The old dancers in Mirkmere used to decorate their ordinary everyday clothing with ribbons and rosettes in colours of terracotta, yellow and black with the consequence that a fully standardised costume never emerged. By the 1930’s just before the demise of the old side even the women had taken to wearing cord trousers alongside the men when they danced and, in general the costume had settled down to something like the following variation which was worn on their last appearance at the Midsummer Feast 1936:
- Flat cap (optional) Leather bell pads with ribbons
- Dingy greenish shirt often collarless Black or brown boots
- Brown waistcoat Ribbons and rosettes in the side’s colours (see above)
- Grey cord or moleskin trousers Red neckerchief (optional)
- Black or brown boots
- Ribbons and rosettes in the side’s colours (see above)
- Red neckerchief (optional)
Handkerchiefs were normally white but there was no rule and the Fool, Leader and Foreman in particular often danced with coloured ones. The brown waistcoats were once made up from dozens of little furry rat skins. In latter years these were in short supply and moleskin cloth was substituted.
The NEW Mirkmere Morris (founded 1988) have broadly adopted the costume described above but have tended to substitute for the rosettes a broad (about 5 inches wide) sash worn over the right shoulder. This is coloured in a sort of indeterminate muddy shade of off-brown with tinges of green. It has a slightly mouldy appearance truth to tell. Very typical of the fens.