Carbon Costume

Keira Knightley is radiant in just about any role. But her time as Elizabeth Swann marked one of her best-known characters. Her performance brought an entire generation of woman into the world of pirates. And that’s before she ever became Pirate King!

Elizabeth’s style is somewhat hard to replicate because the fashions of the time were so ornate and specific. You can get close with a rococo gown, hoops to fill it out, thigh high white socks, and white slippers dyed yellow (just be sure to get the dye that works with the material). The wig listed above works as-is but you can also style it using this tutorial. Finally you’ll want your doubloon. That’s not the sort of thing you want to leave behind on your pirate adventure.

Spongebob might live in a pineapple under the sea but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have fans on land. In fact he has a whole fan club. And Patchy the Pirate (played by Tom Kenny) is the president. Self-appointed, of course. But that still counts! And with his trusty – if snarky – cohost Potty close at hand, he’s always ready for a special Spongebob adventure!

Patchy is pretty much your stereotypical pirate. He wears a black tricorn hat over a red bandana along with an eye patch and a scraggly black beard. A purple velvet jacket over a white shirt pairs with a set of black “pirate pants” and black boot covers for a look fit for a presidential pirate. A black sash repurposed as a bandolier, a hook toy for your hand, a fake peg leg, and a green parrot toy finish off the look!

What horrors love can turn a man to do, Davy Jones knows only too well. The dreaded Lord of the Deep, once charged with guiding the souls of those who died at sea, turned cruel when the goddess Calypso did not return his love. Played by Bill Nighy, he stops at nothing to show us why we (and Will Turner) should fear the deep in the Disney series Pirates of the Caribbean.

There’s a lot that goes into a costume like Davy Jones. Most of the look in the movie relied on CGI so getting something accurate isn’t particularly easy. Makeup tutorials like this one help, though. And you will need to distress the pieces of the costume to fit Jones’ ages-old and sea-weary look. You’ll also want a large quantity of sea shells and sand to give your clothes the look of a man who has slept at the bottom of the sea for centuries.

Of course you need the actual costume pieces too. A Cthulhu mask gives you some of Jones’ beard tentacles while tentacle “horns” add some on top of your head. You can either use these with a bald cap or attach the tentacles to your pirate hate .

For the rest of Jones’ clothes you’ll need a shirt, vest, overcoat, pants, thick belt, and boots.

And Davy Jones would not be Davy Jones without the music box to remind him of the past that led to his fate.

Captain Morgan is easily one of the most recognizable mascots. You don’t even have to dress like a pirate if you pull his name in a game of charades. Just put your hand on your hip and mime standing on a barrel. Most people will know exactly who you’re talking about.

And though you might not need to dress like a pirate to evoke The Captain, there’s no reason you shouldn’t! Especially on August 16, National Rum Day. Most of the pieces of his costume are pretty easy to find and can be mixed into other period costumes for an added bonus!

The first thing you need is a red and gold pirate hat. Under that you’ll want a long black wig and a black goatee. A red and gold pirate’s coat, white shirt with a ruffed collar, brown leather bandolier, and blue collared cloak make up the top half of his clothing. You’ll have to add gold edging to the cloak but gold tape should make that easy. Black breeches, a brown belt, and brown boots make up the bottom half. And of course no pirate would be complete without his saber and his pistol. You don’t need to carry a barrel with you though you can if you like. Finding anything to prop a foot on and strike a pose will do just fine!

In DC Bombshells, Ravager is a prophetic pirate who joins the other members of the Suicide Squad at Belle Reeve Manor. Her look is inspired by pirate pinups, and though the exact color scheme is difficult to find, the essence of the character is easily captured with steampunk fashion and accessories.

Don Karnage is the leader of a group of air pirates and captain of the massive hybrid airship, the Iron Vulture, which serves as an airborne aircraft carrier. He is the main antagonist in the series TaleSpin and frequently crosses paths with cargo pilot Baloo.

In the Monkey Island game series, Guybrush Ulysses Threepwood considers himself a mighty pirate, though others often bungle his name and mistake him for a floors inspector. Among his quirks are a dislike of heavy syrup and an irrational fear of porcelain.

In The Princess Bride, Dread Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes) is a pirate with a mythical reputation who is feared across the seven seas for his swordfighting skills. It’s revealed that Dread Pirate Roberts is actually a succession of individuals who pass on the name, with farm boy Westley as the latest.