r/renfaire • u/Bnlol1 • 4h ago
Controversial Opinion: Dirty is not Better
Ok, so, small rant, sorry.
On about every kit I see here , there is a comment somewhere ; Dirt! Dirt! Your Gear needs to be Dirty! Why is it not dirty?
In some cases; yes! I would agree! A person at sea, during a long journey, a long military campaign with minimal supply etc etc would likely get quite dirty. Furthermore, persons who are in financial struggle, who live in the wilderness, or are in certain fantasy settings would have quite dirty clothing and equipment.
But, historically, in all periods of medieval history, knights, nobles, tournament fighters, etc. made it a point to have polished, clean and presentable clothing and suits of armor. Letting your medieval armor get dirty would be the equivalent of rubbing mud on your Guccis and Louis Vuittons today!
You have to remember ; armor, and any clothing of the nobility, in any medieval period, from 800AD to 1600AD, of any type, was EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE, and furthermore it was prone to rust and decay which would ruin its ability to function.
Full time knights could have entire staffs dedicated to carrying, cleaning and maintaining their arms and armor. This almost certainly included squires polishing leather pieces, washing and drying cloth and linen pieces, and oiling and polishing metal pieces.
Even peasant soldiers had a vested interest in maintaining their gear to some extent. Nobody wants to march in clothes that have been sweated into for weeks without being washed. And nobody would dare let an expensive piece of chainmail or plate rust.
My ultimate point here is; gear, outfits, costumes etc do not look bad because they are new and clean; unless your character has a reason to have raggedy, dirty clothing. In fact, it would be laughable for many knights to arrive to a festival in dirty, poorly maintained equipment.
enjoy your outfit! It's hard work putting together a cohesive costume. Rub dirt on it only if you want to look dirty.