The Costumer

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…)

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.

Maenads have become a hot topic in the world of costume and mythology thanks to the appearance of one on the HBO series True Blood. (Check out Merry Meet if you want to know more about maenads.)

Mythological costumes are always fun because they are based on old/legendary descriptions and images, allowing freedom for the costumer’s imagination.

The Traditional Maenad

Mythological maenads are female followers of Dionysus. They enjoy nature and are characterized by a vine-covered wooden stick known as a thrysus. To dress as a maenad of mythology, consider the following costume elements:

• Greek toga-style garment (tied securely for modesty)
• Thrysus constructed of a smoothed stick. Wrap with fake vines from a craft store and use a hot glue gun to attach a pine cone.
• Tousled hair
• Bottle of wine (non-alcoholic option: apple or grape juice in a wine bottle)
• Leafy crown
• Crude looking (fake) exotic animal skins or pelts

Maryann Forrester - True Blood’s Maenad (more…)

Enter in one or more categories in The Witches Ball Costume Contest to be held on October 10th, 2009, Mill Race Village, Mount Holly, NJ. The contest is a fixture of The Witches Ball, being held this year for the ninth time.

Contestants should pre-register to enter. There is a $10.00 entry fee. Contestants may enter in additional categories for a $5.00 each per category.

The contest winner will receive a $500.00 grand prize.

Categories as follows:

(more…)

Convention Fans is giving away VIP tickets to the National Halloween Convention. The convention will take place in 2010 in Valley Forge, PA, and offers classes, a masquerade ball, a renaissance faire, and more. This is a great opportunity to show off your costumes, network with other costumers, and pick up some deals.

Read the full list of rules and entry details at Convention Fans.

Using the internet, it’s relatively easy for anyone to uncover a multitude of clothing items appropriate to wear to a faire, festival, or LARP (live action role playing game). However, there’s a lot of information to sort through. Costumes (and corsets in particular) vary in type, quality, and level of customization. The costume featured to the right (courtesy Zach Long of Seventh Kingdom IGE) features an inexpensive sash and pants combined with a high-quality latex weapon and hat.

Generally, the best way to start your search for inexpensive faire or LARP gear involves:

• Talking to your friends for referrals
• Meeting vendors in person–but ordering from them later
• Shopping for costumes in the winter and early spring (off-season)
• Use vendors you like to find other items (especially boots, hats, weapons, armor, bags, or shoes)
• Combine high-quality or rare finds with thrift store items
• Don’t be afraid of purchasing items second-hand, particularly if you are hoping to play a scallywag of sorts!

Once you get an idea about what it is you want, determine how important quality and longevity are. Will you only be wearing the costume once or twice per year at an indoor event? Will you be wearing it outside during the winter at a LARP? Do more expensive items look or feel better? (more…)

Generally, it’s always important to consider weather for your costuming. It’s sometimes difficult to balance looking good at a LARP, faire, or con with feeling comfortable.

General Notes:

• Tights get hot and sticky during the summer.
• Costumes get drenched in sweat, so try wearing an undershirt and make sure to wash your costume after the event.
• Certain fabrics breathe better than others. If you are making or purchasing a costume, do your research. Real 100% cotton breathes better and is also accurate and usable for historical events as well.

At LARPs:

• The staff and wolfpack over at Seventh Kingdom IGE run a blog for LARPers; a recent post highlights important tips for LARPers doing their thing in the summer.
• Here are some more tips for costuming for comfort at a LARP:
• Layer if possible–most climates will get cool at night and will be warm during the day.
• Incorporate your hydration as part of your costume. Depending on the era, you could use a canteen (WWII LARP) or drinking horn (medieval/fantasy LARP) to store or carry water.
• Kevin Tjia from LARP Source also notes that summer costuming tends to be easier for women than men.  Most medieval/fantasy gear for men is designed to have long sleeves, whereas much female costume is designed to be layered or show a lot of skin.
• See the below note about corsets.
• Always consider heavy-makeup races for all seasons. Prosthetics and makeup don’t always hold up so well with a lot of sweat. Plan on re-applying if you go with a non-human race. (more…)

Happy Earth Day!

In respect of our planet, here are some tips to help you consider our environment (and your own health) when you are looking at purchasing or making costumes. Some of these tips will also help you save money–in this economy, why say no to that?

Reuse! There are many materials which can be reused. The staff over at Seventh Kingdom IGE (a game kind of like a LARP) has been known to utilize all sorts of foam, padding, and various ’scrap’ materials to make their costumes and atmosphere. You can reuse the following types of materials: (more…)

Complaints about the lack of historical accuracy in costumes abound, particularly in criticism of historical films and television series. In general, there is also a lot of discussion about historical accuracy at renaissance faires and festivals and in specific groups.

If You Want Accuracy: (more…)

Hey, I’m a nerd. I go to nerd events like LARPs and conventions. However, I’m not a fan of all nerdly things–I do have my preferences. Anime isn’t my thing, nor is the whole furry deal. Furry fandom can be innocent and cute, regular and ferocious (think werewolves), or adult, which is one reason why I’m not a fan.

Technically, you might even consider beloved characters like Minnie Mouse to be furry, since she’s a cute, animated, intelligent animal. I still think it’s bizarre that Donald Duck doesn’t wear pants. WTF?

Anyway, furries are out there, all types of them. I won’t lie–I’ve thought it might be cool to dress as a female werewolf or a dragon-chick. With the disclaimer that I find “hot furries” really bizarre, I’m going to post a brief list of a few neat costumes I’ve found: (more…)