Behind the Curtain

We're costume people.  I love dressing up.  Halloween, Renaissance Faires, costume parties, themed dress-up days--if there's a costume, we're probably coming regardless of the actual activity.  Over the last couple of weeks in isolation we've been indulging our love of costumes by doing the art-recreation challenge.  Some of the most common questions are about my dress-up stash. Despite some of your assertions, there's nothing magic about it.  To prove it, I would like to take you behind the curtain, so to speak, and ruin the magic, and walk you through building your own handy costume closet.

Just like anything, you need to start with some good basics.  Solid colored t-shirts, leggings, and slacks are a great place to start--preferably in black, blue, white, and brown. These are the skeletons of most costumes--with the right accessories, a black t-shirt and leggings can be a cat, bat, fairy, pirate, executioner, ninja, plague doctor, mime, witch, vampire, Westley from The Princess Bride, and so many other things.

The next step is using things you already own--loose cardigans, scarves, shawls, vests, and uniquely patterned or styled dresses can all be called into duty as costume pieces when the occasion calls for them.  One of my most used pieces is a black broomskirt from my long-distant belly-dance days.  Over the years it's been part of various ensembles--steampunk, Bellatrix Lestrange, witch, saloon-girl, moon, and gypsy.

The following sequence of costumes are based around just a few core pieces: A white shirt, the aforementioned broomskirt, and leggings.  Everything else is accessories.  This should start to give you an idea of how much you can do with a little.

Thrift stores are a great place to start hunting for additions to your box.  Look for sturdy, simple pieces that can be used multiple ways.  Interesting patterns, materials, and silhouettes are perfect. Try to avoid anything that is too specific.  You can use a white poet shirt for a pirate, for example, but a cheap, one-piece pirate costume can only ever be used as a pirate costume. You'll get a more authentic look by combining individual pieces instead of buying a mass produced single-use costume, and you're more likely to use the pieces over and over again.

Sometimes, however, there are exceptions.  A small selection of costumes can be very useful, especially for styles and costumes that are difficult to replicate with contemporary clothes.  In our collection, we have several Renaissance and Medieval style dresses as well as multiple cloaks.  Even these can be tweaked to achieve different characters and effects by something as easy as tucking sleeves or adding an extra piece of fabric.  Don't believe me?

This is our basic dress.

Shawl.

Tucked sleeves, lowered neckline.

Piece of lace added as a fake front.

Extra fabric in the sleeves.

Fur cloak.

Lowered neckline, new sleeves made from spare red material.

Sheer veil brings an entirely different feel.

Another staple of a good costume box is bedsheets.  I'll say that again.  BEDSHEETS.  These are the schiz-nit.  Backdrop? Sheet. Working a Nativity? Sheet.  Roman Toga? Sheet. In fact, just have a collection of loose material of different sizes and fabrics. A little lace can be a cravat, a handkerchief, or Whistler's Mother's cap; a strip of gauze can be a veil or a shawl or a belt.  How it's draped or tied or pinned can make all the difference in the world.

Accessories are one of my favorite parts.  Gloves, headbands, shawls, goggles...accessories will change the entire feel of a costume. In some cases, they can even be the crowning touch.  Luckily, they are also usually small or multipurpose and don't take up a whole lot of room.

Hats can be fun. They're also optional. It completely depends on the look you're going for.  A small variety of hair accessories can also come in handy. I keep a small stash of ribbons for tying things and some of the fancier historical coiffures.

Somehow I forgot to add our witch hat and crowns to the mix.  Oh well.

Like everything else, get shoes that can be adapted to various themes.  With few (very odd) exceptions, these can also be a part of your normal wardrobe. Simple flats, knee-high boots that can be worn straight or folded down, and heavy black leather shoes like Doc Martins or combat boots are some of the ones we use over and over again.

I'm not a jewelry girl in everyday life, but I do love it in costumes.  Bracelets and necklaces and rings, oh my! A little bling can go a long way.  A lot of bling can go even further. Try to strike a balance between unique and classic.  Bonus points if it's something you'll wear in everyday life.

Makeup...I usually don't do a ton of makeup unless I'm doing facial hair on someone.  I actually keep an eyeliner pencil just for this purpose.  It also gets used on eyes, of course, but there's just something satisfying about sketching on a beard.

Props--well, here you can go as big or small as you want. Most of the time you can find something close enough around your household, so take a look before you go buy something, especially if you only plan on using it once. Toyboxes can be a great place to start your search.  We have a small variety of historical replicas of firearms, a couple wands, a fan or two, a WWI style gas mask, etc.  They are not a large part of our stash, but they do come in useful from time to time. (For the sake of clarification, the things I've listed are A, fake, and B, in their own tub in the garage, not my kids' toybox.  Don't call CPS.)

A great example of using stuff around your house.  Snowpants instead of coveralls, a cardigan instead of a coat, a scraper for a pitchfork.  

And what if you can't find it? Well, sometimes you have to make it.  Bren has made multiple corsets for various costumes, and enhanced her steampunk top hat.  Hot glue is a lazy costumer's best friend. For example, the tricorn hat in the earlier pictures is just a black cowboy hat with the brim hot-glued to the crown.  Add my saloon-girl headpiece (cloth roses, a feather, and some lace hot-glued to a barrette), and the highwayman's headgear becomes a lady pirate's hat. Add a face mask, and you're ready to try your luck with the ladies in the piazza during Carnival. Unglue one side and the back, and you have a Musketeer's chapeau.  See?  Reuse and repurpose.

Most importantly--KEEP ALMOST EVERYTHING.  If you like dressing up at all, you will probably find a use for things more than once.  If it's a good piece, then get a tub and put it aside for another year. If it's shredded, too small, deeply uncomfortable, or you just loathe it with every fiber of your soul, then, yes, get rid of it. Don't hang on to things you hate--you will not use them, and that's just a waste of space.  If you have a good set up, though, you can whip up costumes in less than 10 minutes.

Rick and his brother Gregg, after deciding at the last minute to dress up for Halloween.

And that's it. Nothing magical and it all fits in a pair of tubs. It's good for years, easy to acquire and, for the most part, inexpensive. Good luck on your costuming adventures!  I super believe in you, Tad Cooper.