i need to find a place to buy costumes for this play my school is putting together but it has to be cheap?

Question

well my school is putting a play together and i need to find some costumes for an elizabethan play...i searched everywhere but its all around 900 dollars

Answer 1

I love this question! 2 of my favorite things, costuming and history! This is a lot, but it should give you a few ideas.
Thrift stores and a mother (or grandmother or anyone else you can wrangle) who sews. I was a wardrobe mistress for a
while, and the best costumes I had were pieced from thrift store finds and discount trim, with a few alterations. I'd suggest you research Elizabethan clothing, then look for pieces at a resale or charity shop that have the same lines.

The biggest thing about Elizabethan clothing is that it was ALL costume. Very stiff, very formal, and very showy. Elizabethan gowns were made of parts: skirts, underskirts (both VERY full), sleeves, stomachers (decorated corsets, basically) and ruffs. The ruffs are essentially chokers made of yards of pleated, stiff lace. Jewel tones were preferred for both sexes, with white ruffs and contrasting trims. The emphasis was on luxury and wealthy appearance, so sparkling trim, beading, pearls, and lots of necklaces were worn. Velvets, shiny material, anything expensive looking will work. I'd recommend making the skirts (it's just many yards of fabric and a drawstring, and fabric salvage stores should have good stuff for a dollar a yard or so), buying cheap corsets or bustiers (think Wal-mart or Target) and decorating them with beading (seed beads and fabric glue) and ribbon from a craft store (they can be ugly, you'll make them sparkle). Sleeves can be made the same way as skirts. Just fabric and elastic, with a few pins to attach it to the bustier. Necklines were often revealing, but many people wore a scarf or lace along the top of their bust, for modesty. The jewelry should include several long necklaces for wealthy characters. For the not so wealthy, just tone down the embellishments.
For men, the rule about decoration remains. Flashier is better. On a budget, I'd suggest tight fitting blazers from a thrift store or anywhere cheap (whoever sews can take out the liner and alter them to fit very closely) doctored with faux fur, ribbon, yadda yadda. The neckline should be filled in with a shirt closed to the neck, and a very impressive ruff. These fellows did NOT dress "rough and rugged". I doubt your guys will wear codpieces, a staple, but the blazers should cover much. Knee breeches and hose (baseball socks work well, and you can dye them with tea or whatever) will be the easiest to assemble. Men's trousers (Goodwill, again) can be shortened to knee length and padded or not. Shoes for both genders were very elaborate, with heels and sparkling buckles. I'd worry more about decorating the men's shoes, since no one will see under the ladies' skirts (I hope).

I know it's a ton, but this stuff is hard to sort through! I learned the hard way. I have other ideas, but my fingers hurt! If I can help, please type me at [e-mail].
I included an address that tells more about specifics. Good luck, and have fun!

Answer 2

Do a search for community theatre costume rental shops. The smaller community theatre costume rentals can range more in the $20-25 dollar range rather than $45-50 for a larger, nationwide rental business. Colleges will also sometimes allow other schools to borrow from their stock for little to no cost.

Answer 3

I would suggest contacting local theaters, community theaters, colleges, etc. True Elizabethan costumes purchased are going to be about that price (and I think 900.00 is low - unless its only one costume).

Borrowing or renting would be your most economical solution. Its all the farthingales and wired collars and heavy brocade fabrics that make Elizabethan costumes so expensive.

Answer 4

Hmm... I would consider e-bay, actually... There are also several cheap cosplay sites you can find (just search cosplay on google) that might have what you're looking for. Keep your eyes peeled for thrift stores (Salvation Army, Tesa, other miscellaneous local stores) as well- lots of great finds are buried in those stores. My best recommendation would be an Unclaimed Baggage Store. I've gotten LOTS of awesome things from there, and I'm positive they'll have outfits suitable for your play. ^^

Answer 5

If you have people who can sew , you can go to good will, or what ever you have in your area and find the basic clothing to modify into costumes with cloth bought at a fabric outlet.

Answer 6

There is a woman on E-Bay who is selling the most gorgeous gowns for under $25 with FREE SHIPPING! She's also totally reliable I bought a dress for my own school play from her and it arrived when she said it would. Here's the link for her selling page http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZgownsloved1QQhtZ-1
Break a leg with your play!
P.S. Please don't bid on the dress titled Little Boe Peep I'm looking to use that one for another play I have coming up and it's my last option! Thanks!