Costume company/shops?

[Perrin_Aybara]

I wonder about fantsy costume shops/companies. Are there any where you could
get for example armor or a good looking mage robe? Any ideas?

[CB Swords]

How realistic do you want the armor to be? Most costume shops do not sell real armor, they sell costume armor. IMO you want armor to look as real as possible.

Also, what type of armor?

For the robe... what type of robe? You want embroidered velvet or just plain black wool?

[doleniel]

Any decent armor is going to be expensive. Price varies depending on what type of armour you want, but there are not really alot of places that mass produce plate armor. Even at a wholesale place where stuff is sized generically and not to your measurements, you can expect to pay about $1000 for a full suit. Leather armor is somewhat cheaper. Chain mail is a little easier to come about, but it is still going to be a couple hundred per piece for decent stuff. Also, cost is going to depend on how you intend to use it. Combat armor is going to be more expensive by default than costume armor, because for safety, it needs to be constructed of heaver gauge steel. Availability might also be a problem. You are far more likely to be able to find generic medieval armor than, say, ancient Egyptian battle dress. That said, I would advise against plastic costume stuff. At least go for steel costume armor, it looks better.

Most generic costume stuff is pretty shoddy, because it is just made to be worn once or twice for Halloween or similar type things. Your basic Harry Potter-style cotton robes (which I don't think is what you are looking for, considering the armor question) with a hood and clasp will probably be about forty to fifty bucks. A longer cotton robe (think jedi style, yes I think it would work decently for a wizard robe) will be more in the area of $100. A nicer plain wool robe will be $200-$300. Fancier materials and embellishment (embroidery, etc) are going to drive up the cost. Keep in mind that these prices are for robes with sleeves. If you want something more cape-like, it will be cheaper. My prices are all in US dollars, and they will probably be a little higher if you are ordering internationally.

For armor, I would suggest doing a google search on "SCA Armor", "steel costume armor", or "custom armor". For the robes, most of what I have found out there wholesale is Harry Potter style, so you will probably have to search for costum costumes to get much else. If you can do without sleeves, I would suggest looking at site that cater to Pagans, they usually have a variety of cloaks in different materials and price ranges.

[The Man from Niefldarth]

there are a few websites who sells realistic armor made of vacuuformed plastic... for a gorget and shoulder bells made this way, it's about 50$... it's the best choice if it's only fer costuming...

[Mububban]

Can you PM me those sites please?

[The Man from Niefldarth]

I don't remember any of them... i was randomly searching for costume sites on horrorfind.com

[Dark Lord Sauron]

I just received a custom made Potions Master outfit from Andrea Wakely at Twin Roses Designs. She makes incredible stuff! The coat, pants, shirt, cloak and cravat are all extremely sturdy and accurate. Check out www.twinrosesdesigns.com and browse through the portfolios (my costume is in the Future/Fantasy portfolio). PM me if you want more info.

[Hudson]

hero-gear.net he can make any fabric-like suit for relatively cheap

look up Darlexx, its a rubber with microfiber covering that is easy to cut for a suit

look up on myspace Second Skin Mask Company, reasonable priced awesome masks