KiT and Costume GUIDE

Never made a costume for a LARP before? Wondering how ‘dressed up’ you need to be for Frostpunk? Or are you a seasoned LARPer looking for inspiration on which direction to take your crafting? This is the guide for you. Your costume, sometimes called your soft kit, is one of the primary ways to immerse yourself in and project a story about your character. Like the cover of a book, your soft kit reflects the history, the wealth, and the affiliations of your character. In this guide, we’ll pose some questions to get you thinking about what you might wear, provide some inspiration for the garb of the various factions, and offer guidance on how to source and/or craft the clothing your character might wear. However, note that this guide should not be viewed as comprehensive, but rather, as a starting place for those thinking about how to dress as their characters.

Culture and Costume!

The world of Frostpunk is set within an alternate earth in the late 19th century, with the characters primarily drawn from Great Britain, though this can also encompass other subjects of the British Empire or Mainland Europe. Therefore we encourage players to consult the real world fashions and trends of the time and use these as a basis for their clothing. Keep in mind, that the game will be played in winter, and Frostpunk is set in an icy, frozen world; Frocks and suit jackets, while popular at the time, should not be the focus of your costume (though could serve as a fascinating underlayer to provide depths to the character and hint at their background pre-frost).

Fortunately, Arctic exploration dominated popular culture in Europe and America throughout the nineteenth century, which offers a considerable source of inspiration for costuming. Your costume should reflect the harsh environment, the desperate survival mindset, and the technological yet primitive society.

Before we Begin

Steampunk

In the world of Frostpunk certain technologies are more advanced than their real world counterparts of the time. However, this technology is grounded, not fantastical. Therefore while we generally are encouraged by small creations to add authenticity to the technological development of the setting (see Setting Information), we would caution against excessive use of accessories that might carry the costume’s design language from “Victorian” to “Steampunk”.

Practical Considerations

Practical Considerations

As you are creating your costume we recommend incorporating a few simple layers that can be added or removed depending on the temperature. Additionally, we recommend either a waterproof outer layer or a woollen outer layer, as wool retains warmth even when damp, unlike other fabrics.

Although the majority of the LARP will be set inside, we may lower the temperature inside where safe and reasonable during play to better simulate the extreme cold the characters themselves would be facing. However, outside of play we will bring the rooms back up to a more comfortable temperature. Therefore it would be wise to ensure that your clothes have multiple layers that can be removed or donned with ease.

Although the LARP will primarily take place under cover, most venue choices will likely also include some form of outside space that will be included within the play area, and you will be on your feet for many hours straight. We recommend wearing a sturdy and comfortable pair of boots and bringing multiple pairs of socks. There’s nothing worse than two-day-old soggy socks.

Frostpunk will be providing an optional system to communicate a character’s (not players) pronouns in-game.

We call these ‘Pronoun Ribbons’.

At check-in, we will be providing small pieces of fabric along with safety pins for attaching them to costumes. These pieces of fabric come in four different colours which you can use to help other players identify your character’s pronouns without asking.

The colours correspond to the following pronouns:

PINK: she/her
BLUE: he/him
GREEN: they/them
PURPLE: please ask my character what their pronouns are

If your character uses multiple sets of pronouns you can pin multiple ribbons to your costume. For example, if your character uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, you can pin both a pink and green pronoun ribbon to your costume.

PrONOUN RIBBONS

THe Basics

The Simple Version

LARP gear is often very expensive or otherwise time consuming to create. We don’t want your costume to be a source of stress. If time, money, or life gets in the way, here’s the simple version which is more than enough to enjoy the world of Frostpunk:

Warm Outer Layer (preferably a coat made with organic materials like wool or cotton).
A long sleeve shirt or blouse in a natural fabric. Consider distressing with tea or coffee dyeing, mud, or other techniques to give it a worn or lived-in look.
Some variety of warm jumper or sweater.
A dark coloured high-waisted skirt or wide-legged trousers. Any skirt should ideally reach the ankles.
Some sturdy boots, the less modern-looking the better.
Belt, Gloves, and/or wool hat.
A vest, corset or waistcoat (optional).

At Frostpunk, we’re not exploring any kind of gendered rules or power dynamics, so feel free to use any combination of masculine or feminine fashion, regardless of your or your character’s gender identity.

Materials and Colours

Try to steer away from “modern” plastic-based fabrics like polyester or nylon. Not only do they have a distinctly modern feeling about them, they are often not breathable, hot, sweaty, sticky, and stinky. Natural materials like linen, some cotton blends, wool, and silk are your friends!

Charity shops and secondhand clothing stores are fantastic for sourcing affordable costume pieces. Belts and ropes are a fantastic tool for adding shape and texture to an outfit - simply whack a couple of belts and ropes on and watch your costume transform.

Frostpunk is a bleak world of ice and snow, so try to stay away from costumes that are too bright and colourful. Instead prioritise earthy tones: dark browns, deep greys, faded greens, muted blues and blacks. Reserve brighter more saturated colours for accessories like scarves, belts, and gloves, but avoid going too bright - the world is bleak and muted. If a colourful accessory must be included try to restrain yourself to only one or two at most.

Tops

Heavy wool coats or pea coats, ideally long with large collars.
Layered vests and waistcoats beneath coats for a Victorian feel.
Thick knitted or woolen sweaters or high-collared shirts.
Button-up shirts in neutral or muted tones.
Scarves and neck gaiters—thick, wrapped several times.

Bottoms

Wool trousers or sturdy work pants, preferably in dark, muted colors.
Suspenders as a common Victorian-era accessory.
Knee-high boots or lace-up work boots, weathered and practical.
Optional: patched pants or leather leg wraps for scavenger style.

Outerwear & Accessories

Fur-lined hats (trapper hats, aviator hats with ear flaps).
Goggles for dust and snow protection—classic steampunk style.
Heavy gloves and mittens, leather or wool.
Tool belts, harnesses, and satchels—functional and thematic.
Gas masks or respirators for a dystopian edge (optional).

Details & Weathering

Add weathering and distressing to all fabrics — dirt, soot, patches, fraying edges.
Use fake frost or white paint on edges of coats and hats to simulate frostbite and cold.
Include leather straps with buckles and metal hardware.
Add small gear or mechanical motifs to accessories.
Layer clothing unevenly, simulating a hurried, survivalist approach.
Include chains, hooks, ropes or tools attached to belts and backpacks.

Makeup & Hair

Pale, weathered skin tone with hints of frostbite (bluish/red tints on cheeks and nose).
Smudged soot or grime around the face and hands.
Hair should look wind-blown, messy, or tied back with simple cloth strips.
Beards or facial hair for male characters should be unkempt and frosty.

Layers!

Since Frostpunk is cold and harsh, layering is key:

Base layer: wool or thick cotton shirt and long johns.
Mid layer: wool sweater or vest.
Outer layer: heavy coat with fur lining and waterproof outer shell (if available).
Accessories: scarves, gloves, hats, goggles.

Not only does this layering support the key aesthetics of Frostpunk, but it is also extremely useful in a practical sense. Packing three separate outfits will be far more of a trouble and far more expensive than multiple layers that can be changed around one main piece such as an overcoat, jacket, or parka.

Key Inspirations

As this LARP is based on the video game of the same name, there are a wealth of resources online that can provide a peek into what kind of clothing might be appropriate for the setting of Frostpunk.

Though this game takes place within the setting of the first frostpunk game, 11 bit studios, the series creators, have been creating cosplay guides for factions in the sequel game set 30 years later. Some elements of these costumes will not be applicable to this game set during the immediate onset of the crisis, but these can serve as a detailed source of inspiration direct from the series creators. Nevertheless, we still recommend consulting images from the original Frostpunk over it’s sequel.

For more real-world inspirations feel free also to consult Victorian fashions of the 1880s and 90s, especially prioritise resources that depict the tougher worn-in clothing of the lower classes over those of the gentry. Fancy clothes made from the finest of silks have far less practical use in an ice age than the tough worn clothes of a miner.