what did pirates wear?

Answer 1

Leather bikinis, short skirts, puffy shirt unbuttoned to show their ample bosom...

Oh. Did you mean MALE pirates?

Answer 2

It depends upon what era you're talking about.

Little is known of the first large sea-faring culture of ancient Phonecia, but they likely had just as many pirates as any other time.

Ancient Greece and Rome recorded their piracy on the seas, but little is known about where they ended up. They, of course, dressed like Roman and Greek soldiers.

The Normans were Scythian descendents who's warships were frequently taken over by their sailors and slaves. They had the classic norman look.


During the Inquisition, most pirate ships were Corsairs. They were Moriscos and Morenos (Muslims and Jews) who were taking to the seas for many reasons. They were forced out of Europe and eventually many of them settled in the New World. They wore the contemporary wardrobe of their time, Morrocan inspired dress (think Sinbad, Arabian Nights).

About 200 years later, European pirates dressed a little more in the "Cavalier" attire. Many of those pirates were of the Knights Templar, and they were also forced out of Europe for political reasons.

During the civil unrest in Europe (18th-19th Centuries), disenfranchised sailors frequetly commited mutiny and took over the helms that employed them. Usually it was because of the poor living conditions, or the fact that many of them were heading to Debter's prisons in Australia. Again, they were dressed in the contemporary attire of the day. This era is where all the classic pirate movies come from. The French-spanish (Basque) striped shirt, the colonial headresses, teh "puffy shirt", ornate blazers, breeches, etc.

Answer 3

Odd question! Haven't you seen Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean yet? They wear eyeliner, gold teeth and they swagger a lot! And they like hats, and scruffy underwear! I don't think soap was invented yet!

Answer 4

Calico Jack Rackham wore colorful Calico Coats.

Calico is a fabric made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may contain unseparated husk parts, for example. The fabric is less coarse and thick than canvas or denim, but owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance, it is still very cheap.

Male pirates often cross dressed or adapted the fancy clothes they stole from female passengers. For working the ship, they probably wore canvas slops. http://www.bilgemunky.com/reviews/costumes/flyingcanoe_slops.php

Answer 5

Clothes, of course. Never heard of naked pirates.

Answer 6

canvas shorts from sail cloth!!every sort of cloth rotted in the despoiling caribbean heat and moist weather!!fancy clothing for special occassions was able to be purchased at "very dear" prices in organized trading ports set up sometimes by thr very nations most subject to the pirates ravenous depredations!!18 course meals were available with delicacies worthy of the finest restaurants and wine cellars of europe!!madiera,rum,brandy wine,milk punches with rum..etc!!the spaniards soon took to the light and comfortale cotton tunics of the natives with salt-cured rawhide slats within to deflect arrows and projectiles as opposed to their effective but rusting,heavy metallic armor!!leggings,loincloths and woven straw hats to shade the oppressive and eternal bleaching sunlight from the eyes scanning the horizon for prey!!daggers,knives and pistols..cutlasses and swords of course!!

Answer 7

probably clothes, watch a pirate movie and find out.

Answer 8

Whatever they happened to have handy as well as stole from ships they boarded or towns they raided.

Answer 9

Rayban sunglasses.

Answer 10

Stripey t-shirts, crazy hats and eye-patches.