I’m not really sure what forum this should go into, so please move my educated guess if necessary. 
I haven’t dressed up for Halloween in years, but this year my friends and I have the bug. I’ve been trying for a few weeks now to come up with something classy, clever, cute, and a little sexy without being slutty. I hadn’t had any ideas, but the friend I’m going with (hell, we don’t even know where we’re going or what we’re doing) just told me she’d found the perfect dress and was going as Mae West. So I had the cute idea of looking around to see if I couldn’t find something identifiably Marlene Dietrich.
So, when I think of her, I think of feminine androgyny - a woman in a fitted tophat-and-tails outfit. I assumed that’s what everybody else thought of as well (I want my costume to be at least fairly recognizable), but I talked to an ex-roomate and she had no idea what I was talking about. Is she just out of touch, or is my tuxedo idea not iconic?
Second, how does one find a fitted tuxedo for a woman that dosen’t cost too much and, this is the important part, does not make me look like a waitress? I’m built quite slender and can totally get lost in a bulkier suit.
Third, I have quite short red hair. Must I wear a wig? If I don’t wear a wig, will I get mistaken for Judy Garland in drag?
Fourth - do you guys think this can honestly be pulled off cutely and cheaply? Am I contemplating something that’s just going to be a lot of trouble and not give the effect I’m looking for?
And if not, any ideas for other classic movie stars that can be evoked by one outfit, besides Marilyn Monroe and an assortment of Dorothy or Scarlett O’Hara outfits?