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Between the BBC show The Musketeers and Friday’s Talk Like a Pirate Day, leather and sword fighting seem to be everywhere we look. And that’s a good thing, trust us. Not only are we excited to try out some “matey’s,” and “arrrs,” but we’ve also been inspired by talking with Phoebe De Gaye, costume designer for The Musketeers, which follows four highly trained swordsmen who protect their king, wear lots of leather, and look good doing it. (Read our interview with De Gaye for more info on what it’s like to design for these iconic characters.)

So in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, here’s a few fun facts about pirate fashion:

  • Blackbeard had dreadlocks and tied ribbons in his beard, though he would sometimes set both on fire in order to scare his victims.
  • One of the first things pirates did during an attack was make their victims strip down — literally stealing the clothes off their back. Most pirate clothing came from stealing finery and jewelry from their victims — the nicest stuff went to the captain, which is why their outfits veered toward the garish and colorful. But while the captain had his choice, the crew would often wear one outfit until it became tattered and beyond repair.
  • Eye patches were used to help pirates keep their eyes adjusted to both sunlight and darkness since they so often traveled above and below deck — not because they all lost one eye.

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Jonesin’ for a Fix: Books for TV Addicts — special Black Sails edition for Talk Like a Pirate Day

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Genre: Fiction
Rachel Carter

Rachel Carter grew up surrounded by trees and snow and mountains. She graduated from the University of Vermont and Columbia University, where she received her MFA in nonfiction writing. She is the author of the So Close to You series with Harperteen. These days you can find her working on her next novel in the woods of Vermont.

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