Butterfly Hunter Costume

March 9, 2009 8:02 AM

I am in New York. I need to assemble a Butterfly Catcher costume. Any ideas?

I need to assemble a Butterfly Catcher costume (to wit: butterfly net, classic hat) by tomorrow morning. I have all of today to amble around the city and/or buy raw materials and create something out of them.

Does anyone know where I can get the classic (it's a cartoon but it's what I'm thinking of) butterfly hunter hat? or a net that could work as a butterfly catcher's net?

I'm looking for reccomendations of stores in NYC or thift shops that might have what I am looking for. Also, are there any Butterfly-catcher motifs that I am overlooking?

Thanks, and Happy Purim!

posted by milestogo to grab bag (6 comments total)

One thing that will help you is that what you're calling a "butterfly catcher hat" is generally referred to as a "pith helmet."

The first place I would look is definitely New York Costumes/Halloween Adventure on 4th Ave at 11th Street.
posted by bcwinters at 8:16 AM on March 9

I should also note that a block or two north of that costume store there's a decent little thrift store, and across the street from THAT there's a Utrechy art supply store. So you might get lucky with a costume hat and net, a thrifted khaki uniform or jumpsuit, and some gauzy "mosquito netting" fabric in one fell swoop.

And say hi to my old neighborhood for me if you do end up going there.
posted by bcwinters at 8:27 AM on March 9

Oh man.

I spent days trying to find a pith helmet for this past Halloween, and was SHIT out of luck. Almost every hat store I tried to find had closed (story of New York), and the one hat store who even knew what a pith helmet was could "order" it but didn't know when it would get in, which won't work for your Purim.

None of the costume stores carried one (except for tacky leopard-print ones that come with bagged costumes). I tried thrift stores, too. I'm sure there are plenty of thrift stores I didn't try/didn't find, but I called all the ones on the "best of" lists.

One place I didn't try was the Army supply stores. They might have something that'll work, even if it's not your classic pith helmet. Maybe you could get one of these and paint in khaki?

Sorry to be a downer! Good luck!

(Also, you should be able to find fabric butterflies at craft stores or Michael's or something -- pin some of those on your back.)
posted by thebazilist at 9:45 AM on March 9

For a butterfly net, fishing/marine stores will generally carry nets of various sort. I haven't ever tried looking for this sort of thing in NYC, but there's a West Marine at 12 W 37th. Might give them a call see what they have in stock (as murray hill strikes me as an odd place for said store.)

Some nets may be more raver/sportfishing size, but hey if you're already going over the top might as well.
posted by corprew at 11:05 AM on March 9

This place is in NYC, and has pith helmets on their website, but gives a number to call and suggests that you check before going to their store, because they have more items on their website than are in stock there.
posted by peagood at 12:55 PM on March 9

Thanks! I managed to get a pith helmet at an Army/Navy store. I thought that I found a place for the butterfly net but it turned out all they had were butterfly screws. So I made my own. Oh well....
posted by milestogo at 9:37 PM on March 15