Halloween Costumes: Dressing for Scary Success

You remember all the fun you had with Halloween when you were a kid, but have you thought about how much more fun this special holiday could be as an adult? Now you can make the costume as scary or as outrageous as you like, and the only limits are your own imagination!

If you have a love of the classics- Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Mummy- you’ll find plenty of pre-made costumes out there. The way to make these old costumes pop, however, is in the details. For instance, if you’re playing a vampire, forget about the plastic dentures that are just a bridge over your top teeth. You want to look for higher-quality plastic fangs that use a mild dental adhesive to fit over your canines. For the Wolfman, use gum arabic, found at most costume shops, to glue strips of fake fur to your face. With strips that are about an inch wide, you can glue them to your face along the line of your cheek bones, ending on either side of your chin; this will give you a particularly fierce expression. If you have your heart set on going as the mummy, remember that this costume takes a lot to get in and out of, depending on the design. You can use gauze bandages for the body, but for a cheaper option, look for white or off-white muslin at the fabric stores as it usually sells for less than a dollar a yard.

A few weeks before the main event, head to the thrift shops. If you’re trying for a gypsy or vagabond look, this is definitely the place to start. You can find lots of worn odds and ends to pull together for a unique look. When you pull together an old paisley skirt, a checked velvet vest and an old men’s dress shirt, you can be sure that no one at the Halloween party has quite that outfit! If you’re going as a hippy or a refugee from the eighties, thrift shops and second hand shops should take care of all your shopping needs.

To give already worn clothes an even rougher appearance, there are a few things you should try. You can use an old theater trick and soak the clothes thoroughly in water and then put rocks or other weights in the pockets. This creates an authentically time-weathered look that’s great for a wide variety of costumes. For pale or white materials, give the clothing a good soak in a tea vat. This will give it a yellowish cast as well as give it all sorts of interesting darker stains. If you are doing a mummy costume, a tea soak can give your bandages that ancient, crypt-rotted feel.

Halloween’s a great time of year to be a kid, but remember that it can be a terrific time of year to be an adult too! Use your imagination, and wear the costume you’ve always wanted to!

Halloween Related Articles

Independent Haunting: Do It Yourself Halloween Props
Have you ever been discouraged with the Halloween props that you find at the stores? Have you ever thought that you could do better if you only knew how? There are plenty of tips available for do it yourself Halloween...

Infant Halloween Costumes: Baby’s First Halloween
You may be an old hand at designing Halloween costumes for yourself, your friends and your family, but when it comes to making up costumes for an infant, it’s a whole new pumpkin patch! Not only are they built on a totally...

Depths of the Imagination: Creative Halloween Costume Ideas
Are you in love with Halloween, but can’t stand the idea of looking like everyone else? Every year, we see the same kitty cat and school girl outfits, so this year, why not try for something a little more creative? Some of the...