Hi folks, so one of the side effects of being stuck at home all of the time this summer has been that I have gotten better and better at online window shopping! Since the events I was planning to attend this year have been cancelled I have even less reason to fill up my wardrobe with costumes and so on. But I am still looking, so to help out some of you that might want something new for a Cosplay or LARP outfit I thought I would post some of the things I have found on here.
To start off with, all of these are from the UK Oxfam website, which means they are donated clothing. They are also all in a mix of sizes and qualities, but that’s just part of the way this works. I have looked for things that are in my mind ideal for LARP and Cosplay, but you might be doing something completely different so I recommend checking out the website yourself. They have a lot of vintage and formal jackets at the moment, plus an astonishing array of waistcoats, so if you’re doing anything that needs an overlayer then this might be a good time to have a look.
For this post, I am concentrating on coats and jackets, plus a few wild cards at the end. I’ll do one for dresses another time, there are too many.
Joe Browns Smart Boucle Jacket in Grey
I’m going to start with the thing I like best. If you go looking for it and cannot find it there is a good chance it is because I gave in and bought it soon after posting this. I love this jacket, it’s a waistcoat and jacket combo. The Regency era has some of the best cuts for jackets and this is a really nice modernised example. If I bought this it would not stay as merely a jacket for LARP or Cosplay, it would probably end up being my jacket for when I wanted to look smart. I do have a character or two that are set in eras where this style would be current, unfortunately, I don’t think the characters themselves would suit this. Real-life me might need to be brave and admit she’s buying it for herself.
Zechner Traditional Austrian Green Jacket
This is one of those pieces of clothing that are clearly made with an entire outfit in mind. It would be hard to picture someone wearing this with a pair of jeans. However, if you are looking for a jacket to wear as part of a costume that incorporates Traditional Austrian styles, then you are golden. Not so sure about the applique hats, though the pine tree looks quite nice. If you have a costume where you need something like this, then it will fill that gap perfectly.
This is another costume piece which is going to be difficult to wear on the commute. It is very clearly made to be historically accurate, with a military style cut and big buttons. If you are playing a medieval character then this is exactly what you will need. It also has a lot of links to the Jacobite era and similar Scottish history, but if you are just needing a Medieval-ish jacket to keep you warm then you can’t go wrong with this.
Speaking of keeping you warm, this would do the trick nicely. According to the info on the website, this was likely made in South America to traditional designs, which is really cool. It also has buttons along the bottom hem to allow you to join the cape together to give it sleeves if you need to keep more control over where it goes as you move, which is handy. It looks very snuggly and if anyone I know buys this I might have to beg the chance to pet it so that I can find out if it is as soft as it looks.
Helene Strasser Tailored Dress Jacket in Red and Blue
This jacket is fantastic and another one that would be great for a Regency-themed event or Steampunk, even, if you are willing to stretch the agreed time frames of when acceptable clothing styles can be picked. It’s really bright and looks like something that a determined young woman would wear as she races off to find fame and fortune. On the other hand, it also has a military style to the cut, so you might be a Warmage in a Fantasy of Manners Army about to go off to war. Either way, I love it and I think it would look great as a piece of kit for lots of different LARPs.
This jacket is clearly based on those worn by fox hunters, so it would be perfect for all sorts of Cosplay or LARP events. I feel almost certain that someone out there is considering buying this to match with a fox mask and tail and if you do please post pictures in the comments because I do love to be right. But it could also be used for a bunch of different costumes featuring upper-class British characters, especially those who really like horses.
Unbranded Naval Jacket in Navy
Perfect for both Cosplay and LARP if you need to look like a smart Naval Officer from basically any recent century you could use this as a basis. It’s got lots of gold braid, big buttons, and epaulettes, so everything you need. This jacket is also machine washable, unlike a lot of the other jackets on this list, so if you get covered in fake blood or eldritch oozings then it will be a lot easier to clean up.
Pied a Terre Wool Mix Blazer in Khaki
This jacket is also a fantastic basis for lots of Cosplay and LARP costumes. It’s a military style woman’s jacket in khaki, one that looks perfect for WW2, so as well as the varied costume options for being a legit person of the period, you could also turn it into an excellent Agent Carter Cosplay.
Replica 1980s Royal Scots Jacket
OK, so this is a legit replica of a piece of UK Army Uniform. If you need something like that for whatever reason, this is probably the best and most accurate thing you are going to get. It’s also less than £30 so it’s probably a heck of a lot cheaper than many of your other options.
And now for something completely different…
River Island Crushed Velvet Pedal Pushers in Black
Maybe it says something about me, but the second I saw these I thought of a vampire lounging with a glass of red wine in one hand. Anyone else? Well, either way, these are ideal for anyone wanting to play as a more Gothic kind of character, one with the time for bows on their knees and crushed velvet.
Dunn & Co. Top Hat, Gloves, and Cravat
I mean, it’s a Top Hat with matching gloves and cravat, I feel like Steampunk fans will be coming out of the proverbial woodwork to get their hands on this. It would also be useful for a load of historical, costumes, or to class up a character you feel needs it. The hat does apparently need a bit of TLC as there is a bit of stitching coming loose, but that will just give whoever buys it a chance to make their mark on it. Maybe even literally, I love seeing all the customised Top Hats on the web and I am sure that this could be used for something like that. It could, of course, be done up to look it’s best without Steampunk elements, there are bound to be a lot of characters you could use this for. Off the top of my head, I think it looks very My Fair Lady-ish, if anyone is tempted.
So, that’s it. Well not exactly. There is a LOT more on the Oxfam website. But this post is already over a thousand words, I can leave the rest for you to discover for yourselves. But I hope that I have proved to you that second-hand shops (and their internet equivalents) are a great place to find things for costumes AND a great place to find inspiration for characters. I think it is particularly useful on that front because it’s basically random, it all depends on what people have put into the shops. That way you can get a really nice varied look at all the different things that are available for people to buy. And you can start to think about all the different people who might have owned those things, or will own them in the future.
I will also be doing a post on dresses soon. There were just too many to include here so I decided to leave them for another day!
Tell me if you are going to buy any of these or if they have helped spark an idea for a character or a story! Or just say hi in the comments if this has been interesting,
Stay safe,
K