Carlisles Calico Jack Shirt

[Mick MacAnselan]

I just got me a 'Calico Jack' shirt from Carlisles. Beautiful piece of work, but one thing seems a little odd. The collar is about 5" wide unfolded. Seems a bit too big to me. I wonder if that's 'period' or what?

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Hmmm....

Its very period for 2005 Pirate Festival wear.

Are you asking if that shirt is correct for Early 18th Century/GAoP?

no

shirt in question

this is a line diagram of what the shirt should looklike.... although in GAoP the collar is not fold down but should be approx 1" stand up collar

Also, it should not lace up the front but should have a button hole at the top on each side and you put a linnen "tape" through to tie it closed.

Here is a place to get the pattern

Get some 100% linen medium weight, the pattern, linen thread and about 5 hours of your time and you are good to go.

Also, check out my site (non-commercial) for more infor on building your kit.

[Mick MacAnselan]

Thanks Gent,

I probably should have asked the question a little better. I wan't looking for a strictly period shirt, though I do appreciate the link, and your site is great! The reason I asked was that I got this shirt with this *really* big collar... it looks even bigger in person than in the picture, and I was just wondering why they would have designed it that way (i.e. was there some period look they were trying to duplicate?). In any event, I'm probably going to alter it, which is par for the course for every ren or pirate shirt I have ever bought. And just so nobody gets the wrong idea, the workmanship on this Carlisles shirt is the best I have ever seen. Definitely in the 'clothing' vice 'costume' category. I just don't personally like the collar size. Thanks again!

[Gentleman of Fortune]

I hope my post didn't come across @ssh0le like.... I didn't have much time to post and now when I re-read it , it seems harsh.

I think that there are two markets for Pirate stuff.

The first, which makes up probably 95% of the market, is for Ren/Fantasy/Romatic/Hollywood versions of pirate stuff. The other 5% is for the folks who want it "Authentic/Accurate".

This is not a "pass judgement" on either side thread, as both sides have their place (and if they are having fun... all the better).

So to answere your question of:

I was just wondering why they would have designed it that way (i.e. was there some period look they were trying to duplicate?

They did it that way to appeal to peoples emotional and preconcived idea of what they think a cool pirate looks like.

If the workmanship is good, and you are handy with a needle, then you should not have too much of a problem "altering" it to look more like a 1700 shirt.

IMHO I would

1) make a stand up collar for it (you should have plenty of material in the existing collar to do this.

2) find a way to ditch the lace up front and opt for a linen tape closure like (previous post).

3) Those cuffs look HUGE too. I would try to trim em down to about an inch and they should close with two button holes and a linen tape.

btw... what is it made out of?

GoF

[Mick MacAnselan]

I hope my post didn't come across @ssh0le like....  I didn't have much time to post and now when I re-read it , it seems harsh.

No problem. No offense taken.

I think that there are two markets for Pirate stuff. 

The first, which makes up probably 95% of the market, is for Ren/Fantasy/Romatic/Hollywood versions of pirate stuff.  The other 5% is for the folks who want it "Authentic/Accurate".

This is not a "pass judgement" on either side thread, as both sides have their place (and if they are having fun... all the better)."

I have been a 'stitch counter' in some other types of costuming I've done, but the pirate thing is all about having fun for me. Not too concerned about 100% accuracy. I do however have a lot of respect for those who do strive for it.

btw... what is it made out of?

It's unbleached cotton. Has a sort of a linen look to it, but I'm 99% sure it's cotton.