How Accessories can make bad garb good.

"How Accessories can make bad garb good" might be a bit deceiving title for this post. Really, "How Accessories can make decent garb look good and bad garb look decent"might be a better tile, but is far to long. In this post I am going to talk about about accessories.

For the purpose of this article we are going steer away from expensive Accessories like armor (which can be can be very Useful, make you more Versatile on the field, and be Attractive) and focus on simple little things that can help transform your garb from second rate, to... much better, maybe even spectacular!

Accessories: a thing that can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive.

Why use accessories? Well first of they are easy and cheep. But other than that accessories...

• ...tell a story about you, giving your garb depth
  
• ...are fine details that add richness to otherwise mundane garb
  
• ...add functionality to your garb

The first thing to consider when looking for accessories is functionality or Usefulness. For example, I don't have any pockets in my garb pants. I soon realized that I had no where to put my wallet or keys, so the first accessories I acquired were 2 pouches to put on my belt, one for my wallet and one for my keys.

Useful accessories might be:

• Pouch,  to hold stuff
  
• Chinese hat,   keep the sun of
  
• Gloves,  if you punch block allot
  
• Satchle (also known as a man purse),   for holding even more stuff
  
• Water boatel sling,  so you can stay hydrated all the time
  
• etc.
  

Second we look for what might make us more Versatile. Here we look for things that might make us more versatile on the field. Armor would be under this category. But another example is a sword or dagger belt. I fight with spear often, when a shield man gets to close to me, I can't use my spear anymore, a sword is sufull in these situations, and sword belt gives me one.

Versatile accessories might be:

• Sword belt, to hold an extra sword so you are never without
  
• Knee pads to protect your knees
  
• sun glasses to help you see, disguised naturally
  
• Wrist binding if you sword keeps getting cot in your sleeves
  
• etc.
  

After that we want to look for accessories that are Attractive. Now, attractive doesn't have to mean pretty, but rather that it adds to your "look". At this point we are looking for things that fit you, or your persona. Trinkets, and things that don't necessarily serve any other purpose but for show. Fantasy and historical trapping fit here.

Attractive accessories might be:

• Necklace,  stay away from plastic, metal links, wooden and glass beads "work" best
  
• Wrist-lit,  or just something around your wrist, for example a peace of leather
  
• Sash,  you don't have to be a scot to wear on of these. There are many ways to wear a sash and not look skittish at all
  
• Bandana,  on your head, your arm, tucked in your belt
  
• Cloth ankle binding,  get those baggy pants under control, or just on bear skin, one leg or two!
  
• Extra belts,  always look cool, don't limit them just to your waist!
  
• Rope,   is it a belt, a wrist binding, or a sash?
  
• Trinkets,   medallion, lucky rabbits feet, a little whistle, you name it it works.
  
• Neck scarf,  keep the sun of or the cold out!
• etc.

When you make your garb, don't just stop at some trousers and a tunic or tabard, add some accessories and make it truly your own!

Extra Reading:

• Magpie's Basic Garb Tips (Also, Melannen also has a good reply worth reading.)
  
• Ora's Quick & Easy Garb Some of the simplest garb you can make.
  
• Eriador Garb Requirements Article

Beyond the article:

You might try looking at costumes from movies you enjoyed, or do  search on google to get ideas. When you find something you like, take a look, what kind of accessories do you see?