First of all, in the immortal words of Douglas Adams, DON'T PANIC. It's OK to look like you're a firsttimer. Everyone had a first event. I did, but I also studied costume design in college, so I was a bit prepared. Only a bit.
There are two ways you can handle garbing up for your first event:
IF YOU'VE ALREADY MADE CONTACT WITH THE LOCAL GROUP:
One of the more wonderful things about the SCA is that we're completely welcoming of new people. For that reason, there's almost always a local officer in charge of the GOLD KEY. This is a collection of pieces of garb donated to the group by individuals. Sometimes it's gorgeous. Most of the time it's nice and basic. It's always clean. You can contact the Gold Key officer (it's usually listed on the local group's web page) and arrange to meet him or her at the gate to don something appropriate.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO TRY AND GO IT ALONE:
Nothing wrong with that! Here's a super simple way to put together your own set of starter garb. First, take stock of your closet. You're looking for nice, basic, items. Almost everyone has a pair of sweatpants. Get them out. Look for a pair of shoes that are all one color, or plain, or even boots (I'm a big fan of biker boots myself). Put on the sweatpants and tuck them into the boots. Instant medieval pants! If you don't have boots, don't worry. Shoes or sneakers are fine.
Now, for the top. The best thing, if it's a warmer-weather event, is to go to the nearest cheapy store (Like Walmart or K-Mart) and buy the biggest solid-color t-shirt you can find. Try men's big & tall shops. Ideally, you're looking for something about 1 to 2 sizes bigger than you'd normally wear. If it has one of those pockets on the front, use a pin to carefully pick out the stitching and take off the pocket. Voila! Instant T-tunic. Put this on with the sweatpants and shoes, and put a belt over all, and you've got the basic look for anything from a Saxon before the Battle of Hastings to a Viking, or even a Russian. This is your basic "medieval" look.
You can layer the look in cooler weather. A solid white or off-white long-sleeved t-shirt under the regular t-shirt looks fine. Or, grab a wool blanket and wrap it around your shoulders, pinning it to itself on your shoulder. Instant cloak.
Oh, you're an over-achiever! You want to do a bit more, some touches to show that you're seriously into this. Well, here are some things you can do. Say, for example, you're wearing the sweatpants and sneakers combo. Go to a nearby craft shop or fabric store and buy about 6 yards of wide ribbon (if it's a craft store, make sure the ribbon isn't 'crafter's ribbon' -- that has wire in the edges). Cut this in half, so you have 2 3-yard lengths. Take one piece and wrap it around your leg from the knee to the ankle. You can criss-cross, or if you have enough ribbon, completely cover the sweatpants. Repeat on the other leg with the other piece of ribbon. This is called cross-gartering, and can be seen in medival costume in a number of places. Another thing you can do to dress up your starter garb is put trim on your oversized t-shirt, especially if you're clever with a needle and thread. You can trim around the neck and on the edges of the sleeve.
Another option is to borrow a longer belt from someone. Let the long end hang down.
Don't forget to bring a bit of spending money to the event! Almost all events have merchants selling their wares. You can pick up a pouch to hang off your belt (useful if you don't have pockets in those sweatpants!) or a small knife, or even a fancier belt or a piece of new garb. Some events, such as the Pennsic War or the East's Market Day at Birka, are shopping Meccas.
Once you get into going to events and making friends, people will be willing to help you make your garb, or willing to make it for you (for reciprocal favors), or give you patterns or their older garb, or even teach you how to sew from the get-go. Remember, no-one walked into the Society looking totally spiffy. They LEARNED to make this stuff. Also, don't let anyone get down on you for being dressed more basically. You've made the ATTEMPT, and just look them in the eye and say proudly, "This is my first event!"
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