Costume Challenge #12-15 : Time Warp

Costume #12: Military

All this practice, and yet I think I'm getting worse at selfies instead of better.

I decided to go with a WW2 look for this, partly because I love that time period (the Swing Era, everything from the 1920's to the early 1950's) and partly I thought it would be cool to pay homage to my grandmother, who served as an army nurse during the war.

I borrowed an olive button up shirt from my Dad and a black tie from my brother, and paired them with a khaki skirt I already owned. I was expecting to wear boots, but most of the photos I found in my research showed the nurses in nylons and shoes so I did that instead. The hat is actually a piece of fun foam my Mom had leftover from an old craft; I used origami techniques to fold it into the shape I wanted, sewed the folds in place so it would keep it's shape, and then used bobby pins to keep it on my head.

The makeup job was probably more 30's than 40's, but if we want to talk about historical inaccuracy there's a long list that starts with me mixing olive and khaki and ends with me carrying around a cellphone in my pocket. 

The Victory Curls were a lot of work; I had to practice a bunch to get the look right. If you've never tried this hairstyle, it's basically a cylinder of hair maintained by thirty bobby pins, hairspray, and sheer force of will.

We actually have a couple of my grandmother's jackets that she wore in the army. There was no way I was taking them to work-- much too hot, and since my grandmother was smaller than me her dress jacket is so tight I can barely move my arms. Still, I couldn't resist the opportunity to take some photos, and I think they look pretty cool.

This one is my grandmother's field jacket. Not as fancy as the dress jacket, but it fits a lot better. That's because they were deliberately sized overlarge in order to make room for wearing sweaters and other layers underneath, as you can still kind of read on the inside label.

I'm very grateful for my grandparent's service, not the least because my grandparents actually met and started dating in the army. I find it awe-inspiring to have this little piece of history in my home, something I can touch and even wear. It was an honor to try to capture that history with my costume.

Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (30 minutes of prep making the hat)
Unexpected or Notable Reactions: To my surprise, this costume got more comments than anything else I've worn combined. Lots of people liked the victory curls and the red lipstick. One man told me I looked like I had stepped out of a vintage postcard. But what made me the happiest was when a little old lady, who looked to be 70 or 80 herself, smiled at me, leaned forward, and said, "You outfit is perfect, just perfect!"
Would I Actually Wear This For Halloween: Yes! This was a fun costume to wear, and much more practical than some of the others. It would make a great costume for a day spent on your feet, or spent dancing.
Most Appropriate Halloween Song: I couldn't find anything specific to this costume, so I decided to go with an era appropriate song: The Boogie Woogie Man, by The Brian Sisters (Not to be confused with the more costume appropriate Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B)

Costume #13: Harry Potter

I actually had this costume prepared a year or two ago for a Harry Potter themed 5k race, so this was an easy one for me.

The robe is a graduation robe, hemmed a little shorter. I took a blue tie and painted silver stripes (Ravenclaw colors) to wear with a grey plaid skirt and white collared shirt, then blue socks and grey shoes. I did my hair in twin braids because I think it makes me look a little younger, and I'm just a bit old to get my Hogwarts letter. 

The wand is actually all paper, glue, and paint. 

Time: 25 minutes (mainly because I forgot that I don't know how to tie a tie. The black tie for Costume #12 was actually a clip-on)

Would I Actually Wear This For Halloween: Sure, I'd consider it. I did actually dress up as Hermione for a costume when I was a kid, but since I didn't have the movies as a visual influence it came out looking pretty different.

Most Appropriate Halloween Song: The collective soundtracks for all of the movies has plenty of great Halloween songs, but I'm going to have to go with Double Trouble, by John Williams, from the Prisoner of Azkaban movie. (Second place goes to Do The Hippogriff by Patrick Doyle)

Costume #14: Princesses/Fairies

I can't take much credit for this one; this was all scavenged from my Mom's costumes. I'm pretty sure she made this medieval dress, and I've been wanting an excuse to borrow it for years. Now that I have... wow, it was super itchy. But I had a great time wearing it anyway. The wings were a lot of fun, but made it interesting trying to get through some of the smaller aisles in the store, or trying to bend down to pick up clothes that had fallen down. I sort of had to do a lot of things walking sideways. Let's not talk about navigating the restroom stalls.

Time: 15 minutes

Unexpected or Notable Reactions: Not specific to this costume, but every few months at this store they give out little pins to employees who are doing well in a particular area. They have a little ceremony and donuts and everything. Anyway, I got a little Jack-O-Lantern pin, for being the "Most Festive Team Member". So that was kind of cool.

Would I Wear This For Halloween: Yes, but not for longer than a few hours. Too itchy and the sleeves get in the way. But it's a great costume.

Most Appropriate Halloween Song: Come Little Children, by Erutan. (This song is originally from Hocus Pocus, which is about witches, but the lyrics are so very appropriate to the older lore about fairies, and I couldn't resist using this gorgeous cover.)

Costume #15: 1950s

This was actually my Halloween costume when I was a college freshman, so it was pretty easy. My Mom made the skirt (because she is amazing), though I guess it's a pretty simple project-- a circle skirt made of felt, with an iron-on poodle and a little embroidery. This skirt is really fun to wear because it twirls very nicely (so I wear it with a pair of bike shorts underneath). I put it with a pink shirt, my trusty airwalks (they are getting a lot of use this year, aren't they?), and some bandannas. 

I made a try at some 50's makeup, but didn't do a particularly good job. Still, I did learn a fun fact: the 1950s was when they first started to make shimmer makeup. So how did they get the shimmer effect? A little substance called "guanine". Which is, basically, a combination of fish scales and bat guano. And you thought there wouldn't be anything scary about this costume!

Time: 5 minutes

Unexpected or Notable Reactions: Today I learned that, in general, my co-workers don't know anything about the 1950's. Why do I say this? Because these are some of the comments my costume got from the other employees:

"So, you're dressed up as a maid?"

"Hey, Jen, are you going to do any Hip Hop Dancing?" (I think she meant "Sock Hop". Maybe.)

"What are you supposed to be, the 1970s?"

Would I Wear This For Halloween: I already have! This is a pretty great costume if you're going to a Halloween dance. I wore this to Big Band Swing Club once, and got asked to dance tons of times that night, mainly by guys who wanted to see the skirt twirl when they spun me. I got dizzy but had a great time.

Most Appropriate Halloween Song: Let's go with the era appropriate Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley.

And that's it for the week. Mostly pretty simple stuff, more clothes-based than cosmetics. Next week I've got a few really neat costumes to look forward to, so be ready for that. In the meantime, enjoy the slightly cooler weather-- it might not be Halloween yet for anyone outside the thrift store industry, but it's definitely starting to feel like Fall!