08-01-2013, 02:53 PM
Quote:To be honest, just about everything about that impression is wrong.
Well, Appius, that was quite harsh.
I don't claim to be a reenactor, I made this costume for a convention and won a second place in costume convention, if that would supposedly count anything. I had only two weeks and 200 € to spend with this costume. What could have you came up with that? Ordering things online would have taken too long too (to ship them to Finland), so I made everything myself.
Now, the tunica is not bad, it is white linen, about 1 meter wide and made with authentic pattern. Couldn't the high-ranking officers wore white tunics instead of off-white? The subarmalis is also not bad, made with thicker linen, the pteryges are padded with felt inside them. I have three subarmale, two linen and one made of brown leather. The caligae are also usable, made from leather, missing hobnails though. The scabbard is made with authentic way, wood, leather, metal sheets, worn with leather balteus attached to suspender rings. Only the metal sheets on the scabbard should be bronze instead of copper. The same material error goes for the cuirass, but I didn't find bronze plates anywhere. Does anyone know where to find it, and is it extremely expensive, like I guess it will be?
I wondered for some time should I post the pictures of my costume here or not. Apparently I shouldn't, since "serious reenactors" can't appreciate anything which isn't 100% authentic. I'm making these costumes to become a better craftsman, and because it's a fun hobby to me. Every piece of equipment I make will be better than last one. Maybe I was a bit over-ambitious when choosing to recreate a high-ranking officer, but your goals should be high in order to achieve something.
Also there are no Roman reenactment groups in Finland, none, zero, nihil. It would be nice to belong to a group, but a small northern country offers no options at all. I hope that will change some day in the future.
Antonius Insulae (Sakari)
