Pirate Clothing

Pirate clothing went through a lot of changes as each period passed, but they all had their distinct similarities. It was only during the renaissance period that ship companies had uniforms for their crew and captains.

Pirates clothing was generally loose for practical reasons. Pirates’ clothes had to be comfortable enough to allow them to move freely when working on ships. Most pirates didn’t wear shoes when working on the ship because going barefoot offered more grip against ropes and wet floors.

There was no uniform set of pirate clothing when on board, but the style and color of the clothes were similar and the materials used were the same due to practical and economical reasons. Pirates were not provided with uniform clothes because they were only hired on an “as-needed” agreement.

Clothes pirates wore were often sewn on board by crew members who were also accomplished sewers. They use their skills for mending sails, sewing clothes, and embellishing shirts.

One of the most distinct pieces of pirate clothing were the slops. These were smock, baggy trousers that ended just below the knee or above the ankles and were often worn with a loose white shirt.

Pirate clothing on board the ship was often different from the clothes pirates wore when going ashore. Most of the time it was the pirate captain who went ashore and wore different clothing from the crew.

The most iconic pirate clothing pieces were the pirate coat and the black pirate boots. A pirate outfit was often topped with the classic black tricorn hat, one of the classic pirate accessories.

Captains of the ship would wear anything they pleased, and their outfits were often flamboyant compared to the crew. Pirate coats were often worn by the captains. The coats were royal blue and worn over ruffled white shirts, while the end of the slops were tucked inside boots.

Some captains wore slip-on shoes instead of leather ankle boots. In this case, they wore tight white stockings instead of the loose slops to suit the style of footwear.