Pirate Theme weddings, parties, cruises, and festivals have become quite popular.  Even traditional Renaissance Faires will have a Pirate's Lair or Pirate's Day, or certainly at least recognize you if show up in pirate garb.  Aside from the sexy lingerie company costuming out there, and shiny polyester Halloween costume Pirate-In-A-Bag, what do you know about dressing like a pirate?  There are a couple of ways to go, which will tell you what you ought to spend, and give you an idea of a cohesive look, based on the 18th century.

Now the fact is, pirates have been around since ancient times, but if you dressed like an ancient Roman pirate, for the most part, most people will not readily know you are a pirate.  Just before the demise of the hey-day of pirates tends to be the era most associated with dressing like a pirate in popular culture.  This would be what we call Pre-Colonial.  If you look at Colonial dressing, or American Revolution era dressing, you will see obvious similarities to the pirate look, but backed up about 40-80 years in the fashions of the times.  So what we are saying is, the fashions present from about 1680 to 1720 or so is what you generally see.  Keeping within this era will help you to have a cohesive look, and not be made fun of by the "Period Police" (those Ren Faire hard-cores that will let you know if you are wearing items from different centuries and therefore cannot be taken seriously).

Re-enactment dressing usually falls into about 3 categories.   The one time dresser, the casual re-enactor and the serious re-enactor. 

1. The one time dresser is going this one time to a party as a pirate.  He'll cut off a pair of jeans and shred the bottom, find a striped t-shirt and tie a bandana around his head, going bare-foot and hoping to not forget that fact as he drinks.  Or he'll buy a Halloween costume, plastic boot covers for his shoes and a plastic pistol or sword.  She will buy a sexy mini dress with lingerie corset, fishnet stockings and stripper shoes.

2.  The casual re-enactor wants something more clothing quality, the event will be a classy one, a wedding or Renaissance/Pirate Festival, and knows that these pieces will be used again for next year's festival, or next year's Halloween costume, or he has discovered the full-time Pirates that play in his town and wants to start showing up to drink and make merry, learn some sea shanties and hook up with a friendly wench.  He will chose separate pieces and slowly collect up a nice outfit.  Clothing quality shirt with perhaps a ruffled cuff, ruffles at the neck are an option, though a simple grommet and lace-up neck is fine, full puffy pants or knee breeches that do not have a zip fly and to be historically accurate, probably won't have pockets, as belts and pouches were the pockets of the day.  A nice long sash, perhaps striped sailor socks and buckle shoes, or knee boots of real leather.  A hat can be as simple as a bandana tied as a do-rag, or can be a bi-corn or tricorn hat.  A musketeer or cavalier hat is also acceptable.  Ostrich plumes would traditionally decorate a hat.  This would be enough to get by, but would be considered a bare-bones outfit.  Other options to be more elaborate or more wench-worthy would be a long vest, a baldric and sword, flintlock pistols, bracers for around the wrists, a powder horn for the pistol, some blingy rings and necklaces for booty, a pouch filled with replica doubloons, and of course, an eye-patch if you are not the designated driver.  A frock coat would be the crowning glory.  Frock coats do not have fold-over collars, may have a stand up collar or even no collar, but that would be leaning more towards colonial.  It can have straight sleeves or belled, but most usually have a large folded back cuff.  It does not button closed, but hangs open to show your vest, shirt ruffles and to get at your sword.

Women have it a little tougher to look historically 18th century because this is now the era of panniers, or those really wide Marie Antoinette hips, and most casual re-enactment clothing that is ready made generally does not go there.  It is then fairly widely accepted that Renaissance Faire peasant garb is fine.  A chemise or peasant blouse will full sleeves, a bodice or corset, and under-skirt and accenting over-skirt.  The corset will try to not look like modern stripper-wear.  If she is a bar-wench there would not be weaponry, but if she was a lady pirate, she may have a frock coat over this outfit, she may even be in men's garb, but for sure she will also be carrying all traditional weaponry, including a bodice dagger (so be careful what you say to her).

3. The serious re-enactor will be looking for materials that were only available at the time in history that he is dressing for, including no zippers, and far enough back will be no button down shirts, no lacing shoes, not even rubber soles.  He will want materials that can be washed over and over again without loosing wearability.  He will be looking for pre-shrunk heavy cotton that looks raw and rough hewn.  He will want custom made boots that will last for years of wearing.  He will want several pieces to choose from, so that he has more than one outfit for people who see him more than once.  She will have a custom made 18th century gown with panniers on the sides, bloomers underneath, and a custom made ladies tri-corn hat.  Her gown will lace up the back, and she will be corseted underneath.

I hope that this casual guide helps you to distinguish between Renaissance dressing and proper Pirate dressing.