# Help me compile a Teddy Roosevelt costume **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 20, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777 "2012-06-20T19:29:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/1 "2012-06-20T19:29:16Z")
So I decided that my increasing belly is going to soon make me a very good candidate to make a very compelling Teddy Roosevelt on Halloween. Now, I’d rather not get something prefabricated [like this](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0BS09D5023&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle8&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle8-_-Costumes-_-Peter+Alan-_-9SIA0BS09D5023), and would definitely prefer something towards the tweed end of the spectrum. Any good suggestions on where to start? ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/2 "2012-06-20T19:54:18Z")
For the suit, check the thrift stores. Then, round glasses, a teddy bear, and a big stick. Whisper when you talk. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/3 "2012-06-20T20:02:30Z")
Start working on a good mustache. The one in that picture is just wrong. Gloves, riding boots and spurs seem to figure strongly into the image. And who sez he’s fat? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/4 "2012-06-20T20:06:05Z")
He’s not fat - just barrel chested. I’d like to steer away from the Rough Rider look, and more towards the tweed Presidential look. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/5 "2012-06-20T20:07:29Z")
Please simply wear a monocle and a t-shirt that says “BULLY” on it. This will bring great joy to everyone you encounter. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/6 "2012-06-20T20:14:19Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Please simply wear a monocle and a t-shirt that says “BULLY” on it. This will bring great joy to everyone you encounter. You could have a friend wear a shirt that says “TRUST”, and every once in a while you give him a bust in the mouth, too. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/7 "2012-06-20T20:30:00Z")
Remember he didn’t like to be called “Teddy.” He was “the Colonel,” “T.R.” or “Mr. President” to all but his closest family, to whom he was known as “Teedie.” No particular costume suggestions, except that he did so much in his life, there are any number of different costume options. Quite a guy - a hero of mine. [![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Pbt0__fOXCU/SwliNSZD9bI/AAAAAAAABGY/1C1LzukxBYA/s1600/TR.jpg) ](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Pbt0__fOXCU/SwliNSZD9bI/AAAAAAAABGY/1C1LzukxBYA/s1600/TR.jpg) [![](https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/img/tr.jpg) ](https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/img/tr.jpg) [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/TR_San_Juan_Hill_1898.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/TR_San_Juan_Hill_1898.jpg) [![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0piIQMV_wHg/Ri_zjw-P0QI/AAAAAAAAAJs/Au6FkRNpk3A/s400/TR.gif) ](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0piIQMV_wHg/Ri_zjw-P0QI/AAAAAAAAAJs/Au6FkRNpk3A/s400/TR.gif) [![](http://blog.americanheritage1.com/Portals/48049/images/T.R.%20SEPIA%20PHOTO%20HAND%20ON%20GLOBE%20MED.%20teddy-roosevelt-standing-photo-1.jpg) ](http://blog.americanheritage1.com/Portals/48049/images/T.R.%20SEPIA%20PHOTO%20HAND%20ON%20GLOBE%20MED.%20teddy-roosevelt-standing-photo-1.jpg) [http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/graph%20harv%20col/HC2x4.jpg](http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/graph%20harv%20col/HC2x4.jpg) [![](http://instruct.westvalley.edu/kelly/Distance_Learning/Images/17B_L07/tr.jpg) ](http://instruct.westvalley.edu/kelly/Distance_Learning/Images/17B_L07/tr.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/8 "2012-06-20T20:32:28Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > You could have a friend wear a shirt that says “TRUST”, and every once in a while you give him a bust in the mouth, too. Beautiful. OH, and carry a BIG stick. REALLY big though. Comically big. Monocle, BULLY t-shirt, friend in a TRUST shirt, and a giant stick. Prepare to win every single costume contest you encounter. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/9 "2012-06-20T20:33:52Z")
I don’t think TR even wore monocles, but in my mental image of him he is, so go with that version of him. I don’t think he really wore BULLY t-shirts either. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/10 "2012-06-20T21:00:27Z")
He didn’t wear a monocle, he wore a pince-nez! > **[Pince-nez](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pince-nez)** > > Pince-nez (/ˈpɑːnsneɪ/ or /ˈpɪnsneɪ/, plural form same as singular; French pronunciation: ​\[pɛ̃sˈne\]) is a style of glasses, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. The name comes from French pincer, "to pinch", and nez, "nose". > Although pince-nez were used in Europe since the late 14th century, modern ones appeared in the 1840s and reached their peak popularity around 1880 to 1900. Because they did not alwa... Harrrumph! Pusillanimous pussy-footers! Monocles are GERMAN! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/11 "2012-06-20T21:04:08Z")
Monocle? I don’t recall ever seeing one; small wire-framed spectacles, yes, but not a monocle. I like the [presidential portrait](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Theodore_Roosevelt_by_John_Singer_Sargent,_1903.jpg) look: formal dress, long coat, vest with watch chain. And of course the mustache and spectacles. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/12 "2012-06-20T21:15:31Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > He didn’t wear a monocle, he wore a pince-nez! I played (a character who thinks he is) Teddy Roosevelt in _Arsenic and Old Lace_ and got the lensless pince nez from a costumer for a few dollars ([like this one](http://www.thecostumer.com/p-18994-pince-nez-glasses.aspx?gclid=CMv81Mnd3bACFUSK4AodeCYT3w)). Looks fine from a distance. The problem with the real ones is that they’re measured to the individual, so even clear lenses can be irritating to the eyes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/13 "2012-06-20T22:24:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > He didn’t wear a monocle, he wore a pince-nez! > > [Pince-nez - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pince-nez) > > Harrrumph! Pusillanimous pussy-footers! Monocles are GERMAN! :mad: Yes. My grandfather once played TR and she still has his pince-nez glasses. You can dress him all sorts of ways, military uniform, turn of the century formal wear, hunting attire, turn o fthe century bathing suit, etc. But the glasses and mustache are key. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/14 "2012-06-20T22:33:56Z")
Be sure to keep a folded-up speech in your breast pocket to stop assassin’s bullets.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/15 "2012-06-20T22:52:05Z")
> [@Dr.Rieux](#): > > Be sure to keep a folded-up speech in your breast pocket to stop assassin’s bullets.😃 Just think- if he’d given a short speech he’d have probably been killed. Instead it was a ninety minute speech so it was fat when folded over. The moral of the story: the TLDR attitude can kill. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/16 "2012-06-20T23:34:33Z")
The play I mentioned was a no-budget small town little theater so you had to provide your own costume. [This was mine](http://www.flickr.com/photos/28949748@N06/7410924868/in/photostream) from things I had around the house and a sweater vest I bought at a yard sale, but I think it looks relatively period. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/17 "2012-06-21T01:19:05Z")
Ensure you talk fast, walk fast and leave everyone breathless in your wake. Going on the _Arsenic and Old Lace_ bit, if you see a set of stairs you could always run up them yelling “CHARGE!” pretending your taking San Juan Hill. **Elendil’s Heir** ’s pic are a good sampling. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/18 "2012-06-21T01:57:27Z")
You’ve got to arrive [riding a moose.](http://www.history.com/photos/teddy-roosevelt/photo11) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/19 "2012-06-21T02:14:53Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > You’ve got to arrive [riding a moose.](http://www.history.com/photos/teddy-roosevelt/photo11) The things they could do, even before PhotoShop! > [@TriPolar](#): > > Yes. My **grandfather** once played TR and **she** still has his pince-nez glasses… There must be an interesting story behind this. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777/20 "2012-06-21T02:33:43Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > You’ve got to arrive [riding a moose.](http://www.history.com/photos/teddy-roosevelt/photo11) “The military’s first attempt at amphibious landing craft was not well-received.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compile-a-teddy-roosevelt-costume/625777.md?page=2)