Golden Brocade Musketeer Costume

Golden Brocade Musketeer Costume for Living Statues and Theatre

Historical Context and Cut

The costume is based on the fashion of the first half of the 17th century, the era of the Thirty Years' War and the famous musketeer regiments. Men's fashion was undergoing a significant change at that time – shifting away from stiff Renaissance padding towards a more relaxed yet highly decorative Early Baroque silhouette. This ensemble consists of several carefully coordinated layers. The base is a magnificent shirt with a flat ruffled collar and strikingly wide, long sleeves. Over this is worn a doublet with pronounced shoulder wings and extended skirts (peplum). The doublet is sleeveless so that the puffy sleeves of the underlying shirt can effectively protrude through the armholes, which was a very popular fashion element of the time. The doublet fastens on the chest with buttons. The lower body is covered by wide breeches that reach below the knee, where they are gathered. The overall look of a fearless cavalier is punctuated by a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a feather.

Material and Proper Care

To achieve its typical "sculptural" and metallic appearance, the costume is tailored from high-quality brocade, which is a blend of polyester and metallic thread. The hat is made of firm felt (100% cotton) covered with the same brocade fabric. Due to the metallic thread content and the delicate structure of the brocade, the costume requires specific care. Never wash it in a washing machine or dry it in a tumble dryer, as this would break the fibres and irreversibly destroy the shiny surface. Professional dry cleaning is exclusively recommended. If it is absolutely necessary to iron the costume, do so only from the reverse side (inside out) on the lowest possible setting (silk/synthetics), ideally placing a damp cotton cloth between the iron and the garment.

Useful Information for You

Please note that the tall golden boots shown in the photographs are not included in the delivery. To complement this costume, we recommend acquiring a suitable replica of a rapier or a fencing sword (remember to choose a safe, blunt variant if attending a public event), leather gloves, and high riding boots. If you are performing in a group, getting the ladies' and children's variants of this garment is a perfect choice to create a breathtaking family sculpture group. The costume can also be custom-made in other colour variants according to available fabric swatches and can be tailored precisely to your individual measurements.

Technical Parameters of the Costume