The Costumer

Sometimes the right accessory can make or break a costume. How could you be the Wicked Witch of the West without being green? Similarly, how could you be Harry Potter without his trademark glasses?

Glasses are an excellent costume accessory. People who don’t usually wear glasses often secretly desire an opportunity to wear them (I tend to think it’s overrated, considering I’ve always needed glasses or contacts). They can definitely give an edge to the right costumes.

Costumes which require glasses:

• Bono from U2
• Harry Potter
• Buddy Holly

Where to get them

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Ladies! Are you looking for an easy, last-minute Halloween costume on this fine Halloween day? You’re in luck if you like the series Firefly.

Kaylee, the mechanic on the show, is simply adorable. Her every day look is very utilitarian and the costume is inexpensive to put together. Here’s how you do it:

Overalls. Aboard Serenity, Kaylee usually wears overalls around.

Pink shirt. As pictured here, she usually pairs the rough overalls look with a girly shirt.

Work boots. Any old grungy work boots will do for this attire.

Parasol. To be recognized as Kaylee, pair your look with a parasol. If you head to an Asian-owned dollar store or into Chinatown (if there is one in your nearby city), you can find one very inexpensively. (more…)

I knew it was too good to be true. The real name of “Balloon Boy” is Falcon. You know, like the bird that flies in the sky? I think this whole hoax was something a long time in the making. I bet his parents named him Falcon with this in mind!

Conspiracy theories aside, “Balloon Boy” will make a great Halloween Costume this year.

To purchase or create the Balloon Boy costume,  check these resources:

• Flying Saucer Halloween Costume
• Spaceship Halloween Costume (more…)
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Want to go for a classic this Halloween? If you have the body for it, why  not consider the Superman/Supergirl costume?

Noted for the spandex, these costumes are sure to attract both recognition and attention.

Female versions come available in slut and non-slut version depending on whether you’d like to celebrate Halloween or Slutoween (actually, the costume manufacturers like to think that all women under a 16 want to bare their midriff during the late fall season, because only the plus-sized version offers coverage). (more…)

Last weekend, I had the honor of participating in the Gypsy encampment set up at the 2009 Witches Ball in Mount Holly, New Jersey! Along with the crew of Seventh Kingdom IGE, I wore a detailed Gypsy costume and helped establish an ambiance.

One major highlight of the Witches Ball was the costume contest. Contestants came from near and far to participate for cash prizes and more. The “Best Overall” and “Scariest” costume winnings went to Jeff Shepard of Florham Park, NJ. Shepard appeared as “The Headless Man.”

See pictures of the winning costumes on the Witches Ball site. (more…)

We all know that sex sells just about everything. As the eternal debate goes on regarding Halloween versus Slutoween, it seems that a San Diego costume store had to remove some tasteless Halloween costumes which were flaunting more than a few innuendos (Source: NBC San Diego). Well, if Dracula ‘receiving his pleasure’ is just a bit too risque for you, you could always try being H1N1 swine flu or Michael Jackson complete with crotch grab.

Are you ’sick’ of all the hype surrounding the H1N1 swine flu strain? Looking for a funny, inexpensive costume? Maybe you think the tasteless Michael Jackson costume is just a bit too extreme. Feel free to issue protest during Halloween by representing the swine flu.

There are a few ways to be the swine flu for Halloween. The easiest way involves purchasing a swine flu kit, which comes complete with pig nose.

 If you have a bit more money to spend, you can go all out with the below pig costume. For a couples or friend costume idea, go with a sneezy person in pajamas! (more…)

Want a popular 2009 Halloween costume but on a tight budget due to the economy? Consider one of the below — 10 hottest (most inexpensive) Halloween costumes of the year.

Links at the beginning go to other entries on this blog and typically instruct you on how to create the costumes or where to buy them.

1) Sookie Stackhouse of HBO’s True Blood. This perky, psychic, vampire-adoring waitress has captivated audiences since the series’ debut last year. As the show gains popularity with its immensely successful viral marketing, so does our take-no-garbage protagonist Sookie. A strong Southern adult, Sookie holds her own in an environment populated by powerful, supernatural beings.

Other True Blood costumes such as Maryann the Maenad and Lafayette Reynolds are pretty popular this year.

Check out my previous blog entry on how to make a vampire costume on a low budget!

2) Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Politicians having two faces…well, that’s been all the rage for a while, and it continues to get worse with the ongoing debates about healthcare. Opt for a more creative/less controversial costume by going with Harvey Dent from Batman. The costume is also inexpensive and easy to sew together using existing clothing.

3) Twilight Costumes. Fans of Bella and Edward? ‘Twilighting’ is very popular this year due to the book series and films. Kelly at Convention Fans alerted me to the fact that Hot Topic is selling Edward Cullen costumes!

4) Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles! Their music is re-mastered and they even have their own RockBand game. Now people of all ages want to emulate The Beatles.  While Sgt. Pepper may go “in and out of style,” The Beatles don’t, but they’ve made a particularly strong comeback in 2009.

5) Dysfunctional Celebrities: Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears. The costumes are cheap and easy. Plus, they might look funny on a class clown kinda guy. (more…)

Maybe you’ve seen adult women wearing cat costumes before–cute ears, black leotard, tail…after a while, they all look the same.

One of my favorite costumers took it to the next level. When I first met Grace at a LARP, I noticed that she was not afraid to select makeup or costume-intensive races.

She designed this original costume (left, below) for a LARP. Such a costume is also worthy of other events and celebrations such as Halloween.

I asked Grace some questions about her amazing cat costume and her involvement in LARP (live action role playing).

Q: How did you get the idea for this costume?

A: Over the years I’ve seen the quality of costuming for the LARP community dwindle. I’m originally from Georgia and started LARPing when I was only 16. I wanted to recreate some of the awesome artistic creations that I remembered from my first days of LARPing and to also show people that it was possible with just a little effort to make something that really sets a scene. I’m all about immersion.

Q: How long did it take to make?

A: The Scale breastplate took me about a two weeks, admittedly I didn’t have a job at the time and the scale can be tedious; it takes patience to accomplish.The costume itself was completed in a matter of hours spread over a few weeks to allow for drying and time constraints.

Q: Where did you get the materials?

A: Scale: www.theringlord.com
Bodysuit: amazon.com
Paints: a local arts store
Mask: www.northfur.ca

Q: Did you use any ‘how to’ resources when trying to figure out how to make your vision?

A: I did not. Everything I did I had in my mind and I simply made it look the way I wanted, though I still have few changes that I want to make to my end design.

Q: What’s your favorite part about the costume?

A: I really like what the costume does for me. It allows me to put it on and really feel like my character. As I said previously, I’m really into character immersion. (more…)

It seems to me that men and boys usually harbor a not-so-secret desire to play at being a ninja. Perhaps it’s their stealthy, predatory behavior that’s so appealing, or maybe it’s the mystery behind the mask (or face-covering fabric, as the case may be).

Regardless of the reason, the ninja costume has always been popular at LARPs and during Halloween. Many moms and dads also appreciate the ease of the ninja costume for this reason—during Halloween and other potentially cold times, it’s easy for a child to stay warm in a long-sleeved, pant-length black garment.

For the kid that just can’t let go of his or her costume, some ninja costumes (without the stars, of course) can be comfortable to sleep in after a post-Halloween wash.For safety, all Halloween ninjas should make sure to walk with an adult and wear some sort of reflective material. I know it defeats the ultimate ninja purpose, but it will also help drivers to avoid hitting mini-ninjas!

There is a ninja expert with an online presence. He’s called The Ninja, because ninjas don’t reveal their true identities! He is located at AskANinja.com and has some videos on YouTube. Ninja discussed his ninja disguise in one segment of his “Ask a Ninja” series.

I’m a strong proponent of speaking to the source when it comes to costuming. Ninjas make for fun costuming because of the historical purpose involved with the garb and tools, so be sure to throw in some real research at the library if you have a child interested in being a Ninja for Halloween.

I’ll throw it out there. Call me fat if you want, but I’m a size 10. I’m a bit chubby since I’m short, but not too bad. My point is that I’m a size 10. I’m a bit on the hourglass side, but not enough to be noticed for it. However, due to my dress size and measurements, I’ve discovered one thing when it comes to purchasing pre-made Halloween costumes: I’m a plus.

This strikes me as a bit odd considering I have never been a plus size in anything before–even in juniors sizes, I can sneak into a size 13 or 14 whenever appropriate.  But for most Halloween costumes? I’m a plus!

I’m not the only one discouraged by this sizing issue. GeekDad over at Wired found a major gender discrepancy when he attempted to order some Star Trek uniforms. This is a lot like the issue my friend Katy pointed out to me–remember the Ghostbusters uniforms? Baggy for the men, Slutoween-ready for the ladies?

While I’m pretty sure this represents the ridiculous double standard of the geek community…you know, the one that says guys can be fat lazy bastards who live in their parents’ basements, but all women must look like that Betty Page wannabe on CSI or the chick who gets dumber every season on MythBusters.

I understand what sells. Ridiculous misogynistic movies like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It’s sad that, despite the oddly large proportion of geek men to geek women, there are so many trollish geek guys that fall for this crap. And I don’t just mean troll…I mean so trollish that the cave troll in Lord of hte Rings looks like a hot item.

Perhaps if they’d get their head out of Megan Fox’s cleavage for two seconds, they’d realize that ladies are in fact attainable (though rare) in the geek community.

(I do understand that there are non-stereotypical geek guys out there who may or may not have ridiculous standards. And hey, I married one of the ones that doesn’t!)

That said, there are some fine resources out there for those looking for plus size costume options this Halloween (whether or not you ARE even plus sized to begin with). It’s important to always note the measurements on these costumes rather than just pick your size–as you may have guessed, almost all Halloween costumes run very very small!

Here are some resources: (more…)

Tweet for costumes!

We live in an instant gratification society. Why should getting the costume you want be any different? Several readers have written me in the past few weeks asking for advice on Halloween costumes. While I respond promptly, sometimes advice-seekers don’t wait for a reply due to the lore of instant gratification. Why wait when you can buy it now on eBay?

If you really want Halloween costume advice without buyer’s remorse, look to Twitter. On Twitter, you can find costumes, win contests, and more!

• CostumePop for costume contests
• halloweenstyles for phenomonenal ideas
• VGXPO for a place to wear your costume
• cosplaycostumes …versatile for conventions and Halloween
• CompareCostumes - weigh your options
• DizguiseCostumes for upscale items 
• swcostumes if Star Wars is your thing
• 911costumes for all your Michael Jackson needs (maybe not all…)
• And, as always: @irishtara to follow The Costumer