Pirate cosplay is one of my favorites so when my husband told me that we'll be attending the Ohio Renaissance Festival during Pirate Week, I started looking for pirate costume ideas immediately.
I couldn't find any inexpensive pirate costumes that I felt were suitable for my plus-size frame, so I decided to go with a DIY pirate costume instead. After all, pirate costumes are easy to throw together. To complete my costume, I used several items from a thrift store, my favorite leather boots, and my gorgeous black brocade steel-boned underbust corset from Orchard Corset.
* I received free product(s) to help facilitate a review. All opinions are my own.
Before I started shopping, I had an idea of what I wanted my pirate costume to look like. Pinterest served as my main source of pirate cosplay inspiration. Once I had an idea of what style of pirate costume would look best on my plus size body, I started browsing through my local thrift store racks.
After a couple of weeks, I finally found all of the items that I needed to bring my pirate costume to life. I found a "pirate blouse," a couple of "pirate skirts," and several "pirate accessories" that tied the outfit together.
For the entire costume, I used: White Flowing Top Orchard Corset CS-345 Black Brocade Corset 2 Floor-Length Flowing Skirts Black Leather Boots 2 Belts Brown Faux Leather (for a "Pirate Hip Bag") Faux Gold Bangles & Earrings Costume Pirate Hat All of my thrift store finds were a grand total of $21 and they're all versatile pieces that can be used over and over again.
I already owned the boots and the corset has a retail value of $70 — and it can be used for waist training, other cosplay, or even everyday fashion. I chose to use a real, steel-boned corset for my pirate costume because I wanted it to look and feel authentic. The corset, to me, is the focal point of the entire pirate costume.
My "pirate corset" is Orchard Corset's incredible CS345 style, which is a high-back brocade steel-boned corset. Being that I have a long torso, this corset worked great for me.
I chose the 100% Premium Polybrocade Outer Fabric because I adored the design and thought it would be the perfect addition to my pirate costume for the Renaissance Festival. I also have ideas for Halloween utilizing this corset — a witch costume, of course.
The corset is durable with 16 flat and spiral steel bones, so it not only accentuates and enhances curves, but it also provides plenty of support. When I first put it on, the corset felt a little stiff. That's completely normal. I noticed that with more wear, it started to conform to my body and was much more comfortable.
The clasps are steel and the rigid front steel busk keeps everything in place and prevents the corset from just snapping open.
It comes pre-laced in a bidirectional fashion and is easy to loosen and lace tightly. Lacing a corset without help takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty simple.
While the corset is cotton-lined and has a modesty panel, it's wise to wear something underneath it.
It's available for most body types, from slim to natural hourglass — and larger sizes are available. If you want a corset for waist training, this is the one. It features waist tape reinforcement and I'm considering using mine for waist training as well as for my pirate costume. I think wearing it around to break it in is a good starting point!
The longer I wore it, the more comfortable I became. It's such a gorgeous corset and I love the way it shapes my frame.
Of course, with a real corset, you'll want to wear something underneath it. Orchard Corset offers liners as well, but I chose a beautiful white "pirate" blouse that I found at my local thrift store.
For my "pirate skirt," I placed one skirt on top of another.
I placed the red skirt over the beige one and then tied one side of the red skirt up with my homemade pendulum (that my husband made for me with an old essential oil bottle and some silver "rope").
To make myself look more like a pirate, I added a belt to the corset. I loved the design of this belt and it was only $0.99 at the thrift store. Score!
I used another belt to secure a bag to my hip. It's functional and it suits the pirate costume.
Finally, I wore my favorite black leather boots — because what pirate costume is complete without a pair of boots?
Finally, I had a costume pirate hat that I purchased from Goodwill. All-in-all, I think that this DIY pirate costume turned out beautifully. The corset is what really ties the entire outfit together and gives it that authentic pirate look.
I absolutely love the finished look of this pirate costume!
If you're a Freelance Lady follower, then you know that my family and I attend the Ohio Renaissance Festival every year. This will be the first year that we're all dressing up and I am thrilled!
For now, head on over to Orchard Corset to browse their selection of waist-trainers and corsets! #DiyHolidays #Fashion
