Lady Anne Bonny's Pirate Shift

Often the most overlooked aspect of renaissance and tudor history is life at sea. With the edicts of the Pope to divide and conquer the world, Spain ruled the day in Renaissance Europe. Naturally Britain and the other protestant nations wanted what Spain had. Thus pirates and privateers were hired to plunder as much Spanish property as possible. Cloaked in this dubious legitimacy, sea lanes around the world were soon chocked full of upstarts, opportunists, and cut throats of every ilk. A good, loyal captain or sea-pilot was hard to find indeed. No where was a more lively tale told than the legend of the lady pirate Anne Bonny and her partner Mary Read. Hiding their gender in boys clothes they stormed the Carribbean seas for years until finally revealing their secret! Brash, deadly, outrageous, and contemptibly clever, Misty Thicket Clothing is very pleased to indulge your imagination with this comfortable Anne Bonny lady pirate shift (shirt).

Pirates were never known for their advanced taste in clothing; most fashion was dictated by chance of plunder more than aesthetics. Moreover, the sea air was notoriously corrosive to natural fibers, so that even the toughest leathers and linens were eventually given up to ruin. As a result, your average buccaneer often went barefoot on deck, wore loose, button-up pants that came to just below the knee, and as many layers of linen or stout cotton as they could get against the cold. Our pirate shift is based on the late seventeenth century in an Atlantic region legendary for its piracy: the Carribean.

This loose fitting pirate shift is a rendition of the common shifts of the day. It is a standard, collared "poet" shift, cuffed at the wrist, and adapted with a single button closure and an open "V" neckline. The shift is made of a soft but very strong weaver's cloth in 100% cotton.

Admittedly, the candy striped linen sash shown on our sassy lass is more about style than authenticity. Only the hardest and least fortunate pirates would have resorted to keeping their clothing tied in such a sash. Most men favored a wide leather belt with a heavy leather baldric crossing the chest to hang guns and swords from. However stylized the sash may be, it is striking, and fits the dashing image of a swashbuckling pirate. The linen sash shown is available to you in your choice of color.

*For 100% linen, contact us for prices and color availability.

This item subject to availability of linen! If you have any questions about linen availability please e-mail us.

NOTE: Please make all your selections for your shift carefully and accurately! We rely on this data to provide you with accurately fitted garments in exactly the fit you wish!