How to Make Pirate Costumes for Men & Women

Pirate costumes are simple to make and can look great at fancy dress parties.

Dressing as a pirate is a classic fancy dress outfit and it can be made easily and on a budget. Pirates have grown dramatically in popularity since the release of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, but they have survived in the popular imagination for a long times thanks to classic literature such as Treasure Island and Peter Pan. Learning to make a pirate costume for men and women can give you a good costume for many different fancy dress occasions, including Halloween.

Things You'll Need

• White blouse top
• Black trousers
• Skirt
• Boots
• Elastic
• Egg box
• Card
• Foil
• Black paint
• Scarf or piece of material
• Scissors
• Corset

Instructions

For Men

1. Find a suitable pair of trousers. Any old black trousers or jeans will do, and they can be made more pirate-like with the aid of a pair of scissors. Many people opt to turn their trousers into three-quarter length, ragged pirate trousers, but this is down to personal choice. Cut up your trousers to make them look beaten and worn, making no effort to be neat. Pull any straying threads out to add to the worn look.

2. Cut an eye-shaped segment out of the egg-box. Paint it black and leave it to dry. Once it has dried, poke a hole in either end with a pin, and thread the elastic through the holes. You need to make sure that the elastic is large enough to go around your head without being too tight. Tie the ends of the elastic in a knot, so that you have an eye-patch with a loop of elastic attached.

3. Draw an outline on the card for your cutlass. The cutlass can be in any shape, but pirate cutlasses generally have a curved blade and a pointed tip. See Resources for a template. Combine the handle section and the blade using glue or tape, and wrap the blade in foil for a metallic look.

4. Add any desired final touches to your costume. Pirates often had trinkets and jewelry from their raids and adding little bits of jewelry to your costume can help to create a more authentic feel. Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films had a white piece of material around his waist and even a ragged bit of cloth around his wrist. Adding touches like this can greatly improve your costume.

For Women

1. Decide on whether you wish to wear a skirt or trousers. Female pirate costumes have more flexibility than male ones, in that you can look like a pirate with both trousers and a skirt, and there is more option with regards to color. Choose something with gypsy or pirate style trims, or alternatively, cut up a pair of black trousers as with the male costume. Pirate women such as Mary Read and Anne Bonny wore male costumes, because female pirates were not readily accepted.

2. Find a white blouse or one that matches your bottoms. Anything flamboyant is excellent for a female pirate costume. If you wish, you can also wear a corset -- they can be quite uncomfortable, but they were very popular in the age of piracy.

3. Create a cutlass and eye-patch in the same way as the male costume (Steps 2 and 3). These are both optional, but a cutlass is a good idea to bring the costume together. Find accessories like hooped earrings and large, lavish rings. If you have any rings that you don't wear because they look tacky, they are likely to be perfect for a pirate costume.

4. Top the costume off with some nice black boots. There is flexibility, as you can wear flat or high-heeled boots, but they should be black in color.

References

• Start Sewing: How to Make a Pirate Costume
• Women's Pirate Costume: Pirate Wench Costume Treasure Chest
• Disney Family Fun: Pirate Costume

Resources

• Pirate Wench Costume
• Total Girl: Pirate Costume