[Scry]

I had this idea to basically get those of us still haunting around the forums to have a bit of a costume discussion. Share Ideas, give input and suggestions based on what we're thinking of doing this year or even help with possible problems putting the outfit together.

===================================

Last year

Costume:
Picture of Costume:
Successes:
Failures:
How i'd change things if i were to go back:


This Year

Costume Ideas:
Possible costume problems:


===================================



So here is mine:
Last year

Costume: Zombie Amy Winehouse

Pic: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/twistedhero/n566260363_4643306_9287.jpg

Successes: Nobody imagined it's what I would do. The beehive and make up worked well.

Failures: I didnt have time to dye my Shirt to the same colour as my skin so it looked a tad odd at times. Ideally would have found a black dress to wear too.

How i'd change things if i were to go back: Clothing mostly, less blood on the hands.


This Year

Costume Ideas: Wolverine, a Terminator or one of the housewives from suburban shootout (Suburban Shootout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) - imagine Desperate Housewives meets the Godfather.

Possible costume problems: The choice i think largely depends on how much I get back into shape.

Wolverine - making the claws could be tricky, found a few tutorials... also it may just end up that im not wearing the claws half the night which IMO is a bit of a costume faux pas... I try to design my costumes so i can wear them from start to party end without losing chunks of it.

Terminator, largely this'll be weapon dependant and have good skin cut effects to show the endo/metal skeleton beneath. It should time nicely with the Terminator movie being released this year.

Suburban Shootout housewife. Not that many people know the show so I might spend half of the night explaining myself. This one is also weapon related... I'd probably do a few cardboard guns + clay knuckle dusters spray painted.

------------------------------

so that's my rambling done, hopefully you'll guys will find this an interesting idea and join in

 

[TheCostumer]

Costume : The Swinging Granny

Sucesses:

The costume is very realistic

The comments were very favorable all around including this forum

Everyone said that I make an excellent granny as well as a woman in this costume

Negatives:

The party I was supposed to go to got cancelled!

It takes a lot of time to get dressed.

I am terrible at putting on makeup though Granny does not need alot

The costume by my costume maker requies a 115" hoopskirt. Hard going up and down stairs and through small places.

Would change if I went back.

No hooped petticoat. No hoopskrt style. Difficult to put on. Had to use suspenders to hold up the hooped petticoat though now my costume maker has a permannt set for me and I can just slip into.

Possible Costumes:

Martha Stewart as a Victorian vampire using the Granny dress. (Martha wig, vampire cape lined with red satin, Victorian purse, vampire pendulum , long black gloves and Victorian hat)

Tryout photo with out makeup:

The Joker

Egyptian Pharoah

Interview with The Vampire; Use my golden French Aristocrat outfit with the cape, pedulum and fangs.

The negative on is the makeup. I do not have a lot of patience or experience with this.

The Costumer

 

[Scry]

Thanks for joining in The Costumer, your costumes look very professionally put together! I'd be very intrigued to see You as the Joker or a Pharaoh!

 

[TheCostumer]

Thanks for joining in The Costumer, your costumes look very professionally put together! I'd be very intrigued to see You as the Joker or a Pharaoh!

The Pharoah! yes!

Very little or no makeup!

TC

 

[Junit]

Last year

Costume: A very old ghost. I decided to be brave and sew an old school dress. Kind of along the lines of a Marie Antoinette costume, but not as elaborate.
Picture of Costume: Sadly, never completed.
Successes:I got the top half done!
Failures: It was lacking the skirt... perhaps this year. And I was too picky about wigs, I couldn't find a white wig I liked.
How i'd change things if i were to go back: Get my lazy bum off the couch and sew the whole thing.


This Year

Costume Ideas: The same or I can go back to my traditional witch or vampire
Possible costume problems: None, I shall overcome laziness and busy work schedules.

 

[MHooch]

Last Year:

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Successes: Great wig!! One of the nicest I've ever worn. Costume showed off the girls which I hadn't done in a looooong time. Makeup looked good.
Failures: Shoes were a bit too big, and dagger kept falling out of my belt. Makeup took a long time to apply.
Changes I would make: Fasten the dagger to the belt, get better fitting high heels, not much really, I was overall pretty psyched about the whole outfit.

This Year:

Vampire.

Possible problems: I want desperately to have contacts as part of my makeup, but never having worn them, am a little apprehensive about the whole thing. Money is going to be an issue, too, because want contacts (not cheap) and at least one really cool Goth/Victorian costume piece (also not cheap). Oh well, looks like lots of overtime this summer for ol' Hooch!!!

Thanks for starting this thread, great idea!

 

[Scry]

whoa hooch i LOVE your costume... even though im a bit young in theory for Elvira i'm a huge fan, i imported the haunted hills dvd as we only have her first movie here in britain, i was also bought the Movie Macabre dvd boxset for my birthday so i am a huge fan. you did the make up perfectly!!!

I know what you mean with contacts, im considering them this year too, they make a great costume an unbelievable and unforgettable costume imo. Im gonna go to an opticians to see if im suitable. As when i was 14 i bought black ones - kinda cheap - and basically the white of one eye went blood red and had to have drops to help it heal. so im very wary but kinda wanting them all the same.

 

[Zombie Machairodont]

Last year

Costume:Undead Bast (version of the Egyptian cat-headed goddess)
Picture of Costume:

Successes:
>I put a lot of effort and experimentation into the mask and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. It was much more comfortable (and smaller) than the monstrosity in my avitar.
>I learned a lot about how not to treat certain fabrics when trying to self tailor (continued in failures)
>I managed to freak out teens and adults while most kids were cautiously friendly, which is the optimal reaction in my opinion. Of course, I hammed it up and hissed a lot more when I was around adults.

Failures:
>my tailoring abilities and knowledge of fabric properties are lacking (I found out cheesecloth likes to clump to itself, but at least it wasn't catastrophic)
> most of the costume was a rush job, and I didn't have time to add the scrims over the orbits. I have used scrims in the past to hide my own eyes and (especially) hide the fact that I'm wearing glasses underneath. However, a friend said it looks like a nightmarish version of the wolf in granny's clothing with my little oblong glasses visable, which made me quite happy, even if it was unintentional.

How Id change things if i were to go back:
>I wouldn't use cheesecloth again, rather I would find a nice flowing material that is easy to really rough up and age (which would involve some experimentation with potential materials).
>Set aside time each week to work on the costume at least a couple months out.

This Year
Costume Ideas: Hmm, I usually don't commit to a particular costume until late Summer, but the ideas I've had so far include an interpretation of Poe's Raven, a version of the reaper, the nightmare ringleader design I abandoned last Spring when I started thinking about the Bast costume, or whatever may stalk into my head by August.

Possible costume problems: Materials (getting the right costume element/price). That will probably decide which costume I go with.

 

[Scry]

that is one incredibly freaky Bast... I like the fact you took a recognisable concept that made it a little more twisted. and the outfit as a whole looks great!!

 

[Scatterbrains]

Never got to a costume for me last year. I was so busy right up to the ToTs that I just threw on a mask...

Next year...

If all goes to plan, and part of that is me learning to sew, then I will be a pumpkin reaper

 

[UnOrthodOx]

I don't know that I've put a name to the costume yet. But "Witch Doctor" fits.

Success:

Staff lights up on command, improved leg tassels, BAREFOOT. Mask lighter weight than ever before, and not so claustrophobic.

Failures:

Tattoo sleeves "One size does not fit Cole". Really needs a loin cloth added to it.

How I'm changing it this year:

Feathered headdress instead of mask.
Airbrushed tatts on arms, legs, and face.
Loincloth added.

Bonus costume 2:

Frankenstein monster ripoff. (didn't want exact replica, just the general idea)

Good: Made my own prosthetics for the first time in 15+ years.
Scared the children without putting anyone in tears (this is for an elementary school carnival).
For 20 days to plan, and only 40 minutes to get dressed, I was fairly pleased.
Real fun to go sit down and eat dinner in a crowded resteraunt afterward...

Bad: Needs better makeup (but with the time constraints....???)
Bottom half was just my normal jeans and steel toe boots (I'm tall enough without platform shoes).

Changing this year:

Airbrush acquired this year should make makeup easier and quicker.
New prosthetics now I've knocked some rust off.
Torn up pants with bare feet and more prosthetics exposed.

 

[Magickbean]

Great idea for a thread!

Last year

Costume:
The Corpse Bride

Picture of Costume:

Successes:
I made each individual part of the costume, except for the corset, which was handmade for me by a friend, and the shoes. My mum helped with the skirt and sewing the roses to the veil, as my sewing skills weren't quite up to par for that, however it meant I had complete creative control over every detail and this pleased me.

I got lots of compliments on the outfit, and was pleased with the look overall.

Everything was made well in advance, except for the corset, which arrived just in time, which meant no last-minute trips to the fancy dress shop as has happened in the past!

The corset was beautiful and was made to replicate the one Emily wore in the film.

The costume was very comfortable and easy to manouevre in.

Overall it was one of the closest-to-character costumes I have made so far


Failures:

The corset was made too big and so didn't "cinch" me in as it was supposed to.

The skirt wasn't as long as I wanted it to be and the fabric was too cream when compared with the white train/corset.

The body paint was hard to apply by myself and I made quite a mess! I also didn't allow myself enough time to do it properly.

Although I was mostly happy with how the make-up turned out, I had to rush it due to time constraints so it wasn't as good as my trial run weeks beforehand, and the blue shimmer started to wear off during the night where I got too hot running around playing hostess.

The hair was synthetic dreadlocks, which took a long time to make and install, and were very hot to wear.

This proved to be an extremely expensive costume, as money spent on all the materials and the corset to be custom made meant that in total it cost somewhere in the region of £150.00, which is more than it would have cost for a pre-made costume. :/


How i'd change things if i were to go back:

Buy cheaper fabric for the skirt
Buy a corset from my wholesaler and then modify it like I originally had planned
Paint some tights to wear on my arms and legs to look like blue skin/bones so that I didn't have to paint my whole body and do my face make-up
Lose more weight so I felt more comfortable wearing all white and bearing my arms!
Allow more time for myself to get ready!!! As Always!!!!


This Year

Costume Ideas:
A Catarina (Dia Des Los Muertos style)

Possible costume problems:
Finding the right material/pieces to customise to make the dress etc
This requires body painting or the painting of tights to create skeletal arms and legs
This costume also requires effective face painting skills so will require a lot of time on the day and plenty of practice
I need to make my hair huge and curly - my hair does not like to be either of these things naturally...
Potential problems tracking down suitable accessories when the UK doesn't have any Mexican stores
I need to make sure that I have a lot of time to get ready despite being the hostess!

 

[mysterymaiden]

Cool thread!

Last year: The Grim Reaper - I've been The Grim Reaper for the last few years, since it is what I used to wear when facilitating murder mystery games. Got picked up by a local newspaper so I'm posting that pic (yeah, I'm pumping gas... even the Grim Reaper needs fuel!):

Costume: Made it myself a few years ago

Picture of Costume:

Successes: Super easy! Goes over anything, hides face and the prop scythe is easy to carry
Failures: HOT!!!
How i'd change things if i were to go back: I would redesign the hood so it would stay up better, it kept falling down.


This Year

Costume Ideas: I'm ready for something different, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do - I am probably going to be putting on a charity fundraiser Halloween event so I'll be looking to you all for inspiration!

 

[Halloween Princess]

Last year

Costume: Princess Peach from Mario Bros.

Successes: Easy & quick to throw on before playing hostess for the night. Pink! Went great with my husband's Mario costume.

Failures: Not the best at attaching wigs so it didn't look quit right. Cookie cutter, out of the bag (but still not something you see everywhere). Had no idea what to wear for shoes so I went without.

How I'd change things if i were to go back: I would do something with my make-up to go along with the costume.


This Year

Costume Ideas: I am working on an Abby Scuito costume from NCIS. (Basically she's a goth lab tech, and I'll be using her style and distinguishing items)

Possible costume problems: Again, includes a wig, so I will have to practice. Having a very hard time finding a temporary spider web tattoo like she has on her neck.

 

[Gothikren]

the problem I always have when doing costumes on Halloween or for parties is that I'm always so busy helping the rest of my family and/or finishing setting up the party that I never remember to finish doing everything on my costume for myself and I run out of time. I walked down the aisle at my Halloween Wedding (that I self catered) after taking my kids trick or treating with my tennis shoes on (Forgot to change them), and My makeup didn't look too great either. Oh well eventually maybe I'll be able to set aside time just for me to get ready (perhaps after the kids are out of elementary school and no longer have parties there where I volunteer) only to come home and get them ready at night. Everyone's costumes on here look great so far. I love hearing what was the best and worst part of each.


Edited to ask....... Does anyone else have this problem?

 

[Oldsguy350]

LAst year....was still working on my coffin cooler 30 min before the party so time was very limited. Went with burn scar. Actually was very realistic, only took about 15 to 20 min to apply. Downside was that I wanted to do so much more.

This year I want to do a Charlie Brown costume with the ghost sheet over and Charlie under........"I got a rock"

 

[kprimm]

Here is my costume for last year. The pros: It was quick, it looked good, and i was able to turn it into a prop for this year. The cons: limited vision, was a bit hot. I like to use masks alot i have always loved them since i was little and after i use them i can turn them into props for my yard haunt.

 

[Samhain.Voodoo]

I'm the one with the Violent J make up on right side.

The good side: Cheap. Almost everything in my costume was reused from previous years, just cut up and pinned together in other places. However, it really didn't cater to my figure which is big. That and the shoes made me look terrible however I was thinking of comfort for trick or treating more than style.

Haven't decided this year. Might go with zombie again or something bloody. Here's a pic of me and my friend playing in blood and I'm eating her arm.

 

[dustin2dust]

Last year I dressed as a dead tattooed side show lady from the 1920's.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=403&pictureid=9758

Success: The dress, which you can't see well in the photo, looked quite good. I got a nice looking summer dress from a thrift store and with sand paper, coffee grounds and tea stained it and made it look quite deteriorated.

Failures: The make up didn't go over the tattoos as well as I wanted. It ended up looking a bit patchier than I'd like. The tattoo paper felt like wearing saran wrap and hurt quite a bit to take off.

How I'd Change It: First off, I bought some ink jet make your own temporary tattoo paper. I would have printed the tattoos long before my guests started arriving for my party. Hopefully with enough time that I could have done a proper test and realized before I covered large parts of my body in the tattoos that I'd have a reaction to them and spare myself the three week long sunburn like rash.

This Year.... I'm not quite sure yet. I'm pregnant and due on Halloween so I'm figuring I'd need to do a pregnant costume. So far I was thinking of Uma Thurman from Kill Bill dressed as the bride just having been shot. Maybe do an Alien's creature bursting out of my stomach? The pregnant nun thing is over done and bores me. Good thing I have some time to figure it out!

 

[Samhain.Voodoo]

Last year I dressed as a dead tattooed side show lady from the 1920's.

http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=403&pictureid=9758

Success: The dress, which you can't see well in the photo, looked quite good. I got a nice looking summer dress from a thrift store and with sand paper, coffee grounds and tea stained it and made it look quite deteriorated.

Failures: The make up didn't go over the tattoos as well as I wanted. It ended up looking a bit patchier than I'd like. The tattoo paper felt like wearing saran wrap and hurt quite a bit to take off.

How I'd Change It: First off, I bought some ink jet make your own temporary tattoo paper. I would have printed the tattoos long before my guests started arriving for my party. Hopefully with enough time that I could have done a proper test and realized before I covered large parts of my body in the tattoos that I'd have a reaction to them and spare myself the three week long sunburn like rash.

This Year.... I'm not quite sure yet. I'm pregnant and due on Halloween so I'm figuring I'd need to do a pregnant costume. So far I was thinking of Uma Thurman from Kill Bill dressed as the bride just having been shot. Maybe do an Alien's creature bursting out of my stomach? The pregnant nun thing is over done and bores me. Good thing I have some time to figure it out!

Alien stomach burster. FTW. for.....the.....win.