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Pirate Wear
Since
pirates were aboard ship most of the
time, they had little access to bathtubs and washing machines. This
meant that the entire ship was full of extremely stinky vermin ridden pirates.
Their clothes were stiff with sweat and salt, and their hair was dreadlocked
and full of lice and rodents. However, they were a fairly dashing
bunch, wearing stylish cravats and the most fashionable shoes of the period.
These clothes were often the booty from raids, and soon became tattered
and dirty.
Most pirates preferred tough cotton trousers with
buttons in the front, these usually reached to just above the ankle. Striped socks were favored for
use with the buckled leather shoe, very popular with the nobility.
A linen shirt, checked or striped was standard attire, although some pirates
went bare chested in warm weather. A jaunty red sash was actually
a Hollywood addition, mostly because it showed up well in Technicolor.
Real pirates would have had no problem with the fashionable accessory.
A jacket similar to those in naval uniforms was put on over this ensemble,
and a cravat was added to keep the neck warm in the cold sea air.
The pirate’s baldric went over all this, and this wide leather belt hung
diagonally across the body and held several pistols and a cutlass.
Smart pirates also tucked daggers and other small
weapons into their clothing just to be safe.
This outfit was not
a standard among pirates but it was common enough. Availability was
usually the only requirement for pirate fashion.
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