CAMELOT'S CLOSET - ABOUT ME:
For a wide variety of medieval, rennaissance, fantasy, & gothic costumes, headwear, accessories, & jewelry, ranging from ultra-comfortable active wear in linen, flax, cotton, & wool to courtly dress gowns in satin, silk, velvet, or taffeta, you're sure to find whatever you seek here in Camelot's Closet. IF YOU DON'T SEE IT, I CAN MAKE IT FOR YOU. There's almost nothing in the renaissance or medieval line I have not made 20-120 times.
My name is Melinda and I am pleased to serve as your professional costumer. I am an American craftsman, a medieval enthusiast, and I individually design and create quality unique costumes and accessories in America using high quality fabrics and trims bought from U. S. companies. I do not maintain a warehouse or support factory-made costumes or materials from Asia, and you will not see your clone 15 times at a medieval or renaissance faire if you are wearing one of my beautiful costumes or accessories.
With a lifelong interest in the past, I have studied my Scot/Irish/Welsh roots and culture and Celtic medieval history, including extensive research into 1200 years of European costuming. I have sewn most of my life and am using expertise I've built over 30+ years to create a wide variety of costume styles from those of the Norse, South through Ireland, Scotland and Britons to the Continent for Flemish & French, and into Italy and Greece. I make ensembles from a wide range of eras, dating from 300 c.e. through 1700 c.e.
Camelot's Closet has successfully satisfied customers over 3000 times since 2003. Camelot's Closet gives buyers an opportunity to acquire higher-quality UNIQUE / ORIGINAL gowns at affordable prices. I want my customers to enjoy wearing them as much as I enjoy making them. Through wise wholesale fabric and trim shopping and the time-saving techniques learned over 30 years in making costumes since my teens, I am able to offer these quality costumes at considerably less than found elsewhere, often less than the low-end sweatshop outfits. I do not make one-size-fits-all costumes (other than chemise undergowns) or low-end gowns repeated over and over so buyers see their twin every few yards at a medieval event.
In style, my first love is Courtly apparel with eye-catching drama. In winter I most often use damask, jacquard, brocade, satin, panne velvet, moire and taffeta, rayon velvet, velveteen, and silk or silk essence. But I live in Florida and am active in the outdoorsy SCA so I make quite a high percentage of linen, flax linen, and cotton ensembles. As an archer and one who performs kitchen work/volunteering, I supply functional costuming for those with active re-enacting habits like mine, so be sure to check often for these as well. All of my items are washable and my personal taste is simple yet elegant designs that are easy to put on, comfortable to wear, no fuss, and no training required. My starting price will always be low. My aim is to sell elegant medieval garb at a fair price.
A WARNING ABOUT ASIAN SWEATSHOPS AND THE MEDIEVAL MARKET:
The medieval and renaissance costume market on the internet has been invaded since 2007 by the Asian sweatshop mega-factories that have taken over the world clothing industry. Early on, these Chinese and Thailand companies opened company name after company name, ripping off buyers with shoddy workmanship, inaccurate designs (mixing pieces from different eras and continents into one garment) or no delivery at all, just getting a new i.d. when sales got too low or they were banned. Buyers lost tens of thousands of dollars on these Hong Kong and Thailand companies. Late in 2008 and through 2009, these same companies began using U.S. front addresses for their shipping locations, and new company names, like Von Loncelot, Artemisia's Dance, Your Dressmaker Medieval, My Cloak, and others. These are the same companies and they have the same level of ethics and expertise as previously.
NOTE There are no European renaissance faires or European costume events in either China or Thailand. These clothes are produced in Asian sweatshops using slave labor working 14 hour days for 5-6 cents per hour in open air human warehouses. A factor to consider beyond these conditions and child labor is what buying Asian products is doing to our American economy. SPENDING U.S DOLLARS TO SUPPORT ASIAN SWEATSHOPS IS A KEY FACTOR IN THE CRISIS IN THE U.S. ECONOMIC SITUATION.
Watch for clues in the photographs, the advertisement language and grammar, extremely low starting prices (with slave labor they can afford to start at one penny), and dozens of listings for exact same garments, and other tell tale signs you are buying sweatshop factory-made products. If identical items are listed over and over and being produced by the hundreds, you can bet you are not supporting a European History enthusiast, a single or small group of craftspersons who take pride in their work.
Support the U.S. economy and BUY AMERICAN!