The Renaissance Faire is the perfect place to wear a kilt. You’re surrounded by people in garb, nobody is going to ask why you’re wearing one, and the combination of outdoor terrain, all-day wear, and carrying your own gear makes a Versatta cargo kilt the most practical solution to your Faire needs.
Here’s how to make the most of it.
Don’t be afraid of color
Virtually every color you can find in a modern kilt existed in the Renaissance and Medieval periods. Natural dyes allowed for a whole rainbow — reds from madder, blues from woad and indigo, greens from various plants, yellows from weld. Some colors were more common than others.
If you’re aiming for historical realism, two colors to think twice about: black (historically associated with the clergy) and purple (the color of royalty, and expensive enough that wearing it uninvited was sometimes literally illegal). For everyone playing a fantasy character — which is most people at the faire — you don’t have to worry about any of that. Wear what looks good.
Shop cargo kilts in dozens of colors →
To tartan or not to tartan?
Here’s some faire trivia: most Renaissance Faires are set in a period that predates the widespread use of tartan as a kilt material. If your monarch is Elizabeth I or earlier and you’re set in England or continental Europe, the tartan kilt likely hasn’t come down out of the Highlands yet.
For this reason alone — who cares? Wear the tartan if you want to wear the tartan. Or better yet: go Highland Bound as your favorite character. We love seeing MacGeralt walking around the faire.
Accessorize
We all know that Versatta cargo kilts have serious storage capacity, but the whole point of Renaissance Faire is to show off your gear.
Start with a belt — it gives you a sturdy attachment point for pouches, tools, and whatever else your character is carrying. For a more authentic period look, grab a sporran and leave the cargo pockets at home. Bonus: the pocket attachment straps on either side of the kilt can be used to attach additional items even without the pockets installed.
For footwear, you can’t go wrong with our friends over at Verillas — word to our mother.
But I’m not Scottish…
And most of the people dressed up at the faire aren’t Spanish nobles, Italian merchants, or French pirates either.
The Renaissance Faire is for entertainment. If you want to play a Dutch mercenary with a love for comfortable, versatile, and stylish garments, get out there and put on a kilt. The history is a starting point, not a rulebook.
There’s no wrong way to do it
Except to do so without confidence.
The faire rewards commitment. Whatever character you’re playing, whatever kilt you’ve got on, own it completely. Nobody at the Renaissance Faire is going to tell you you’re doing it wrong — and if they do, they’re the ones doing it wrong.
