Making

Outer layers inspiration

More Spartacus here.

I can’t just wear a tunic, I’ll freeze to death. I’m always cold and being outside for four days doesn’t help. Who thought it would be a good idea to run a mediterranean themed game in the UK? I know exactly who. I’ll get my revenge one day.

So wraps and cloaks it is then. The long, hard task is going to be finding some suitable fabric for a wrap of some sort. The three examples below are varying approaches. There’s Spartacus’ rough blanket. I’ve got something that might be suitable here, it’s a threadbare throw that was on our couch for as long as I can remember, and worn away over the years by two labradors. Alternatively there’s the praetors smart red wrap with that golden trim that is just to die for. This in blue perhaps? I hesitate to look too Roman though.

Ganicus is in there because I like the layering his character has. You really get the feeling he’s carrying all his possessions on his back, don’t you?

Speaking of Ganicus, I’m just going to indulge for a second.

nkel476Anyway. (Also I like those bracers for my Empire character.)

Ashur in the first couple of series also had a beautiful cloak but I’m not sure how I’d go about creating something like that. Might have to visit some upholstery fabric shops. Perhaps a jacquard of some sort might work?

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I want to talk about female costumes in Spartacus.

It is hard to talk about practicality here in any meaningful way, because obviously the men also have their bare chests and stomaches exposed. In southern Italy in Roman times I can imagine this would have been practical if you were a gladiator. No top getting in the way of your armour, nothing to stop you sweating, free to move etc.

I can also understand why the female slaves don’t have leather armour in most cases. The male slaves took it with them when they were freed from being gladiators anymore. It made sense for them to retain their leather arm pieces, leg armour and the like.

But the girls don’t seem to have any armour at all. I can’t imagine that after fellow slaves had fallen they wouldn’t have picked up and adapted the guys armour? And on top of that, the outfits are just so sexy. It’s all scant little threads of fabric wrapped around their boobs! God, if I tried that everything would all fall out within hours.

Having said that, I do like Navias outfit for the show. She wore something practical and it seems that she also salvaged bits of armour from other slaves. Why couldn’t all the female characters be like this instead of being ultra sexy? (Citizens excluded as they were generally in their nice dresses.)

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