The LARP Shopping List
Or where to Buy your New LARP gear
There are lots of different options for getting your LARP costumes and gear: thrifting, home-making, borrowing. Sometimes, we don’t have the time to muss around, though, and we just want some quality base layers and gear for our costume that take as little energy as possible. Let me introduce you to some of my favorite LARP shopping avenues–not just for their content, but also, many times, for their service and policies!
For the girl who needs a fantasy medieval dress among us, especially the gorgeously fat girl, there’s HolyClothing.com . This company has an inclusive attitude toward all sizes and genders and is constantly increasing their styles and options, plus the quality is to die for. Going up to 5x in size, most of their dresses are light and airy and good for wearing in the summer or being a base layer for the winter, and they are all hand-dyed fabric that’s easy to wash. The styles range from medieval fantasy to just general enjoyment, and the embroidery on their dresses is really eye catching. If I had anything negative to say about Holy Clothing, it’d be only that their clothes are usually one single color, and definitely need some accessories to pop properly–but, really, that’s as much a boon as a bane. After all, if you need a base layer, having several different colors can be distracting. My experience with buying a surcote with them is that the surcote is extremely thin, so don’t get it to keep warm, but I’ve yet to try out their coat.
Next on the list is Verillas. Known for their utilikilts, Verillas has a surprisingly wide selection on their site of things that range from belts and boots all the way to some really well-priced tunics which are perfect for LARP. I have enjoyed endlessly their Warrior Shorts, too. Verillas supports the LGBTQ+ community, as well, and sells a wide range of pride kilts, which, while not for LARP necessarily, can be a fine addition to your wardrobe. I’m sad to say that Verillas does not really cater to the more robust crowd, though it sometimes tries, and their return policy is only for ‘credit’ at the store, which is unfortunate if they don’t have anything in your size and you tried to buy something of their largest size in hopes it would fit. I’ve never been let down by Verillas’ quality, though, and their customer service is kind and efficient.
Finally, do you want some quality LARP weaponry to go with your new, smashing outfit? Of course you do, and you should look no further than Calimacil. While I understand they are a little pricier than other companies for your first weapon of foam war, I can say the swords here are much sturdier than their competitors, and the new foam makes them light and soft–that’s not even mentioning how beautiful they are! When I first joined LARP, I went through a sword a game because when they’d hit another player’s sword, they’d snap. I’m fully aware this is a problem for me, primarily, and that shouldn’t have been the case–if you don’t swing like an actual sword-fighter–I pulled back before touching anyone’s body, it was when other swords impacted mine–you should have no problem. But, if you’re just worried about having to buy one again in a year or so, Calimacil’s swords hold up for 5+ years, and require no latex care.