Final Costume - German Girl

Found the dirndl dress at Goodwill for $5. My mother-in-law had the blouse, shawl, and my husband's wig. I already had the hats for the boys, and my daughter's outfit is from an antique mall. I used ties to make the German style suspenders.

I was saving my last costume idea for today because we only wore this last night to a costume Birthday party. Had to save it till the day I had planned to wear it, of course!

We don't celebrate Halloween, but we like to pass out candy to the kids, and sometimes we find a good excuse to put on a costume. Glad this year we had the party to go to!

Glinda

 

When I first saw this vintage pink gown from Goodwill that I found a little while ago, I thought of Glinda from The Wizard of Oz. It doesn't have the bling, but it has the pale pink, the princess waist and the sheer overlay over the pink. Close enough for an easy costume. I found the puffed sleeves in my mother-in-law's costume chest, pulled out two rhinestone chokers for the necklace, blinged up my son's sword for the wand (by just draping bracelets over the sword's handle), and made myself a Glinda crown with some old posterboard we had laying around. Voila! I'm Glinda!

There are super cool how-to's online for how to make a Glinda crown, but I only had ten minutes and the supplies I could find around my house. The posterboard is actually one of my son's old posters. I used earrings I already had and poked them through the cardboard to bling up the crown. The picture doesn't show it, but I also used some glitter glue. I just used staples and a smaller strip of cardboard to tighten the back of the crown to adjust to my size head. My mother-in-law had an old tiara that I just wore over the crown, to which I attached a brooch I already had to give it a focal point.

 

Here are some great how-to's if you're interested in something that looks a lot prettier!

Saloon Girl

Have a feather boa and a corset style dress with a bustle? This would be a fun couples' costume idea, too. Western style tie for the guy, three piece suit with cowboy boots and a pair of six shooters.

I found this white dress in my mother-in-law's costume drawer. The ruffles at the bottom and the bustle style in the back reminded me of a saloon girl dress.

My husband said I looked more like a bride or a debutante, but what does he know anyway...

Adding the shawl took away the debutante/bride look, oddly enough.

Inspector Gadget

Most of us have a trenchcoat laying around, and if not, you can probably find an old London Fog trench at your local Goodwill - so why not trying a Sherlock Holmes, Detective, or Inspector Gadget look? Add a derby hat or a fedora, some gloves, a tie, a pair of brogues, and a magnifying glass, and you're all set.

 

I don't have a magnifying glass, so I used the moustache as my prop instead. OK, so I know Inspector Gadget doesn't have one, but I had to add something! 

Perhaps these shoes are a tad too large for me. I'm not a big fan of menswear inspired shoes, so I had to borrow my husband's for this photo shoot.

Rachel Zoe

Rachel Zoe is a stylist to the stars and famous for her 70's inspired boho-chic looks. She is also a realtiy TV star. She is an easy costume - try a fur vest, flared jeans, a large bag, fab accessories, big shades, and you'll look bananas!

I just need Zoe's signature shades!

 

Audrey Hepburn (Holly Golightly)

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany's is an easy look to replicate. A simple straight black dress (boat neck preferred), a string of pearls, winged eyeliner, gloves, and an elegant updo and there you have it. I used two black coffee stirers for the cigarette holder.

Costume Ideas

I promised my friend I would pass on some costume ideas for this very "costume-y" season, but realized how much work dressing up a million different ways that would take. So I'm going to cheat a little here and just give some examples of how past outfits I've worn could work as simple costume ideas.

 

For instance, Duchess Kate Middleton's famous engagement dress might be fairly easy to replicate. Simple hair, shiny and blown out, buy a HUGE fake saphire ring and don a blue jersey dress, chic pumps, and voila. OK, so maybe this is boring...but, if you want to make it look more British, just add a vintage hat. You can find a vintage hat for under $10 at most large antique stores. See here for my vintage hat shopping trip at an antique mall. For your man, a polished suit is all you need.

If only my turquoise jersey dress was sapphire, this would be close enough.

 

Or why not try a 70's fashionista?

 

Dressing as any of the Mad Men women would be simple too - here is a tutorial on how to curl your

hair retro style. If your man can find a pin striped three piece suit and skinny tie, he'd be your best accessory.

 Antique malls are great places to find a retro dress, jewelry and clutch. But any simple fit and flare dress, or fitted dress could work paired with classic accessories.

 

Or how about trying a movie siren like Angelina Jolie?

Just find a glamorous formal gown, some oversized shades, and pick the movie star you are trying to emulate. 

 

OK, so I have a few more ideas, but I have to actually dress up to post them. More to come!

Wear your Red and Green!

Well I'm not wearing green, but I've got on as much red as I think I own (why don't I have more red clothes?)
I'm dressed like a candy cane because today is my MOPS (Mothers or Preschoolers) Christmas party and each table is suppose to have all their girls wearing red and green for extra "points". We are collecting points to win a dinner date and a movie with our husbands for a night out.

So I figured since I'm on the steering team I should go as crazy as I could muster for this event:)