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There are several places around Charlotte you can rent a costume, including The Magic Maze in Dilworth or Morris Costumes on Monroe Road.
Of course, Halloween is approaching, so usual costume stores like Party City would have costumes available. Morris Costumes will have several "Halloween Express" locations, including 8120 Providence Road and 9121 Sam Furr Road in Charlotte and 168 BB Norman Station Blvd. in Mooresville.
If you're able to purchase a costume online, sites like RenFestCostumes or RenStore have a large variety of styles available. RenFaire is also a good general guide to piecing together an outfit.
But, the route that probably most festival-goers take is the homemade route. Some people will spend hours and hours meticulously recreating a historically accurate costume, while some simply put together an ensemble to get them through a weekend a few times a year. If you are looking for something you can make yourself, though, an excellent resource is the DIY Fashion site on About. The sites gives general tips on what to wear, a guide to making your own costume (from princess to pirate to wench), and even a photo gallery of costumes to give you some ideas.
You can create a simple costume with a simple shirt and pants set for men and a corset top and skirt set for women. The best part is that it's very cheap to make, and only takes a little fabric and some ribbon. The costumes on this site aren't meant to be exact reproductions, but more along the lines of a quick, inexpensive alternative to the authentic costumes – certainly enough to get you through a day or two at the Renaissance festival.
2012 Carolina Renaissance Festival Information
2012 Carolina Renaissance Festival Address, Parking, Map and Directions
2012 Carolina Renaissance Festival Ticket Information
2012 Carolina Renaissance Festival Special Weekends
