TRICK OR TREAT I love costumes, I played dress-up almost every day growing up. In fact, at one point I worked as a costume assistant on a film (it was excellent). For me Halloween is a day to dress the way i'd actually prefer to dress all year, but can't. Not all great outfits are compatible with the seasons, workplace, comfortable, and so on. Even though I don't want to admit it, some things are just too much for everyday life. I guess we can't all have the bravery of the "colorful people". (Yes, I am talking to you, girl in high school with rainbow hair, that wore a pixy dress with wings and everything to school, every day. Respect sister!) Maybe some "looks" are best left to the special occasions. However, I do feel we should give in to our inner child and play as often as we can. Halloween, Christmas, New Years Eve, birthdays, we should throw more "come as your inner self " parties. Luckily, I do get to play sometimes. I have been so fortunate to have such fun and confident friends, that really know how to "leave their pride at home" and wear something silly in public. Being weird together is truly some of the bonding moments in life. (To me) The best costume tip is to go for a character that looks a bit like you, and just properly go to town on that costume. I definitely think it's more gratifying when that character can be me, instead of me being that character. Use Halloween as an opportunity to try on different personas. My favourite Halloween costumes of all times have been characters I identify with, such as Lara Croft (my nickname all through high school), Wednesday Addams, Agent Romanoff a.k.a The Black Widow, and Leela from Futurama. I just love edgy, strong women, so I always feel like dressing up as a badass when I can. Hurray for official theme party days. Now, please enjoy some awesome costumes. WEDNESDAY ADDAMS Wear black eye-contacts, if you don't have black hair use black hairspray (spray on after the hair is braided, finish with regular hairspray to seal in the color), make your face "naturally" pale with white foundation. Don't forget black nail-polish, black tiny earrings, a black doll-style dress with long sleeves, a white shirt with a stiff collar, black pantyhose, black doll-shoes, one headless doll in a matching outfit, and an attitude that says, "die...". LEELA FROM FUTURAMA A class-A nerd catching costume, and one of my personal Sci-Fi favorites. First of all, you need to spray paint or dye your hair purple, or get a purple wig. Make sure it's the right kind of purple, Leela's hair is kind of a warm violet. Put your hair up into a high pony tail and create a "peek a boo" bangs look on one side of your face. Make your own, or buy a cyclops eye-mask. I made mine out of a white anti slip tablecloth, which is perfect for the task because the wholes are big enough to see through, but small enough to hide your eyes behind. Draw an eye large enough to cover both your eyes and add five or six lashes, with a water resistant, magic marker. When finished, and add an elastic band to hold the mask in place. For the tech-bracelet, use a silver look, hard paper. Draw the buttons and screen on, and connect the back and front side with duck-tape. Attach the part facing outwards from the inside, to hide the duck-tape at least on the most visible side. Wear a white (scooped neckline) tank top, black pants and dark grey boots. I used black, shiny Dr.Martens, which worked just as well. Wear a pink lipstick for those Leela pouty-lips, and remember to exude girl power. SULU FROM STAR TREK If you don't buy your costumes, you can create your own by wearing a yellow V-neck sweater with a black round neck sweater underneath. Attach a Star Trek logo to the chest, wear black pants, and try to look as asian as possible. NB! Easier for some than others... You might want to go with an other Star Trek charachter if you don't have the right look. WONDER WOMAN Wear a red tube top and attach gold details, made from gold-colored cardboard paper. Two matching broad gold bracelets, one gold colored yarn as a lasso. If you're not the type to show your underpants in public, you can go for dark blue jeans and attach white or silver stars to it. Now, kick ass. PS! You are officially most boys wet dream. LARA CROFT You need one beige-green-brown t-shirt (or a black tank top), black suspenders, black bicycle shorts, one elastic black belt, a pair of black boots. I made the gun holsters out of shiny black PVC fabric and elastic band. Pout your lips, smize with your eyes, and act all tough. This costume will definitely win you a "Geek Charming" for the evening. AGENT ROMANOFF THE BLACK WIDOW You need a top to bottom black or navy blue outfit. If you don't have a cat suit lying around, it's still an easy DIY. Go for slim fitted pants and a fitted jacket that zips up, either in leather like mine or a solid jersey material. Also, you can't be Agent Romanoff without one or two Agents og S.H.I.E.L.D logos on the upper arms and red hair. I found a logo online, printed it on paper, and used double sided tape to connect it to the jacket. If you don't have red hair and don't want to dye it, use a wig, a temporary color spray, or a color refresher that washes out to at least get a red shine to you original hair color (If you're a blonde, almost all color products will leave some discoloration, so wig is the only safe way to not ruin your blonde hair color. To complete the look, you need high boots in a matching color, black cut-off gloves, one or two black (elastic) belts, and then I made the gun holsters out of shiny black PVC fabric and elastic band. To perfect the look, you should have two bullet bracelets around your wrists. Act secretive, smooth, and be tough and fearless. This costume is another one for the "geek magnet" list. BATMAN AND ROBIN This is obviously a great couples costume for men. But, if you can't buy a finished costume like my friends here in the photo, then you could always make your own. Batman: Wear a black turtleneck, black pants, black boots, black long cape, and attach the Batman logo to your top. The logo can be drawn on fabric, or printed out and glued on. For the Batman hood I would recommend buying one, or if your up for the task, sew one. Robin: Wear a green long-sleeved top and leggings, and put a red sleeveless top and red briefs on top of that. Wear black boots and a long black or yellow cape, and a black or yellow belt in the waist. Attach the Robin logo to your top. The logo can be drawn on fabric, or printed out and glued on. For the Robin mask you can either buy a standard black mask, or easily cut one out from black fabric. Act all sexy and brave. SUPERGIRL Wear a blue long-sleeved top with a Super (man/girl) logo on it, a red short skater skirt, a red knee-length cape, a V-shaped gold belt, and red over-knee boots. Wear natural makeup and have blond to blondette hair. I you can't buy a finished costume, then just print out the logo and attach to basic blue top. Red over-knee boots can also be made out of red PVC fabric or something else similar to a leather look. Finish the look by swooping in and helping out with heavy stuff, such as opening stuck lids on jars. You'er after all, the strongest girl alive. POISON IVY You need bright red hair (hair chalk, dip dye or a wig), wear a green dress or jumpsuit/outfit (something green that covers the needed to be covered parts), use fake leaves and flowers to decorate your hair and body. Paint on or attach something green or red to your eyebrows. Remember: You hate anything that's not a plant. MALEFICENT The good woodland fairy gone bad. Evil has never looked better, and she is the ultimate anti-hero. You need to paper mache/duck tape tinfoil horns on a headband, on top of a black head cap. Create a stiff and bold collar out of hard paper, and attach to a preferably long black dress with long sleeves, or go for a cape option as in the image below. Do sharp eyebrows and black winged eyeliner, red lipstick and counture your cheek bones til they look as if they could cut something. Walk around with a long black staff and look thirsty for revenge. POST APOCALYPTIC MERMAID Half fish half human, you're the hottest gene mutation pollution has created. Try to find a mermaid shaped sequin-skirt, cut and shape mermaid tail-fins from a black plastic bag, wear a tube top in a shiny or sequin fabric, use thick black wet-liner over your eyes, and wear one black contact lens. To complete the wet-look use body glitter on your face and body, and put lots of hair-gel in your hair while it's still wet. PRINCE CHARMING The most important thing is a crown, then a nicely fitted uniform jacket with visible shoulder-pads, get a matching colored waistband and a gold sash (or another royal color). Pair it with dark or light pants. To top it of, wear blush and a little mascara (remember, you're fictional). Be dreamy. WHERE'S WALDO Simple and a classic. You need a white and red striped sweater, and a matching hat/beanie, blue pants (black shorts also work), round glasses with a black frame. Prepare to be "found", all night. POP ART COSTUME Wear a wig or spray paint your hair to get a more synthetic look, then paint your face and body with lots of white dots, and make an outline of your facial and body features. Finish the look with bright colored eye shadow, nail polish, lips, and fake eye lashes. Wear a dress or an outfit with a graphic style print, or if you don't have that a solid color will also do nicely. Be dramatic! THE COOKIE MONSTER Paint your face blue, wear a blue one-piece with a hood, attach big eyes to the hood, and bring some cookies. Say "COOKIE" a lot! ANGEL & DEVIL Here's an old one from 2004. It's all home made/DIY and made for our high school fashion show. Here I am wearing it on the runway, with my friend in an also home made devil costume. I made a white top and tutu skirt, using shiny white fabric and tulle. Then I shaped steel wire to create the shape of the wings, covered them with an old pair of pantyhose to have something to connect the feathers to, and sewed on every feather one at a time by hand. It took forever, but it was so worth it because it made the wings looked so realistic. Finally, I added leftover satin ribbon so I could wear the wings as a "backpack". This could also be easily done with just all white or all red clothes, and make wings or horns, tail and devil fork out of leftovers or cardboard. PRISONER This one is such an easy DIY if you already have a black and white striped top. Make a little white hat and paint matching black stripes on it. Then, make your own portable card board prison. Just cut out bars and paint it grey. Finish the look by attaching a symbolically scary inmate number to your chest, and paint some dirt on your face. Act shady. BRIDEZILLA You need a white dress, a vail, covering white foundation, smudge the eye-makeup, put some fake blood in there to increase the horror. Finish with a bouquet of flowers. Be really bossy, stressed out and perfectionistic. MURDERY MILK-MAID A Heidi type dress... Actually with this costume you can be anything, really. Just add a gross amount of blood somewhere disturbing. Maybe bring a weapon to add that little extra.
A HANDMAID FROM THE HANDMAID'S TALE You need a red dress with long sleeves. The longer the better. Then for example white cardboard for the hat or similar, and white ribbon to make the hat stay on. Wear no makeup and look suppressed and pissed off.
The Future Warrior & Electrocuted The top is made out of my sports bra and a skirt, the harness is suspenders, also wearing black gloves, and the bottoms are leggings. All just regular every day clothes I've had for long time. The pink wig is something I also already had, from a previous costume party some years earlier. I did a futuristic inspired makeup look, the scars were drawn on with an eyeliner, and then I added some dirt that I made with eyeshadow. Be bad ass! My friend was electrocuted, as you can tell. Also all home made. Wear ripped up clothing, add dirt, bring an electrical plug or old wire, make your hair look messy and big. Walk around looking shocked. Literally! POWER RANGERS If you don't already own a Power rangers suit, like these two guys, or want to buy one - you can always make your own. All you need is a colored long-sleeved top on top of a white turtleneck, same colored leggings, white belt, gloves and boots, and then you can sew a hood from colored elastic fabric. Just add some black mesh material where the eyes are, and you can see with the hood on as well. The Power Rangers come in red, blue, black, yellow, pink or green, so it could also be a cool group thing. THE INCREDIBLES Also this one, is easy to DIY. All you need is a red long-sleeved top, red leggings, black panties, yellow belt, black long gloves, and long black socks. Then you just paint the black mask directly on to your face. You can add a wig, if you don't happen to have the right hair color or cut. This is such a cool group thing. FRUIT OR ANIMAL SUITS These costumes need no introduction and are great classics. If you don't want to buy one, it is possible to make one out of a one-piece in the correct color or color combination. A strawberry can be made with a red one-piece, paint black spots on it, ad a green spiky-cut collar and put a strawberry or leaf hat on your head. The banana, with a yellow one peace and a yellow hat with a black tip. For the carrot, make an orange "dress" and sew it in a carrot shape between the legs, leave holes for the legs. Wear black leggings and a green wig for the frizzy top. Could also be easily done with just all orange clothes. Like an orange dress or orange top and pants, and a green hat. Same for the strawberry and banana. For the lion, make your hair as full as possible and put on some lion ears, wear a golden brown one-piece and a faux fur collar and paint your face lion style. The same method applies to the bunny, only with bunny ears a pink nose and whiskers.Funny is the new sexy. ADELE COSTUME This one is such an easy DIY if you already look a little bit like Adele. Wear a black, long sleeved, retro style, glittering dress with a flared skirt, and style your hair in an half up-do with a lot of volume on top. Then, do a bold winged eyeliner, full lips, and add thick fake lashes. Finish the look by walking around bare feet, holding a microphone. If you don't have access to a microphone, make your own from cardboard. Talk with a broad British accent, have a naughty sense of humor, and say "Hello!" to everyone you meet. MAD MEN Costumes aren't only great on Halloween, and this dress-up party is something that has become somewhat of a tradition in my group. The best part is how different people act when in costume. I have to say that the 50's/60's clothing make people very well mannered and pleasant. Love it! MASQUERADE Or, you can just have a fabulous masquerade party. We had one on New Years Eve for the last two years. You can dress how you like, and the masks create an exiting vibe for the evening. It's even cooler in big gatherings, 1600's style. HAVE A HAPPY AND SCARY HALLOWEEN, ALL HALLOWS EVE and DIA DE LOS MUERTOS. (The "models" in this post are friends and myself. The photos are taken at some of our Halloween parties. Some costumes are tore bought, some are home made, but most are home-styled, DIY style.)
6 Comments
(Photos in this post are random pictures from Tumbler or Pinterest or borrowed from Google. Unknown source.) THE 20's In the 1920’s, the female ideal completely changed. The post-war revolution started a societal trend, or more accurately a reaction against the puritanical Victorian standards of beauty. Women abandoned the traditional notions of femininity, curves became unfashionable, and boy-like figures were popularized. Hair was cut short to represent the freedom of expression, and was usually curled and feminine (the bob or a finger wave). Tanning and a sporty and healthy appearance was well liked, and 1920's fashion placed more importance on “natural qualities” than any time in the preceding centuries. Although cosmetics were worn to conceal flaws, their main function was to draw attention to women's natural features. Ironically, the heavy use of makeup also returned to fashion in this era. Around this time in history, the film industry was growing, and so cinema had a big impact on this century's attitudes towards beauty, as women increasingly took their style cues from the film stars. Beauty was an essential attribute for a working class woman to become successful in Hollywood, and those who could not be described as “conventionally beautiful” invariably came from middle or upper class backgrounds (e.g. Bette Davis). Cinema was a medium that allowed women who would had previously been overlooked, to shine. For instance, the 19th century aversion to redheads was still in place as late as the 20s, but the black-and-white films allowed Clara Bow to be the exception. The Victorian ideal of “the innocent and delicate woman” continued to be embodied in the form of childlike, virginal film stars such as Lillian Gish and Mary Pickford. A more typical 20th century contrast was provided by Theda Bara, who was continuously cast in the role of the Vamp. Also there was the more modern up-front sexuality of Jean Harlow, Clara Bow and Mae West, together with the “mysterious androgyny” of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. Another product of the increasingly liberal “Roaring Twenties,” was the flapper girl. The flapper girl represented an idea of women that was far more casual than the formal and corseted Gibson Girl ("It girl"of the previous decades). Their easygoing style represented a rejection of the Victorian style, and also came to symbolize the widespread disagreement with the Prohibition movement. The stereotypical flapper was an immature young woman, teenager or young adult, who was hardly clothed and had little regard for uptight behavioral norms. They were often described as independent, wisecracking and reckless. Their appearance was boyish, androgynous and youthful, with minimal breasts, short hair, and a straight figure without any corseting. The loose silhouette of the short and swingy flapper dress in soft, draping, Oriental-inspired fabrics, was a stark contrast to the corseted waist of Victorian era gowns. Although, corsets were still worn, elastic webbed girdles started to replace them and gave the look of a flat abdomen, and by the early 20th century, garments more closely resembling contemporary bras had started to emerged. Women now aimed to hide their curves, and attempted so by binning their corsets and binding their chests with strips of cloth, to achieve that straight figure suitable for the flapper dresses. Waistlines were lowered to hip level (dropped waist), and it has been said that women for the first time could be as "comfortable" as a man (Well... close enough..I guess.). Long necks were perceived as elegant, bare arms were popular, the silhouette was straight, drapery, boxy, and skirts became shorter than they had ever been, to accentuate long legs. Flashing of the ankles, knees and legs was a common feature of flappers. Dresses and skirts in the style were designed to be loose and reveal the legs when dancing to jazz, which was popular among flappers. Beading was used on many garments to add weight and increase the movement of the fabric. The beauty ideal of the 1920's had heavily defined eyes with dark eye-makeup. Kohl was used to line the eye and achieve an overall dramatic look. Also typical for the 20's was the delicate and very red lips featuring an exaggerated cupid’s bow. Generally, women applied pale powder and rouge circles to the cheeks, plucked their eyebrows and penciled in thin arches. The bold makeup, which had once been considered trashy, was now considered sexy. One of the main elements of this particular century's perception of beauty that sets it apart from the 19th century, is the polarity of cosmetics. In the previous century, cosmetics were frowned upon in society as the mark of a prostitute. For the first two decades of the 20th century, many of the attitudes towards beauty associated with the 19th century remained. In Victorian society, it was considered a woman's duty to make herself beautiful. In the early 20th century, this was coupled with the idea of “self-presentation”, and as enjoyable, expressive and creative. The ideal of thinness and an enhanced appearance often drove women of the 1920's to diet and exercise in order to achieve this look, as well as buying cosmetics. The cosmetics industry grew from the roots of the manufacturing of theatre and film make-up, by such as Helena Rubenstein and Max Factor, who adapted their products for everyday use. The change in opinions on cosmetics is women's magazines in the 20's, coincided with the expansion of cosmetic advertising in the same publications. The look to aspire to was increasingly depicted, and the fascination with celebrities a way which attitudes towards women and beauty was and are still reinforced. Although this freewheeling lifestyle came to an end with the onset of the Great Depression, the decades after has seen a huge rise in the importance placed on physical beauty, particularly for women. The "Roaring Twenties" was the era that brought us Coco Chanel's classic little black dress, the Flappers with short hemlines and rebel attitudes, the first big film stars with timeless beauty and style. And last but not least, it was the beginning of the ties between the film and fashion industries, which would continue it's reign over the beauty ideal for decades to come. SOME FASHION ICONS OF THE 20s Louise Brooks (dancer, showgirl, and actress), Clara Bow (Film star), Jean Harlow, Mae West, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Theda Bara, Lillian Gish, Vilma Banky, Marion Davies, and Mary Pickford. DID YOU MISS THE TEN OTHER POSTS IN THE BEAUTY IDEAL OVER THE DECADES SERIES? CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW. "The Beauty Ideal Over The Decades", is a big subject. I divided the different eras into a series, looking at the many different ideals that has been considered as beautiful and attractive in the past. The next post is: BEAUTY IDEAL OVER THE DECADES part 12 : THE EARLY 1900's (Photos in this post are random pictures from Tumbler or Pinterest or borrowed from Google. Unknown source. Other sources are: http://www.rehabs.com/explore/womens-body-image-and-bmi/, http://www.stylecaster.com/timeline-sexy-defined-through-ages/, http://www.allwalks.org/2011/05/the-ever-changing-female-ideal-1900-1950-part-1/, http://barneygrant.tripod.com/p-erceptions.htm)
(Photos in this post are random pictures from Tumbler or Pinterest or borrowed from Google. Unknown source.) THE 30's It was the height of the Great Depression, and the beginning of the Hollywood Golden Age. The economic crisis and rampant unemployment created a sharp division of the rich and poor. As a result fashion changed again, becoming more traditional and conservative with a cool elegance. The Production Code enforced on Hollywood films in the 1930's put an end to the sexual content of the films of the 1920's. The change in content meant that roles for women became more realistic, resulting in the rise of “wholesome” stars such as Katherine Hepburn and Jean Arthur. The silhouette changed from the slightly androgynous, flat, rectangular outline of the 20's, into a renewed emphasis on the feminine. Waistlines returned to their normal position, it was the start of the large-scale commercial production of bra's (the way we know it today), and the “erogenous zone” shifted from legs to the back. Skirts once again became longer, lengthened to below the knee, and the focus was now on the specific contours of the body. Rather than draping and disguising it in softness, clothing was now stark, restrained in the front, and bare in back. Another thing that changed in the 30's, was that fashion now favored the taller woman with wide shoulders and narrow hips (e.g. The Cornet. A type exemplified by Greta Garbo), as opposed to the shorter women of the decade before. For trends, this meant particularly emphasized shoulders, paired with straight og tight skirts). Towards the end of the 30's, and America's involvement in World War II came wartime requisitioning of fashion materials, such as silk, nylon, and clothing dye. Women's attire therefore trended toward practicality, with simple blouses and jackets becoming predominant. Women even received instructions on how to tailor the unused suits of their men away in combat, remaking them into everyday women's wear. In the early 20th century the aviatrix and other working women often wore pants, and actresses such as Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn were often photographed in pants in the 1930s. Variegated colors were replaced by dark tones and monochrome accessories. And due to the impoverishment of the population it was appropriate to combine the one-piece suit with another, and widely used jewelry. But for the evening wear, ladies fashion was dominated by glamour, shiny dresses, flowy silk, sparkling rhinestones, fur, boas, and feathers. Thanks to Hollywood, the ideal of the "blue-eyed blonde" female with pronounced cheekbones was born. Sunbathing became increasingly popular, and makeup was now a little softer than in the 20's. The drawn in eyebrows, plucked in an high arch, was still very on-trend in the 30's. But the overall look was no longer as vamp-like, and instead carefully painted, smeared, and thin lips were summarized in pencil. Hairstyles became more feminine. And though short hair remained common, many hairstyles were significantly lengthened (to shoulders) and carefully packed (often curl waves).
Somewhere between the harsh waistlines and long hemlines of the 1900s, the youthful boyish figure and short skirts of the 20's, the 30's saw a return to a more traditional body image, with wholesome looking mature women. In this era, the celebrity image was almost within reach of the average woman. While American women had an average BMI of 23.6, many celebs ranged from 18.5 (Barbara Stanwyck) to to 20.3 (Lena Horne). The most obvious difference between now and then, is that, a woman with a "perfect body" in 1930 would barely get a second look from Hollywood producers or model casting agents today. SOME FASHION ICONS OF THE 30s Greta Garbo, Gilda Gray, Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow, Lyubov Orlova, Barbara Stanwyck, Anita Page, Sylvia Sidney, Joan Crawford, Jean Arthur, Katharine Hepburn, and Lena Horne. DID YOU MISS THE NINE OTHER POSTS IN THE BEAUTY IDEAL OVER THE DECADES SERIES? CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW. "The Beauty Ideal Over The Decades", is a big subject. I divided the different eras into a series, looking at the many different ideals that has been considered as beautiful and attractive in the past. The next post is: BEAUTY IDEAL OVER THE DECADES part 11 : THE 20's (Photos in this post are random pictures from Tumbler or Pinterest or borrowed from Google. Unknown source. Other sources are: http://www.thefashionspot.com/beauty/171133-beauty-ideals-throughout-the-ages/#/slide/1, http://aarticles.net/health-beauty/6923-kakim-byl-ideal-zhenskoj-krasoty-v-1930-40-e-gody.html, http://www.allwalks.org/2011/05/the-ever-changing-female-ideal-1900-1950-part-1/, http://www.stylecaster.com/timeline-sexy-defined-through-ages/, http://www.rehabs.com/explore/womens-body-image-and-bmi/, http://barneygrant.tripod.com/p-erceptions.htm)
Did you enjoy the posts about historic fashion photography and trend? Click this link to see an organized overview of all the posts. Maybe you missed one you'd like! (All the photos of the fabulous 40's Icons in this post are random pictures from Tumbler or borrowed from Google. Unknown source.) (All the photos of the fabulous 50's Icons in this post are random pictures from Tumbler or borrowed from Google. Unknown source.) (All the photos of the fabulous 60's Icons in this post are random pictures from Tumbler or borrowed from Google. Unknown source.) (All the photos of the fabulous 70's Icons in this post are random pictures from Tumbler or borrowed from Google. Unknown source.) |
ETHICAL AND PERSONALIZED STYLE, FOR A "GOOD FOR YOU" WARDROBE.Idealist style is a website and "slow blog" dedicated to ethical fashion and personalized style, including tips on how to find your very own "slow fashion" style by using color analysis, the body types system, and other slow fashion tips.» Archives
January 2020
|