Knight in Armor Halloween Costume Ideas for Men

Dress up as King Arthur for Halloween! The classic knight's costume is always a favorite for parties and fancy dress balls. Your lady can dress as the traditional princess or can accouter herself as a matching warrior.

You can buy quick costume pieces and assemble an outfit with no trouble. Or if you like to be creative and make your own holiday costumes, here are many ideas and tutorials for sewing a tunic and making armor, swords, and shields out of common materials.

Read on and decide which way you like best!

Sew your own quick knight's costume with a commercial pattern. The long,slit tunic and "mail" coif turn you into an instant warrior!

Create decorations with fabric paint or iron-on mending tape, or you can applique a fabric shape onto the tunic with a tight zigzag stitch.

A dandy tutorial for making a shiny, gold-hilted sword out of things you have around the house.

A valiant warrior in black and silver stalks into the room, holding his gleaming sword aloft...the ladies swoon...This easy costume can be bought in one piece--you just have to add the sword.

A knight is nothing without his shield! Make this sturdy version from cardboard and paint it with a fanciful coat-of-arms to match the device on your tunic.

Knights had simple, colorful heraldic devices painted on their shields and armor to help tell each other apart quickly in the dust and flurry of battle. Use bright, high-contrast shapes to be visible at a distance. You can attach plumes or streamers in the same colors from your helmet, too.

Here are some original heraldic devices from a medieval roll or arms to serve as inspiration!

Accessories add the finishing touches to your knight costume. Cover the mail hauberk with a bright tabard and cloak; finish off the outfit with a long leather belt and pouch. Boot covers help disguise modern shoes.

Very easy instructions on how to make a hooded cloak with no pattern. It's a versatile costume piece that can be reused in many ways.

A very interesting tutorial on making custom-fitted scale armor out of cardstock. It's a striking, shiny costume covered in gold or silver metallic paint.

Are you caught at the last minute with your Halloween costume still not done? Well, just watch the cute video and make a pretty neat medieval outfit in minutes.Takes just an old t-shirt and a length of yarn!

My father's coat of mail and coif were knitted by my mother, using rings that my father and brothers wound and cut from heavy wire. It took a whole winter, but the armor is in excellent shape thirty-five years later, and Dad wore it many times.

The picture is part of an original oil painting of my father, Jerry Proctor, in armor.

[Painting by Benny Yates. Photo by Valerie Proctor Davis]