5 posts tagged “costume”
Another year, another slew of hours wasted worrying about my Halloween costume. In fact, that's really all I reliably blog about... mostly because my friends and family will strangle me with electroluminescent wire if I talk about it much more.
I always like to incorporate elements that I happen to have lying around the house into my Halloween costumes; it preserves that childhood dress-up feeling. This year, I'm essentially broke, so I have to make sure whatever money I do spend goes a long way. Bring on the challenge!
I've decided to go with the Giger-esque cyborg ("gyndroid") that I've been toying with for years, but have never actually gotten around to putting together.
So, the rest of the outfit: silver shorts (I may splurge and buy these from American Apparel or eBay. I've never sewn shorts, and I'm not particularly good at working with stretchy fabric to begin with. Trying to make my own is just asking for an awful fit.) Over the shorts,I've got a black PVC 6-strap garter belt which will attach to tall black socks. I was looking through Artifice Clothing's collection of silver OTK's and thigh-highs, but they're not in my price range. Besides, I wouldn't want two different silver tones so close to one another. Also, I've worn pleather pants in the fall before and absolutely hate it. It's freezing for the first hour you wear it but you're still all sweaty since there's absolutely no air circulation. Then, it's like all the body heat you were desperate to retain earlier floods back into your legs. Imagine getting a hot flash only in your calves and thighs for an entire night. I plan on walking, dancing, etc. in 40-50 degree weather. No matter how beautiful vinyl looks in photo shoots, it's just not practical here. I don't plan on reliving Halloween 2004 when I was self-exiled to a corner, desperately trying to protect my wings and feathered dress while my friends ran off to the middle of the dance floor. Aaaanyway, the EL wire will be sewn onto the socks. I'm painting one of my many pairs of black boots silver. I may paint a matching schematic pattern on them, or decorate them with scavenged e-waste, but that would cut down on their post-holiday wearability. We'll see.
I've got the bottom half taken care of, but I have no feasible ideas for the top. I was thinking about putting neodymium magnets in the palms of some black fingerless gloves, but what if I get too close to someone's TV or computer? Although "summoning" canned beverages all night would be pretty damn cool. I need to think of something for my arms (preferably something warm) and neck/clavicle region.
So much left to figure out so late in the game! Aaaaah!
I don't know... the Clockwork Woman get-up I've been sketching is going to be fairly expensive, far too pricey to be a Halloween party outfit. Still, I really want to make it, and could definitely wear it to cons n' such. Originally, a coworker (tailor by day, waiter by night) was going to help me with the corset, but he quit while I was on vacation and I can't seem to get a hold of him. I found a beautiful tan lambskin underbust corset with halter straps that would be perfect for hitching up a gear assembly, but it's from England and costs $150. I don't think I can justify the possible animal cruelty and environmental costs of shipping the thing across the Atlantic.
I was planning on attaching a pointless gear assembly to either the stomach region of the corset, or across my chest if it's an underbust. Old brass clock gears are easy to come by; I just need them to move, not necessarily accomplish anything, so it should be simple enough for me to rig myself. The rest of the costume would consist of a small-bustle skirt, open in front, short underskirt or bloomers, fishnets (because I just must), and either period appropriate shoes or boots. If I choose an underbust, I'd use a lacy chemise underneath, of course. The color palette would be brown and perhaps burgundy with metallic accents, lots of buckles and buttons. I was thinking about making a small, Edwardian style hat that emitted intermittent bursts of steam, but that might be too tacky. Even with my remedial sewing skills, I could make the bottom half of the costume myself fairly quickly... it's just the corset that's hanging me up. Is it really worth all the effort to make an outfit I'll only wear a handful of times? Between going back to school, hospital bills, a new computer (laptop finally died for good) and dental work I don't have that much to spare.
On the other hand, my boyfriend's shelling out $700 for a vintage Lotus road bike, plus a few hundred more for accessories, so $150 doesn't seem so bad. On the other hand, he bought my new comp so I don't have any room to be critical... plus, with him spending so much, perhaps I should be saving even more. *sigh*
This year's theme has been decided: Clockwork Woman! Think steampunk cyborg.
If I get started now, I might be ready for DragonCon...
Which would make the better Halloween costume, Leeloo (Fifth Element) or a Giger-style gyndroid?
