There was a time when all of our Halloween costumes started out Green, whether we knew it or not. If you are a product of any generation born before, lets just say.......the 80's, then chances are you also had a creative genius at home concocting highly innovative and dreadfully imaginative costumes with the fervor of a mad scientist! More than likely, it's your mother too, who was the mastermind behind your guise every Halloween.
My mom's "budget" for our costumes as children was simple. There was none. Meaning, as a single mother of five girls for a good portion of our lives (until my wonderful step-dad arrived on the scene) a Halloween costume was not only an unnecessary expense, but the budget just simply did not allow for elaborate, store-bought costumes. Here are examples of some homemade costumes made from materials found around our house (or just a few inexpensive purchases) from my family's Halloween costume Hall of Fame:
"Old Lady" Use hot rollers ,
or a large barreled curling iron, and lots (and lots) of hairspray for a teased, curly, granny-style "do". Once your style is set, sprinkle baby powder in the hair for instant senior style. A matronly inspired ensemble can easily be obtained by simply looking through photos of your very own grandmother. Clothes will be slightly over-sized, pants are elasticized, slouchy, and almost always a sweater, or sweater cardigan, is involved.
Photo: Flickr
In the case of my sister, Shelly, who donned this costume in grade school, an old grey dress was worn with slouchy knee highs and sensible shoes (i.e. clunky, ugly shoes). A very large "lunch lady" bra (with wide strap- showing of course) should be stuffed with something of weight to make them droop. Socks filled with (uncooked) rice works very well. A small, flat pillow was arranged on her back (just inside the dress) to offer up that hunched over look. (Batting would work very well for a smaller child.) If you sew, find some inexpensive fabric and a zipper to design a miniature housecoat or "moo moo" for that time-honored casual look. Be sure to instruct your child how to walk the (hobbled) walk, and talk the (shaky voiced) talk.
Excellent accessories to fully achieve your elderly ensemble:
My mom's "budget" for our costumes as children was simple. There was none. Meaning, as a single mother of five girls for a good portion of our lives (until my wonderful step-dad arrived on the scene) a Halloween costume was not only an unnecessary expense, but the budget just simply did not allow for elaborate, store-bought costumes. Here are examples of some homemade costumes made from materials found around our house (or just a few inexpensive purchases) from my family's Halloween costume Hall of Fame:
"Old Lady" Use hot rollers ,
or a large barreled curling iron, and lots (and lots) of hairspray for a teased, curly, granny-style "do". Once your style is set, sprinkle baby powder in the hair for instant senior style. A matronly inspired ensemble can easily be obtained by simply looking through photos of your very own grandmother. Clothes will be slightly over-sized, pants are elasticized, slouchy, and almost always a sweater, or sweater cardigan, is involved.Photo: Flickr
In the case of my sister, Shelly, who donned this costume in grade school, an old grey dress was worn with slouchy knee highs and sensible shoes (i.e. clunky, ugly shoes). A very large "lunch lady" bra (with wide strap- showing of course) should be stuffed with something of weight to make them droop. Socks filled with (uncooked) rice works very well. A small, flat pillow was arranged on her back (just inside the dress) to offer up that hunched over look. (Batting would work very well for a smaller child.) If you sew, find some inexpensive fabric and a zipper to design a miniature housecoat or "moo moo" for that time-honored casual look. Be sure to instruct your child how to walk the (hobbled) walk, and talk the (shaky voiced) talk.
Excellent accessories to fully achieve your elderly ensemble:
Wire rimmed glasses - a real bonus would be to include a chain
Cane, or walking stick
Jewelry - pearls, clip-on earrings , broach, or hairpins
"Granny" purse - you know the one
"Church" hats
*For your little "Old Man" , with a little
creativity you can apply the same principles, minus the dress and a few select
accessories.
"Panhandler" - or in our day it was called a "bum", but I realize it is not the most politically correct term, or costume for that matter. This is a costume for the family with a sense of humor. In our case, growing up in Nebraska it was inevitably freezing by Halloween. This is the kind of weather inspired costume created for warmth, that required lots of layers, coats, and hats.
What you will need:
Dirty clothes - easily obtained my most any child
Hat and gloves -you can cut holes in, or cut the fingers off of the gloves
Over sized, dirty coat
Cardboard sign - and write "Will Work for Candy"
Thermos (or flask)
*For a great effect, my mom would put Vaseline on our face so that coffee grounds would stick to it. This created that 5-day "5 o'clock shadow" look.
"Gypsy/Fortune Teller" - This is one costume where you will have tons of creative license. My mother worked with what she had for my costume (circa 1977), which consisted of a full bohemian style skirt, "pouffy shirt", silk scarf tied around my head that flowed on to my back, clip on gold, dangly earrings, clog-type shoes, gold chains and assorted necklaces, and a shawl of some sort. I thought I looked fabulous, especially since I was the only 6 year old allowed to wear earrings and jewelry in my class! Surf the net for pictures of gypsies and fortune tellers for all kinds of inspiration and ideas. A great accessory for the fortune teller would be to carry a snow globe for a crystal ball. And for the Gypsy? A tambourine, banjo, or small guitar.
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The gypsy must have been a popular costume during that time, because I have a picture of me in an almost identical costume! Too funny. Thanks for the blast from the past.
j
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