The Costumer

I am very proud to announce that last night at the Chestnut Hill Melting Pot I won an award for “Best Nurturing Witch.” The costume (pictures forthcoming) consisted of: basic green renaissance faire dress, green and white gingham underskirt, light peasant shirt, knee high black boots, silver flower jewelry purchased at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, flower head wreath, lime green nail polish, a silver Celtic ring, and a highly decorated broom.

The prize included a Burt’s Bees starter package and Melting Pot garlic and wine spice. I attended the event with two friends–one went as a punk witch and the other as a geisha witch. We drank wine and looked fab.

I’d love to offer advice for other costume contest entrants:

-Show up on time

-Make sure your costume fits one of the categories for prizes

-Don’t be conventional

-Be in character, but don’t go over the top

Best of luck!

Inspired by “Which Witch Will Win?” event at the Philadelphia Melting Pot, I realized that people think of many things when they hear the word ‘witch.’ Authors like Gregory Maguire (Wicked) and general open mindedness towards nature-centric beliefs have caused us to re-examine the witch stereotype. Even in the traditional Halloween witch sense, there are many different possibilities.

To save money this year, I decided I mostly wanted to wear a costume that I already had. The charity “Which Witch” event came up, and the invitation mentioned a contest in a few different categories including glam witch and nurturing witch. My friend Katie, who truly commits to an idea once she has claimed it, decided to go all out as a glam witch. Desiring to use materials I already had, I called myself the nurturing nature witch and bought some inexpensive fake foliage at a craft store, dressing up my renaissance faire costume to look folky, green, and natural.

With a little creativity and little to no money, challenge what others think about witches. This is also an easy last minute Halloween costume idea.

This morning I found a great site full of costumes galore–and people full of advice on how to wear and find the best deals! Check out Renspace — it’s an easier to use version of MySpace only for Renaissance faire and festival enthusiasts! There’s a great deal of information on this site. I’d love to connect with you over there as well.

With Halloween rapidly approaching, you should use this time to get any elaborate costumes ready. You should always do a trial run for clothing, hair products, etc. just to make sure nothing malfunctions and everything fits! If you try everything on now, you have two full days to fix any problems before Halloween.

You should also use this time to purchase any last minute Halloween costume necessities. Stores are beginning to have sales as the costume holiday of the year approaches. Keep looking in days following Halloween–prices will continue to drop. Happy hunting and enjoy Renspace!

If you have the money to rent a costume, you can find a reputable online costumer to assist you. Online costume rental outlets typically have a wide selection, and should offer up front prices about rental rate, length of time for rental, and shipping and handling fees. Here are a few resources to get started if you’re looking to rent a costume online for Halloween and beyond:

Costumes Galore

A Masquerade

Costume Salon

These high-end sites offer variety, fast customer service response to all queries, and detailed, up front information about their services. Please be warned: costuming yourself from a rental site is expensive, but if you aren’t looking to wear a specific costume repeatedly, it can be worth the investment.

Costume rentals are handy for costume contest entrants, specific events (attending a renaissance wedding), or holidays that don’t typically require costumes.

Here’s my personal confession, o devoted readers of The Costumer–I absolutely adore kilts and men who wear them. There’s a certain way that perfectly pleated fabric bounces lithely upon the bottom of a handsome fellow of Scottish descent which cannot be likened to any other sight in history. Even a fake-out wraparound kilt holds a bit of mystery and freedom, attracting women for miles.

Should you decide to wear a kilt to a non-formal event such as a faire , get ready to get kilt checked. What’s a kilt check? That’s when a lady checks to see if you are wearing anything beneath your tartan. Typically, a PG-13 kilt check involves the slide of a lady’s hand up the outer side of a manly kilt wearer’s leg and upper thigh, but not all women are so PG-13.

Start out with the simple wrap around kilt, purchasable online. Patterns are also purchasable. If you like the comfort and the breeze, consider upgrading to a formal version. Best of luck–and may you be kilt checked often!

I wanted to take a moment to comment on the versatile nature of renaissance faire attire. Many garments, such as bodices, are made to be reversible; patterned on one side and solid on the other. Because of this, it’s very easy to mix and match renaissance clothing, maximizing the potential use you get out of each piece. Before you get dressed, spread out your attire and think about wearing it in a new way and also about the practical applications of your clothing to your persona’s capabilities (if applicable). Be sure also to consider comfort, warmth or necessity for air flow (depending upon the season), and hiding any not-so-era-specific items. For example, wearing dark sweatpants completely concealed under a gown normally intended for summer will keep you warm through Halloween.

Are you stuck looking for a last minute Halloween costume? Don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to remedy this dilemma. Here are some tips to help you out:

• Go with the homemade option. Hippies, gypsies, rock stars, and bikers can be created using items found around the house. This is also helpful if you don’t have extra cash.
• Buy the whole thing. Stores such as Halloween Adventure and Spirit offer wigs, makeup, and complete, prepackaged costumes. An adult costume will cost anywhere from $45 to $100 at this type of store.
• Borrow a costume. Most people save Halloween costumes, but don’t want to wear them for a second time. Consider exchanging a costume with a friend.
• Be creative. The scariest costume I ever witnessed was concocted by my friend. All he needed was a briefcase, suit, tie, and a badge that said: IRS.

This blog will focus on various aspects of costuming, including but not limited to: Halloween costumes, renaissance faires and festivals, plays, historical, and live action role playing (LARP).

I’ve always enjoyed dressing up and wearing costumes. As I got older, my love for costuming never went away. It’s always fun to dress up and assume the role of a character. I’ve even used it as a tool to get ‘in character’ for a character in one of my stories. I look forward to hearing from other costume enthusiasts.

Please enjoy my brief daily tidbits on the subject of costuming in the months to come. Thank you for reading.

Tara - AKA The Costumer