This is my Samoan Warrior and I dressed up as Maori Pirates.  My husband wanted to add some Polynesian flare to celebrate his culture, and of course I obliged.  The piupiu skirt you can see in picture 4 is traditionaly made from flax and beaded and VERY expensive. I used a striped knit fabric and cut it vertically into 1 inch strips then pulled on the long end of each strip to cause the fabric to roll in on it’s self to mimic a puipui.  It was time consuming but very cheap. 

The traditional Maori dress palet is black, red and cream which was my inspiration and then I added lots of gold and fabrics and accessories to look as if thwy were plundered from around the world.

I also used as much reclaimed and vintage trim as I could.  The shoulder boards on the male pirate are made from a piece of vintage trim and rope tassel that I rescued from a yard sale.  The trim around his shirt is also vintage trim.  I loved it because the metalic threads in it had tarnished and made it look well worn. Our jewelry is made from vintage buttons and dress clips.  his wrist band is an up cycled belt.

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