v What are garb accessories? v

The term "garb accessories" refers to any object which decorates your garb, but which is not structurally part of the garment or permanently attached to it. This can include jewelry, belts, pouches, knives, religious items, personal hygiene items, etc. Basically, anything someone from your time period and culture would have carried on their person.

v Why are they important? v

The accessories you carry relay your position to others. They also complete the garb you are wearing. Imagine seeing a uniformed police officer in a movie walking down a dark alley with no badge or nightstick, or being a groomsman in a traditional wedding with a tuxedo and no cumberbun or boutonniere. You could identify them as a cop and a groomsman but something would strike you as strange. Why does a woman in a black evening dress look better if she is wearing jewelry with it? Simple, she has a more finished appearance because the jewelry enhances her beauty and the elegance of the dress. The proper accessories are as important to relaying who your persona is, when and where they lived as the type of sword he carries or the style of fabric and cut of her dress.

v What accessories would someone in period have carried? v

Accessories carried by people in period can be grouped into two categories: utilitarian and decorative. Since most garb in period did not have pockets people would typically carry the items they needed attached to their person or in a pouch on their belt. There were no banks during most of the time frame covered by the SCA; so many people carried some of their wealth with them. Displays of this wealth served to distinguish the nobility from the masses. The following is a list of some of the utilitarian items.

Knives	Symbols of Office	Eye wear
Drinking vessels	Fans	Combs
Mirror cases	Belts	Flint and steel
Quills and ink	Sewing tools	Seals or Signet rings
Pouches	Fork and/or spoon	Keys
Religious items (such as pilgrim?s tokens, paternosters, talismans and icons, relics, prayer books, etc.)

Some of the decorative accessories include:

Necklaces	Brooches	Bracelets
Bells	Sequins	Favors/tokens/badges
Head dress	Rings	Gloves
Handkerchiefs	Pomanders	Sashes

In many cases the items in these two categories can and should overlap. A needle case made out of ornately carved ivory and precious metals would probably have belonged to a noble woman and have been used as more a display of wealth and may have never been used. Whereas, a common woman may own one made from a simple unadorned chicken?s leg bone and base metals and used it to sew or mend her family's clothes on a regular basis. In the 14^th century someone from the lower or middle classes might wear a simple tablet woven or leather belt and a nobleman a plaque belt of precious metals richly enameled and studded with gems.

v Where do I find what accessories are appropriate for my persona? v

The accessories carried by those living in period varied with time and culture. Their quality and style of ornamentation also varied greatly throughout the time periods and the many cultures we depict. There are a number of good sources to research those accessories your persona would have had and carried in period. Some of the better sources are books depicting the actual archeological finds that are in museums or private collections. Other highly useful sources are period artwork depicting the costume of the your period. However, be wary of allegorical art or work that depicts a time period more than 25 years previous to the time the artwork was actually done. The longer the time span between the scene being depicted and the time it is rendered the greater the chance for anachronisms to appear. Manuscripts that detail the inventories of households, wardrobes or the estates of deceased nobility are also very useful. Research the sumptuary laws, if any, and the customs dictated by society. For instance Stell M. Newton states in Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince on page 36:

"Before 1355, the demand for conspicuously expensive decorated clothing had become so great that, in France, a set of statues was drawn up in the August of that year, regulated the practices of the goldsmiths of Paris. The Statutes des Orfevres de la Ville de Paris state clearly that, apart from exceptional circumstances such as the decoration of tomb in churches, goldsmiths were permitted to work in no other metals than pure gold and pure silver, and that pure gold must mean 19 1/5 carats. There follows a prohibition on the placing of colored foils beneath amethysts, garnets, rubies and emeralds to heighten their color. Neither was any goldsmith permitted to use, in any work of gold or silver, Scottish pearls in place of pearls of the Orient, except for work for the Church; or together with stones designated as etranges (probably what would now be called semi-precious stones). There was to be no mixing in of glass ornaments with garnets or other precious stones, and no cutting of crystal to resemble diamonds. No doublets (colored foils sandwiched between two pieces of glass) were to be set in gold except for the king, the queen or their children."

From this we can conclude that the use imitation "gems" of glass backed with metal foil to decorate clothing was practiced in 14^th century France.

Remember relics buried with influential people such as Kings and Queens or Chieftains were very special and ornate, possibly being constructed specifically for their burial and may not accurately depict how the same items may have appeared in everyday society.

v Where do I find these accessories? v

Unfortunately most accessories in period were one of a kind pieces made by a skilled craftsman. Thus it can be difficult if not impossible to find some of them. However most can be had with a little ingenuity and resourcefulness.

The mundane world can sometimes provide some amazing facsimiles if you keep your eyes open. Goodwill, the Salvation Army, flea markets and rummage sales can provide some very useful items if you look at the items potential. For instance, the belts for sale at thrift shops can provide you with some very reasonable imitations of period buckles and closures, not to mention mounts and studs. With a little work and attached to a real leather belt these can be transformed into good replicas of period pieces.

There are a number of artisans in the SCA and other reenactment groups who make a wide variety of useful items, some of them replicas or direct copies of existing artifacts. There are also merchants who provide reasonable facsimiles of the items you are looking for. If they do not have exactly what you are looking for you can always modify what they have to more closely duplicate the item you need. Below are a few of the merchants who have a good variety of period dress accessories on their web pages.*

The Swan and Lion Sutlery	Syke's Sutlering
The Pillaged Village	Gaukler Medieval Wares

* Please note: I have no affiliation with these establishments this is not an endorsement of these businesses.
I have had no dealings with any of them and thus can not comment on their business practices.

Another, and possibly the most rewarding option, is to make the items yourself. Remember period craftsman did not have access to fancy "modern" tools and equipment, libraries of "how-to" books, or a worldwide supply of resources just a phone call away. Try your hand at sculpting the mold for that broach and then casting it yourself, or tablet weaving the trim of the collar of your next piece of garb. If you truly do not possess some of the skills to make what you need look to those around you who may have these skills or know someone who does. Maybe you can work out a deal in either money or trade. The feeling you get from the reaction of others as they admire your handiwork can only be surpassed in the knowledge that you have a truly unique and admired accessory for your garb.