Posts Tagged ‘Skull And Crossbones’

Ladies’ Night Pirate Costumes

Friday, January 27th, 2012

When ladies go out and about on the town, sometimes a theme is in order. One of the more popular is Pirate Night. It’s a fun theme and it gives the ladies a great opportunity to shake some booty and strut their stuff. Fortunately, there is a large variety of costumes and accessories to give everyone an even shot at being original and sexy.

ladies pirate costumes
Here are a few costume ideas that are sure to shiver some timbers:

• Sassy Jack Sparrow Costume – This sassy number comes with a thigh high dress complete with buckles and an attached belt to highlight the waistline. Underneath, a feminine petticoat skirt showcases the coquettish side while the bold black boot covers suggest a lady who may not be a lady in every situation; there’s some naughtiness there. A bandanna completes the image and adds a bit of haughtiness to the naughtiness.

• The Royal Lady Adult Plus Costume – Designed for a plus size lady with lots of pluses to share, it includes a sexy dress with white puffy sleeves and a vest style torso. The teasing bodice is tauntingly fresh with lace that goes from neck to waist. A matching hat jauntily posed atop the lass presents a very alluring package, one that is sure to please.

• Pink and Black Adult Pirate Costume – Yarrrr. The captain will be looking to make the wearer of this adorable costume his first mate. A sweet, off-the-shoulder pink half-shirt proudly shows off your treasure chest of delights in a burst of sauciness that’s sure to bring the captain’s wooden leg to a shiver. A darling black skirt with a laced front from tummy to bodice barely reaches mid-thigh and is sure to catch his one good eye. This hardly prim and proper outfit will accent lovely legs to their maximum exposure. A matching hat with skull and crossbones tops off this scintillating outfit.

However the pirate wench chooses to dress, the pirate style is always an eye-catcher and attention-getter. To really shake up the crow’s nest, bring a parrot! Yarrrr.

pirate flags and their origins

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Pirate Flags are not something created for the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films, or a figment of the imagination. They are REAL! And the actual flag used on ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies is of Calico Jack Rackham with a skull and crossed cutlasses. Each Pirate ship carried its own version of the flag, created for the ships Captain and Crew.

During the years of exploration, it was important to know the difference between friendly ships and enemy ones. Flags were used as a way of intimidating anyone who encountered these ships, and played a big part in creating a reputation for the ship.

Pirate flags are not always black, because the original ones flown by early Pirates were actually RED!

Both black and red carried a strong message. The red flags early pirates sailed under represented Bloodshed and a warning, and indicated no quarter would be given to those who crossed its path. The Pirates hoped that the sight of this flag would lead to speedy surrender and an easy victory. Black flags were mostly used on Plague ships as a warning, so the progression to Black flags was natural as it already represented Death. The Pirates called this the ‘Banner of King Death’.

The flags became more elaborate and unique by using symbols of death or violence, eg as Skull and Crossbones, a Cutlass or an Hourglass suggesting the enemies time was up! Probably the most well-known Pirate of them all, Blackbeard was thought to have flown under a black flag that featured a skeleton standing next to a bleeding heart, holding an hourglass in one hand and a spear in the other!

Most pirate flags are referred to as ‘Jolly Roger’s’ or ‘Skull and Crossbones’. It is easy to see where the name Skull and Crossbones comes from but there are several possibilities for the name Jolly Roger. The most probable are; the English pronunciation of the French term ‘Jolie Rouge’ (Red Flag). It is also possibly from the word Rouge, meaning thief or vagabond. The final theory is that it came from the phrase ‘Old Roger’ which was an English slang term for the Devil. The pirate costume tradition is therefore steeped in history.