Let's clothe a ranger.

[Mirimaran]

Speaking of diagrams and visualizing kit in general, on the LOTR extras DVDs you can see the costume mock-ups, where you see the actors wearing their costumes a bit at a time to show layering, etc. Might be fun to do something similar, to show how each item looks from layer to layer.

Ken

[caedmon]

Caedmon,

I just noticed the way the cloak in your picture is sewn down the center to just about the center of the chest.

I have been looking for a way to keep my cloak from riding up on me and choaking me out!

Is this what you use and does it work like it looks like it would?

Please let me know what you think about the pros and cons on this closure.

It also frees up your nifty star brooch to flip up your bow hand side and pin the cloak back. VERY nice!

This is not what I wear, or I should say, not how I wear it. I wear mine without an integral hood, like this:



I have worn it with the opening to the front on occasion but not often. When I have worn it that way I have not noticed any appreciable pulling on my neck. My boys wear theirs this way exclusively. They have never complained.

This style cloak was closed either by buttons or lacing, and I love it. Making it out of a single blanket necessitates that it be short, but there's noting keeping you from using more fabric.

[caedmon]

First off, I probably wouldn't go for the 18th century style knee breeches and high stockings. Having worn these previously, I don't personally feel that they are very comfortable or practical for ranging (though I'm sure there are scores of 18th Century reenactors who disagree with me).

I am not an 18th c. reenactor, but as a lifestyle steampunk, I love my plus fours. But that's immaterial. I did the colonial knee breeches because I do feel that the north (or at least the shire & Bree) are very much 18th century, and wish to make a nod to that. When rangering, I am a hosen, winningas, and ankle-boot guy.



Ranger boots are hard for me. In my mind I see Tolkien's intent (for boots) being in line with the Bros. Hildrebrand's Aragorn.



But this look is not for me, and doesn't fit my view of how a ranger would actually work.

The second thing I would say is that the moccasins don't seem to jive very well with my own idea of a Middle Earth Ranger... ...I'd probably go with something more like the taller riding boots of the 13th through 15th centuries. Like these:

Oh, those are nice, I may change my mind....

[Manveruon]

Haha, yeah, I've been drooling over a pair of boots like those for a while. They have a very classic Middle Ages look while still giving the support of a full boot. While cool 17th and 18th century fold-over riding boots look neat in illustrations like that, I've always felt they were slightly too... I dunno, clunky I guess, for a ranger. Actually, I think the boots Strider wore in the Jackson movies are pretty much perfect. The ones I wear were loosely patterned on those.

And yes, I definitely see what you mean about the 18th century influence of Tolkien's North, but I've always gotten the impression it was more localized to the Shire, and perhaps Bree. And in the Shire I'd even go so far as to say that it might border on early 19th Century.

[Mirimaran]

I have a pair of black boots from MRL similar to the ones in the painting, and for a guy like myself who is 5'8, they can make your legs look really short lol

Correct me if I am wrong, but the rolled cuff on the boots is so that when riding and etc they can be folded up to protect the upper thigh, right?

In FOTR I think that Bree looks very 18th century and I believe Butterbur is wearing trousers similar to your drawing, but for Rangering isn't anything with buttons going to be a hassle?

Ken

[Ernildir]

Caedmon,

I just noticed the way the cloak in your picture is sewn down the center to just about the center of the chest.

I have been looking for a way to keep my cloak from riding up on me and choaking me out!

Is this what you use and does it work like it looks like it would?

Please let me know what you think about the pros and cons on this closure.

It also frees up your nifty star brooch to flip up your bow hand side and pin the cloak back. VERY nice!

The cloak I recently finished basically functions like the one in Caedmon's pictures (which are all amazing), though it's design is rather different. But having come from a cloak that did choke me to this new one, I can attest that having the front of a cloak secured as far as the center of the chest definitely prevents choking.

[Ringulf]

That painting of Strider in Bree was the first I ever saw of Aragorn and will always be ingrained in my mind as how he looked. I love the crenelated outer tunic/wool jerkin and though the big boots look a bit ungainly now, I always imagined him rolling them up in the wild.

[Steve b]

I am not an 18th c. reenactor, but as a lifestyle steampunk, I love my plus fours. But that's immaterial. I did the colonial knee breeches because I do feel that the north (or at least the shire & Bree) are very much 18th century, and wish to make a nod to that. When rangering, I am a hosen, winningas, and ankle-boot guy.

I think that depends on which 18th century breeches you are talking about. Mid century French fly are very comfortable. Late century front falls are a creation of Sauron himself.

Funny, I always see the dress of the Shire as much more 19th century, especially as Jackson presented it. I look at the Shire and see 19th century Ireland.

Hawk.

[Druin]

I like this discussion. Does anyone have a pattern for a shirt like either of these below? I haven't been able to find one, and I've got the linen and all and I'm wanting to get sewing!

[deadextra]

That would be a kyrtle, this sort of thing.
http://www.feoragdubh.eastkingdom.org/P ... Tunics.gif

The middle pattern would probably the easiest to start with. The width of the body is just your shoulder measurement, length is twice the measurement from shoulder down to the desired finished length. Width of the arm equals the width of the body, length of the arm is taken from the point of the shoulder and down the arm with elbow bent at 90* to the desired length. Sleeves are usually done longer than modern sleeves, not quite to the knuckles. Make sure you hem the linen well. There are lots of ways to do the neck, like keyhole, lozenge, square, triangular, and double slitted. Trim can be added around the neck hole, cuffs, and bottom hem as desired. I suggest cutting all of the pieces large and pinning it together to see how you like the fit, then adjusting and stitching.

The thing with the slit between the legs is to allow the wearer to ride a horse.

Here is a little article about making the neck hole http://www.dragonlore.net/costuming/neckhole.php
Here is the collection those images were taken from initially http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-ca ... unics.html

[Ernildir]

Our own Caedmon has put together a lovely in-depth kyrtle guide right here on our forums, too: http://ranger.budgetauthenticity.org/fo ... =25&t=1529

[Druin]

That's awesome, thanks!

[Eric C]

Druin, thanks for posting and reminding me of this thread. I'm brainstorming what garment to make with a leather hide I've got in the closet. It would be a thick kyrtle I suppose, but this type of garment is certainly on my mind.

P.S. I've gotten so accustomed to Facebook that I was surprised when I hit enter and this didn't post.

[Eric C]

I checked the leather out and it is probably too thick for a kyrtle. I'm thinking of studying Greg's Jerkin that he posted some time ago and any other patterns I can find of a Jerkin and make one of those instead.

[Greg]

I've got a new one in the works that is more woods-friendly, I think. I outgrew the old one (literally...a feat I thought impossible at my age) and the time it spent in the woods revealed a few flaws in the design. Not in the construction, mind you...just in overall setup. I'll get you some info as soon as possible.