I’m so excited that my boss is going to let me dress up at work this year. I love Halloween and the chance to be creative. I’m making my own costume this year (as I always do when I get to dress up). Usually I try to do something different than I’ve ever done, but this year, I’m going to do something I’ve done before. I have some upgrades in mind, like making jointed and detachable legs (in case I need to do something where having extras would be uncomfortable).
I hope I don’t accidentally run into Hal Briston!
So what are you all doing? Share pictures! Exchange ideas! Let the fun begin!
(OK that was too many exclamations, huh?)
I’m going to be an Admiral Nelson-ish ship’s captain. Or, Admiral, I guess. Perhaps a Commodore. Anyway, I finished it last weekend. A $13 blue blazer from the Goodwill, some trim and buttons, a few homemade medals, and a store-bought tricorner hat, and away I go. I love Halloween too. I can’t wait till we have our party. (At home–no way would I wear such a getup to work)
I swear to God I was two seconds from starting this exact thread…creepy.
I don’t know what to do yet for this year, but I’ve got a few ideas:
Bender
Fry
Captain Zapp Brannigan
Old-Timey Dude (Basically, like one of the Guinness “brilliant” guys. Handlebar mustache and all. I was also thinking about wearing one of those turn of the century style men’s 2-piece swim suits, red and white strips and all.) Here’s a photo of one of my costumes from years past. (I’m the one in the front.)
One must worry about um, drafts and such, if one is to don a Zapp Brannigan costume. And no bending over! Or going up ladders! Bedding one-eyed mutant humans is OK though. But only once.
Oh, I love Halloween! I should probably take the opportunity to make myself a nice medieval dress–I’d look good in one of those, I’m thinking dull green velveteen–and claim that I’m Maid Marian to my daughter, who is going to be Robin Hood. But first I have to make the Robin Hood outfit. She wanted her little sister to be Maid Marian, but sis plans to be a princess in her favorite green velvet princess dress. Or possibly Little Red Riding Hood.
I probably won’t make my own costume this year, but someday I’ll get around to that dress.
For the last year, my seven-year-old daughter has said that she wanted to be a vampire cheerleader for Halloween. I don’t have the foggiest idea where that came from, but I loved it. Two weeks ago, she decided that she wants to be Snow White.
“Vampire Snow White?” I ask. But no. Nor Zombie Snow White. My two-year-old wants to be Dora. She may be Zombie Dora, if I get my way.
I have the petticoat and chemise ready to go, and a workable corset, but I really want to make 18th-century stays. I have a pattern that fits and everything, but, meh, boning channels are a pain to sew.
I want to be Joe Strummer circa Rock the Casbah. I’m thinking pompadour, popped collar, jeans, chucks, bandana around the neck, and possibly a fedora or pork pie hat. Is that too much for one costume? Aviator sunglasses would work, too.
My only concern is that Joe Strummer was a rather thin man, and I’m a bit (ok, more than a bit) on the chubby/curvy side. So I’d be fat Joe Strummer circa Rock the Casbah.
I wanted to get several friends together and go as the Clash, my friend already called dibs on Mick Jones (in the Rock the Casbah video he’s wearing a gas mask or something) but I doubt I’ll be able to find 2 more willing people and coordinate costumes. Plus, I already called dibs on Joe Strummer, who wants to be one of the other 2 guys that nobody can remember their names?
Question, though. If I were to wear my Radio Clash t-shirt, jeans, Converse, a button-up shirt unbuttoned with the sleeves cut off and collar popped, a bandana, and a hat, and probably sunglasses, would you think Joe Strummer? Or just 80s fashion disaster?
It would look something like this or this or this. BTW, The Clash is the only band, IMO, that can get away with wearing their own shirts.
And here all this time, I thought you were male. I’ll never make that mistake again. Especially considering what you probably do to your mates. (Or is that all hearsay?)
I probably won’t go as anything this year, but I think I’ll share the best costume I ever did.
Satan. It’s great for a guy, if you’re a little handy. Black pants, black dress shirt, black jacket, RED tie. Nice shoes, too - gotta look stylin’ Carve some small horns out of some sticks you find in the yard, drill a hole in 'em, and run a leather strap through to tie around your head. Failing that, glue them to a piece of metal you can bend around your head (Which is actually what I did) Anyway to get them to stay on your temples. The hard part, and what makes the costume, is the wings.
You’re gonna need a black, collapsible, spring loaded umbrella. Not golf style - one of the small ones that have hinges on the struts. Using scissors and tin snips, cut about 2/3 of the canopy off to leave spring loaded bat wings. Bend the remaining struts a bit so they look better. Duct tape the handle to the inside of the black sport coat and tie a string to the the little plastic piece that slides up and down the mast. Whalla!
What’s you’re left with is a well dressed prince of darkness with functional wings.
How funny - I did a similar spider outfit <mumble mumble> years ago!
It’s been years since we’ve done anything worth dressing up for Halloween, but we used to be part of a gang that loved parties. In the past, I’ve made costumes for a wizard and sorceress, a tiger, the Energizer bunny (my husband wore that to work one day), a shark (he won a contest in that one), Al from Home Improvement, a female professional wrestler (wish my scanner worked - I’d post a pic), a daisy, and probably more I’ve forgotten. Closest I could come to a costume this year would be to wear a dress to work - that would freak out everyone!
Me neither. After all the other sewing I’ve done, I just can’t bring myself to make Halloween costumes, too, and we don’t wear our reenactment stuff for Halloween.
I’ve purchased a costume for my youngest son, though, and myself, complete with the pink boots. My husband is much more industrious, and is using our cache of upholstery leather to make chaps and a vest. He’ll just have to buy a cowboy hat.
We are thinking we’re going as Calvin and Hobbes this year. I get to be Hobbes. Mr. Olives is obviously not a blond kid, but I think we can make his Jew-fro* work with the proper attire.
*(He’s not actually Jewish, but people frequently assume that he is.)
I wish i could UN-memorize it. Seven grade french class. Sang it over and over and over AND OVER and over and over. (and over) I still catch myself singing to myself sometimes. Its a pretty gruesome song actually.
Anyways, since Halloween is on a work day, I need separate work and play costumes. I work in animal testing medical research so I’m going to be a knockout mouse. (a genetically engineered mouse that has one of its genes knocked out of its genome) This will just be me in white mouse costume with ears and whiskers with a black eye. Maybe a busted lip or something. There are these great youtube videos of this woman who does stage makeup that shows you how to give yourself a black eye, busted lip, broken nose, open cuts, stitches. Its really awesome step by step. I’m thinking about giving myself various injuries just day to day. I think this will go over well at work because I’m the only one at work who is not lame and would actually dress up. Grow up? never
As for my real halloween costume, I don’t know. I’m a big true crime buff so I was thinking about being any of my favorite criminals. Thats hard because you have to find one with something really specific about them. I was Lizzie Borden for like five years in a row. Maybe this year I’ll be that lady astronaut that wanted to kidnap and kill that other astronaut…Easy enough costume…helmet…diapers…blammo!
