Costume Supplies

A great costume requires more than just fabric. Accessories and trim can turn a good design into a great one. It's a good idea to gather as much of what you'll need at the beginning so you can make sure it actually works well together and that you don't spend more than you plan to. Good costumers are also good scavengers -- don't be afraid to be a little unorthodox.

Joe Ranger as Maximus from "Gladiator." The decorations on the breastplate are bookends and an iron trivet, and the costume required an entire cow's worth of leather.

Estea and Elaina Sanchez as Siamese from David Mack's comic book series Kabuki. Their arms are made from broken toys from the Salvation Army.

Pirates, circa mid-1700s, worn by Freddy Clements, Sharon Morgan, Chris Mueller, Keith Burgstress, Patrick Carlton, Barry Morgan, Rhonda Wade and Scott Merrill.

This group used heavy fabrics and historically appropriate patterns -- and most of their fabric came from remnant tables at fabric stores.

Rory Gentry's TIE fighter pilot costume includes project boxes from Radio Shack, PVC pipe, plumbing connectors, hoses and carved wood.

Once you've gathered your materials, it's time to get to work on constructing your costume. Read on to learn about some costume-building tricks that can make easy-to-use materials look surprisingly real.

Historical Costuming Some costumers focus on making historically accurate clothing reproductions. Many female historical costumers keep "dress diaries" to chronicle the construction of their costume and to share the information with others, such as: Katherine's Dress Site The Costumes of Jenny La Fleur Jessamyn's Regency Costume Companion Elizabethan Costume Page Costumes by Lynn McMaster