslip sole & the total is only $100. Sure, that’s more than a generic “will blend in if it’s not seen much” shoe from Payless Shoe Source & the like, but you won’t find a genuine historical style for less. This one breaks in easily (& I have wide, hard-to-fit feet) & is nice to wear at long events. Ideal for renfaire and SCA events.

Readymade 18th-century shoes

I *big puffy heart* my Fugawees!!! I can’t yell it loud enough from the mountaintops. I have literally walked miles in these shoes, across the cobblestone streets of Venice, over broken glass during Carnevale, & my feet felt perfectly fine that night & the next day. Oh, & this was after filming & dancing the Ballo del Doge. I’ve had my pair of black leather Marthas for at least 5 years now, wearing them at 18th-century events several times a year, mostly outdoors, & they’ve held up fabulously.  Like the old Timex watches, these shoes take a licking & keep on ticking. Plus, the Martha’s are strong enough for a (ok, very femmy) man, but made for a woman — yeah, I wore them to cross-dress, even tho’ I usually wear them with 18th-century girl clothes 🙂

Readymade & custom-made 18th-century men’s shirts & neckwear

Historic Seams on Etsy made the quite excellent ruffled shirt I wore as Leonard Autie (Marie-Antoinette’s hairdresser), & I definitely recommend her work. It’s a lovely shirt, well-made, & it was a pleasure doing business with her.

Little Bits Historical Clothing on Etsy made an exquisite 18th-century neck stock that I wore for my Leonard outfit. That was truly a piece of art! Very finely pleated & perfectly made, plus precisely fitted. Every elegant gentleman (or woman playing a gentleman) should have one of these.

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So what are some of your favourite resources for buying readymade & custom-made historical costume pieces? Share your sources in the comments!