Go to a thrift store like a real punk and find something cool & unique.
this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2025
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Punk on a budget? I can't tell if this is a joke. Every punk I've ever known buys or steals from thrift shops, military supplies, and dumpsters behind clothing stores. It was all out of rejection of social norms and creativity of discarded materials. Duct tape, paint, spray paint, stencils, cardboard, safety pins, chains, ropes, needle and thread are all cheap. Egg whites or Elmers for hair spikes.
Not a joke, mostly concerned about allergies, and trying to figure out what to look for when I do make it to the thrift store.
edit: and when I've asked for costuming advice in other forums, I've gotten "go buy this $200 outfit from __" and I don't have any interest in that.
Yah. Got it. Just remember what punk is. DIY. You can use anything. Just remember what D. Boon said. "Punk is whatever we say it is". Only fools follow rules. Good luck.
Punk is probably easier / lower-cost.
- find the oldest t-shirt you own. turn it inside-out. A) if you do NOT want to keep the shirt, spraypaint or marker an "anarchy" symbol on it and tear the sleeves off. B) if you DO want to keep the shirt (or if the shirt is black), make the symbol using masking tape.
- the denim jacket approach sounds promising. print out a bunch of punk band logos/names on card and safety-pin them to the jacket. If you can get your hands on a flag of some sort, pin that to the back. If you can't, just get a plain cloth, scrawl with a marker some punk-related slogan (in my days it'd be "out of step" or "too drunk to fuck" or "no future" or something - edit: if you want to make it obvious you're a punk, write "punk's not dead") on it and safety-pin it to the back. get some lightweight chains (cheap at hardware store if you don't have) and safety-pin them to the jacket.
- if you have any really old jeans, those would work great, just safety-pin a couple chains. if you don't want to tear/cut them, use some black masking tape to make a couple random lines on them. If you have black boots that would work OK.
- spike your hair... look for temporary dye... maybe do a mohawk... I'm not familiar with that stuff but you can probably find tutorials online
That'll get you 90% of the way to a costume version of a stereotypical punk. FWIW back in the day if you went to a punk show most of the people there would just dress like regular people (jeans and a t-shirt).
Oh! I am also a competent/brave seamster and have access to a sewing machine, 3d-printer, and other tools.
The thrash/trad vest I have I made myself (from someone else's pattern though), diy is always good. Plus you can customise it, I did some flannel lining in places. Thrift or upcycle works just as well.
Bonus points for hand painted patches too, that's beyond my ability but it's def a thing, I just messed around with different stitching, a lot are hand sewn with stuff that's like thick dental floss becauae I like the look, looks a lot better on my black/death vest though, studs/spikes aren't my preference so I don't have those.
There's a bunch of different looks, different groups have their own style, depends on what you want to do, could go as far as some crust/patch pants or stick with the classic blue denim and band shirt look, shit I've seen flannel or military jackets turned into battle vests, just make it your own. I've always worn work boots to shows, that's just what I have.
TL:DR, to me, diy is the point and historically a big part of the culture, do what you think looks cool.
Awesome, thanks. Thinking more about my character I think the costuming hint/direction is so that I contrast with the other, more goth, characters in the larp. I'm getting a handle on what direction to go in and a trip to the thrift store is planned for the weekend :)
If you don't already have some combat boots, look for some new or used ones at an army surplus store. They're usually cheap and look great.
Vintage band shirts can often be gotten from Ebay
a sore called Claire's (usually found at malls) usually has non-piercing costume earrings for pretty cheap :)
In my experience as a metalhead, punks want to look tough and flashy: spikes, strong colours, sturdy clothes, etc.
Metalheads want to look epic like Legolas (or, in the case if black metal, angry Legolas).
As said, thrift shops will have lots of stuff that fit either profile, or both. Just think about what you want your character to be like and have fun! There's no fashion police, so you can't really mess up.
Besides, lots of metalheads wear kilts to concerts and festivals, so that's a good start. Add a black shirt and black boots and you're done with the basic look.
This is for what? What is a one-shot LARP? Is this like D&D but with no dice?
Kind of, yeah. In this case, there are pre-written character sheets. You're assigned a character by the GM based on a casting questionnaire.
Some games have dice, some don't. Some involve hitting each other with foam swords or Nerf weapons, some don't. It depends on what mechanics the game author wanted.
The game I'm going to play in is called a "theatrical-style larp", meaning it's more about portraying characters in a situation than about winning.
Update: outfit is now
- Black canvas kilt with tartan kick pleats
- Black denim jacket with holes and a "Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem" back patch (the thrift stores didn't have many options for band shirts. My other option was a ska/reggae band. I was also tempted by a "I just freaking love ducks" shirt with a giant rubber ducky)
- Green "giant ass robots to kick in your face" T-shirt
- Maybe orange patches under the holes on the arms of the jacket, to make the holes more visible and keep me from catching my fingers in them
- Fake piercings
- Black comfy shoes I already own because I don't want to risk sore or itchy feet for a game
Thanks, all! Next steps are figuring out a chain belt, or maybe doing something with the bright orange hemp rope I already own.