Back in the 1970s, it was all the rage to put on classic plays in modern dress. Gone were the traditional doublet-and-hose productions with colorfully costumed actors making much of every “Beseech” and “Forsooth” penned by the likes of William Shakespeare.

The problem, according to some theater directors of the period, wasn’t so much that Elizabethan clothing and weaponry wasn’t accurate as to the time of Shakespeare. But that dressing every production that way – even those set hundreds of years earlier, like “Macbeth” and “King Lear” – didn’t mesh well with every historical period called for in Shakespeare’s plays.

And simply staying consistent with the approximate historical period—such as the 11th century, when the real-life Macbeth ruled Scotland – didn’t always fit the bill, either. After you’ve seen three or four “historically accurate” productions of what’s affectionately called The Scottish Play, as many theatergoers in England regularly do, you’re ready for something new.

Neutral, modern dress, also known as rehearsal clothing, suddenly became the way to solve two problems at once: Remove the historical barriers to interpreting a text for today, while also giving the director a neutral canvas on which to add a few special touches.

We can’t say for certain, but this may have been the time when many entertainers began wearing all-black clothing, as this was the style preferred by the neutral-set productions. It worked wonderfully for a while. Then, something started happening.

Directors saw the value in adding just a hint of period dress here and there. Props and costume pieces, such as those found in Armory Replicas’ Medieval Goods pages, were especially helpful in suggesting a certain time or place, while not saddling actors with pounds of unsympathetic costume pieces. Suggesting the character of Julius Caesar by draping a simple sash across an actor’s shoulders proved much more compelling than recreating him down to the minutest historical detail. You could suddenly see the actor and the character at once, and not merely a lot of costume.

Try envisioning it for yourself the next time you’re ready to outfit a classic play or historical recreation. The Medieval King Richard Tunic, worn by a performer in neutral street clothing, evokes Richard the Lionhearted’s majesty, while allowing for an actor’s personal character touches. And the simple yet elegant Medieval Crusader Knightly Tabard, as won by a small group of loyal foot soldiers, could have a similar effect on any drama involving the Crusades. As could the Crusader Medieval Knight Shield Armor, which needs no additional costume pieces to convey a powerful symbolism.