Long John Silver, Captain Hook, Black Sam, Black Bart and Jack Sparrow. The adventure and romance of pirates appeals to nearly everyone. The sad truth is that many pirates ate poorly, and often lived on bananas and limes. Very few actually became fabulously wealthy and many of them died at a young age.

For as long as people have used the oceans as trade routes there have been pirates. The earliest documented instances of piracy date back to the 13th century BC. And for as long as people have had fancy dress costume parties there have been pirates! (Although it is uncertain as to when the first documented instance was…) If you are thinking about going to a fancy dress costume party dressed up as a pirate then you might want to consider what items of clothing are most pirate-like.

Clothing certainly won’t be a problem. Pirates wore quite a variety of garments and with a little imagination and minimal outlay you can soon look like a true blue-blooded buccaneer! Think of simple articles like eye patches, bandanas and wide leather belts. A stripey black and white top wouldn’t be out of place; maybe it could be worn with some old black jeans.
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