Fabrics should have body and character, and look as though made by hand processing. 100% Natural fiber fabrics are recommended, due to their durability and breathe-ability. Man-made fibers just don't look right, and you'll be miserable in them.
To get a feel for the look and silhouette of period clothes please take a look at the woodcuts and portraits on the Primary Sources page.
Fabrics should have body and character, and look as though made by hand processing. 100% Natural fiber fabrics are recommended, due to their durability and breathe-ability. Man-made fibers just don't look right, and you'll be miserable in them.
The only exceptions are metallics and brocades, which may well be 100% artificial, but you'll have to discuss each one of those with the costume director. Lower ranking soldiers and campfollowers should wear rougher, coarser fabrics, or, alternately, high-quality fabrics that have been thoroughly trashed. The higher the rank, the nicer the fabrics, although all pieces of clothing should have that weathered, "lived-in" look.
When possible, choose fabrics like linen or wool over cotton, as cotton was not a common fabric. Despite modern prices, linen was much cheaper and more readily available. This is because it is made out of a weed-like plant that grows all over Europe: flax. In fact cotton was so expensive that when Queen Elizabeth was given a shirt made of it she never wore it because it was too valuable. In wools you want to look for felted wool rather than knit, or very tightly woven wool. If you cannot find this try washing your wool in very, very hot water two or three times.
It is a good idea to get swatches of your materials for approval before buying your yardage, or better yet, ask the costuming director to go shopping with you.
| Burlap | Canvas | Heavy Cottons | Waleless Corduroy (aka cotton velvet) | Denim (Not Blue Jeans) |
| Brushed Denim | Duck | Fustian | Kersey | Leather |
| Linen | Noile | Muslin | Heavy (Not Bridal) Satin | Silk |
| Raw Silk | Watered Silk | Suede | Heavy (Not Bridal) Taffeta | Trigger |
| Velvet* (Not Rayon or Matinee) | Velveteen | Wool | ||
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Fabrics in italics were extremely expensive and should be used sparingly by those of lower ranks.
* Cotton velvet is a better choice than silk velvet if you are going to use it. While period velvet was silk, the "look" of cotton velvet is more accurate, as is the pile and the drape. | ||||
| red | burgundy | mauve | tawny | rust | orange (be careful with this one) |
| yellow | amber | light green | med. green | dark green | forest green |
| dusty green | olive green | olive drab | light blue | med. blue | dark blue |
| navy blue | grey-blue | indigo | peacock | violet | plum |
| thistle | light brown | med. brown | dark brown | beige | tan |
| steel gray | slate gray | black | |||
| Colors in italics were extremely expensive and should be used sparingly by those of lower ranks. | |||||
Everyone must have:
Shirts can have a high neckline gathered into a standing collar (Note: Recently we have discovered that drawstring shirts are not period. We have done extensive research and found no evidence of drawstrings in shirts.), or a square neck that is sewn in. They may be with or without set-in sleeves, and may have the sleeves gathered into a cuff.
Pikemen/Kampfrauen and above may have a plain ruffle sewn into the outside edge of their cuffs and collars, and may have smocking on their shirts. Doppelsöldner/Marketenderinen may have blackwork embroidery on their collars and cuffs, and Fähndrichen/Weiben and above may wear lace. No yoke patterns are allowed.
To make striped tights you take your material and cut it on the bias into strips. You sew the strips together and use that as your "fabric" for the tights.
 Shoes from The Triumph of Maximillian |
 Shoe from the Mary Rose |
Shoes must be sturdy, and suited for marching. Leather with a good thick sole is recommended, although the canvas and cloth shoes are acceptable. "China Flats" are not acceptable.
Shoes should be black or brown, soles should be dark. "Mary Jane", "Cow-Mouths", and "T-Straps" are acceptable patterns. Shoes may be puffed and slashed. No high boots, those are for the wimps that ride horses!
Landsknecht usually wore hats with a lot of feathers, and almost always white feathers. There is even an anecdote of a commander who put white-feathered hats on a bunch of campfollowers and marched them around to flank his enemy. The enemy saw the white feathers at a distance and surrendered, thinking that the campfollowers were reinforcements.
Sleeves can be attached to your bodice/doublet/overdoublet by several methods. You can tie them on by sewing ties directly onto your bodice/doublet or by sewing rings onto both b/d and sleeve then tying them on. The benefit here is that your sleeves are interchangeable. You can have hot/cold/wet/fancy/plain/whatever sleeves and change them as the mood strikes you. Or you can take them off when the weather gets warm. Or you can just sew them straight onto your bodice/doublet.
 | Soldiers from The Triumph of Maximillian |
A doublet is a garment not unlike the upper half of a pair of overalls. It is made with a shallow square or round cut neck and laces under both arms.
 | An example of a costume sketch for one of our Kampfrau |
Skirts may be made of wool, heavy linen, denim, fustian, kersey, burlap, or similar fabrics. Marketenderin and above may have distressed silks and velvets. You should have at least two skirts, one overskirt and one underskirt. Landsknecht skirts are three to five panels cartridge-pleated into a waist band. They are usually mid-calf to floor length, and the overskirt is usually hiked up (aka poufed or kirtled) using a belt to allow ease of movement.
Bands can be slashed to show another color (other than the band or skirt) or can be solid. Depending on rank, bands may be brocaded. The overskirt should have at least one band. Higher ranks may have two bands on an underskirt and three on an overskirt.
The underarm lacing bodices are, in general, more comfortable, while "plackett" bodices are easier to get into and out of. It should be noted that a proper bodice lace is "zig zag" not "shoelace."
A bodice is made from two to three layers of fabric, the inner one a heavy canvas. It will be very snug and may or may not be boned (pieces of metal inserted in the front of the bodice to provide support). The bodice may be connected to the skirts by either sewing (as in a dress) or by using points (ties) or hooks and eyes. Sleeves should be attachable by points.
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Water bottle, 1st half of the 16th cen. Spanish (Valencia) |
Note: Bamboo, teak and synthetic fabrics/materials are not period.
Eating utensils: Spoon- plain metal with wood, bone, or horn handle, or completely horn or wood. Wide spoon-bowls are period (circle not oval). Eating/utility knife - plain metal with wood, bone, or horn handle. Remember to remove the "Pakistan" or other maker's marks. Fork - two tines, plain metal with wood, bone, or horn handle. Forks are more difficult to come by in period than the other two, so you don't have to have one unless you want one.
To eat from, you will need at least a bowl and perhaps also a cup and plate. These should be of plain wood, pewter (lead-free!) or ceramic. Fancy etching or other decoration should be kept to a minimum. For those poor scmutzes a bowl serves the purpose of both a plate and a cup, you just can't drink and eat at the same time.
) they are made of wood and held on with leather straps.
Pattern #46 Women's German Puff-and-Slash Gowns 
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Pattern #53 Early Tudor Men's Garments  |
If you know of any patterns that would be useful for Landsknecht please e-mail us.
Note: You should check with the Hauptfrau or one of the other senior campfollowers if you plan to purchase clothing or patterns for use with the unit. They can assist you in making sure everything is correct.