Celtic Costuming

Fabrics
Use common sense. It's pretty easy to figure out what kind of fabrics you'll need to use. No going out to the Halloween Store and buying a 100% polyester "Authentic Celtic Tunic" for more than you should spend for anything polyester. Linens are great and I like them much. They wouldn't have been as bright as some of the other fabrics though because linen is difficult to dye. The Celts probably would have chosen a mundane color and embelished it with needlework and weaving. Wools are also really good because there were a plentitude of sheep around as anyone who has visited Britain knows quite well. You can also get away with cottons if you really want to, but the Celts didn't actually have cotton. Still, it's cheaper than buying wool which is probably the most accurate. Linen has the advantage of keeping you cooler when you're fighting (the idea of running around in a wool outfit in the summer is rarely desirable).

If you read the web site I recommended at the beginning of this page, you'll have noticed that the Celts did not wear kilts and that tartan is a fairly modern concept. However, the Celts did have something similar to tartan. It can probably best be described as checked, and they wore it quite often (King, 14). Most notable was the plaidish (?) cloak that was worn by the men and possibly the women.

The Celts also used leather as they had cows. So your belts and shoes would be realistic if they used leather. Celts also would make leather shoes with linen for the legs so in this way you can save a few bucks.

Color
One of the most relieving things for people that are costuming is that you don't have to stick to drab colors. These aren't medieval peasants we're talking about. The Celts liked color. When the Romans arrived they thought that was pretty cool too and even mention in texts that the Celts liked color.

Some colors have special meanings. Red, green, silver and white were the colors of the Otherworld (Side in Ireland) so if you're going for a mythological character you might want to try for those colors. Just don't go nuts and find a great neon green. The Celts were primitive people that didn't have things like red dye #36. They had berries so obviously, they could have bright colors, but they should be reflective of nature as well.

The colors green and purple were not often worn by ordinary Celts though. The dyes were more expensive and purple, as in many other societies, connoted royalty so stay away from these colors if you want to be the garden variety Celt.

Like the Arabs who continue the same process today(and I'm sure many other cultures), the Celts used urine to make the dyes stick to their clothes so dying was a stinky process. It was also done only by women and only at certain times. Men were not allowed to be around the
dyeing process.

Designs and Symbols
The typical twisting designs are probably the most recognizable feature of the Celts. Most everyone can point this out as Celtic and the Celts did use these patterns in embroidery. Men would have this embroidery on their shirts (King, 15). Often, animals are depicted in these designs. The animals signify spirits that the twisting patterns are capturing.

Other popular symbols in Celtic art are birds, which often represent those from the Otherworld and apples, also associated with the Otherworld.

The Celts would have embroidered the bottom few feet of their leinte or tunics and the collars and sleeves (if they had them). One distinctive weave is called the tablet or card weave. I'll eventually put this up on my site once I get the hang of it myself. It was a type of weaving that would be on small tablets (hence the name) so would be relatively thin - perfect for edgework. Look for links to tablet weaving sites on my links page.

Garments and Links to Patterns
I'm not very good at coming up with my own patterns so I'll direct you to a few sites. I'd like to begin though by giving you an overview of the major garments. Luckily, most are easy to make so you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Men
Unique to the Celts at the time the Romans discovered them were bracae or trousers. Men would wear brightly colored shirts and wool cloak with a plaidish pattern and a brooch at the shoulder. Below it, they would wear a linen tunic (leine) tied at the waist with a leather belt. (King, 20)

Women
Women wore a longer version of the tunic which, if you want easy sewing is very nice. It was apparently two rectangular pieces of fabric fastened at the sides. John King also suggests that a skirt with a checked pattern which was found in Denmark may have been Celtic. This was wrap-around and would have been mid-calf or higher.

Patterns
Patterns are few and far between, but you can most likely take some of these below and use them (such as the viking tunic) and keep in mind how these can made more Celtic.
Early Irish and Scottish Shoes
Brigantia - pictures from a Celtic reenactment group in Britain. It's not patterns, but most of these guys seem to have a fairly accurate idea of what they're doing. Also look at the weaponry - nice stuff.
The Viking Tunic - this can be used as is or modified to be more Celtic.
Celtic Garb - this is a GREAT resource complete with patterns and pictures. Some of her own final projects seem a little inaccurate as far as color goes, but that could just be the pictures. Be sure to look at her pictures because they give a good idea of what the finished product will look like.

The Druid
If you plan on making a druid character, skip the traditional white robe. This is an invention of the Romans - the Celts had no connection between white and sanctity so the idea would have been strange to the Celts. "A multicolored robe, probably with an antlered helmet or totemic animal mask, would have been much more likely." (King, 57)

Accessories and Other Accents
If you spend any time reading about Celtic dying you will come across the term woad. This was a bluish dye that they used to dye both clothes and skin. Even the women who were not fighting (as women were able to do in Celtic society could wear woad. However, the blue warriors we normally associate with Braveheart or the naked blue men running at the Romans are not technically Celtic. The naked blue men were from Scotland and called the Picts. Maybe I'll deal with them as this page grows, but for right now - not Celtic. The Celts did use woad to paint their faces though so you can paint yourself if you so choose. They would also use ruam to redden their cheeks, they'd blacken their eyebrows and redden their fingernails.

The Celts often dyed their hair blonde with lime water which was not a very healthy thing - making their hair course, but they took great pride in it. For a modern equivalent without the money for dying your hair an ungodly color, go to KMart and buy their 1.99 one night hair colors. They come in a toothpaste-like tube and are often at the end of the hair color aisle. According to John King, "hair was so important that helmets were rarely worn." Men would often spike their hair or dye it different colors as often seen in the myths. They may also tie their hair back at the nape of the neck. Women would make intricate braids in their hair.

Jewelery was very common and prized among the Celts. They especially seemed to like braceets and anklets. These would not be the delicate you see today though and would be more akin to gold or silver bands wrapped around with an opening toward the bottom. Perhaps the most recognizable of the Celtic jewelery is the torc. This is a necklace that is a circle with an opening in the front. It was wound from thick silver or gold bands. It was mainly worn by the elite of Celtic society. I found a good way to make your own is to buy a round gold embroidery frame and cut about an each off. Cover it with thick craft wire and glue strafoam balls on the end with liquid nails. You can then paint the balls whichever color you need to mach your torc. You can also make decent bracelets out of mini tin flowerpots. Just cut off the bottoms and fold them over or cover them with duct tape.