Who's got two thumbs and separates the heavens from the earth? This sky!

October 26, 2012 6:55 AM

Piggybacking off this question, my original Halloween costume idea fell through BUT I just obtained some cloud pajamas and I'm trying to think of a way to build a costume around them. I'm a grown-ass man. Ideas?

The only thing I could think of, and I'd rather not go this route, was Ally McBeal.

(Also could do "the sky," but I'm not sure what would make that apparent. Maybe a hat that looks like the sun?)

posted by psoas to clothing, beauty, & fashion (31 answers total)

Something involving cloud computing or data storage?
posted by aimedwander at 6:58 AM on October 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

Get a bathrobe, a teacup and an i-Pad kind of thing. Stick a sign on the i-Pad reading 'Don't Panic'. Presto-- Arthur Dent.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:59 AM on October 26, 2012 [6 favorites]

Hot-air balloon hat + action figure attached around your ankle = Felix Baumgartner
posted by Rock Steady at 6:59 AM on October 26, 2012 [15 favorites]

Oh, come ON.

Draw or attach some roads all over yourself and paste little Interstate signs here and there.

Bingo: CLOUD ATLAS.
posted by Madamina at 7:01 AM on October 26, 2012 [14 favorites]

Pin a picture of the guy from The Son of Man on you.
posted by plinth at 7:04 AM on October 26, 2012

Pertinent accessories...
On your head: Black hat with tiny satellite
Chest level: Jet
Hip level: Helicopter, Small plane or Balloon
Ankle level: bird.
posted by carmicha at 7:07 AM on October 26, 2012 [3 favorites]

Re: The sky: Plastic birds, a plastic airplane, and a sun hat. I think it'd be kinda cute...though the Cloud Atlas idea is totally the best.
posted by MeghanC at 7:07 AM on October 26, 2012

Pin a bunch of tech logos (Google, Amazon, Apple, etc.) to your outfit and go as "cloud computing."

Also, Cloud 9 and mushroom cloud are both possible by attaching stuff to yourself.
posted by decathecting at 7:07 AM on October 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Pin a picture of the guy from The Son of Man on you.

I was also thinking of "Rene Magritte painting" in general! Just wasn't thinking what to go for...
posted by psoas at 7:09 AM on October 26, 2012

I say go for a hat that looks like the sun! The one in this photo is a foam ball covered in paper mache with cardstock rays and painted with acrylic paint; you could probably also get away with cutting the brim off a baseball cap, attaching your rays to that, and then painting it. Spray paint would be ok and faster.

I also like the idea of attaching jets and birds to your clothes...
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:28 AM on October 26, 2012

You could tie a muscle-bound action figure to your ankle and go as Atlas holding up the sky...
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:41 AM on October 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Just wear the pajamas, and carry a water gun. When people ask what you are, tell them "Partly cloudy with a chance of rain" and then squirt them!
posted by kimdog at 7:51 AM on October 26, 2012 [9 favorites]

I really like the Magritte angle - maybe the pajamas plus the iconic black bowler, black jacket, and necktie?
posted by usonian at 7:52 AM on October 26, 2012 [4 favorites]

The cover of Infinte Jest.
posted by dywypi at 7:59 AM on October 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

I have those jammies, and I feel like I am living in the opening credits of The Simpsons.
posted by hmo at 8:11 AM on October 26, 2012

Make a cutout of the house from Up, cut a hole in the middle, and wear it like a mask. Make a headband with plastic balloons fixed onto it.
posted by phunniemee at 8:32 AM on October 26, 2012 [2 favorites]

I think you should either do the Magritte painting or Baumgartner.

To do the Magritte painting, you definitely need a bowler hat. Then you need something to obscure your face. I'd suggest an apple, a la Son of Man (you could hang it from the rim of the bowler), but I think it will drive you nuts and you'll end up taking it off. What I would recommend instead is shrouding your face, like The Lovers. Use a piece of muslin - you'll be able to see out but other people won't be able to see in, and it will look creepy as hell. In conjunction with the hat and the pyjamas, it will be instantly recognisable as Magritte.

If you do Baumgartner, what I would suggest is having a space-helmet on your head, and then, hanging around your neck and attached to the helmet, a little space-suited body. I'd go to one of those Bear Factory or whatever places, get a bear with a little spacesuit, rip the head off, and attach the body to your helmet. That way your Baumgartner will appear to be plummeting down through the clouds, and your head is still incorporated. Bonus: space helmets can leave the face free for easy talking and ingestion.
posted by Acheman at 8:59 AM on October 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Get some wide rainbow striped ribbon, tack it up the sleeves and over your shoulders, then up the front of the pant leg, arcing over your pelvis.

You are Double Rainbow All The Way.
posted by padraigin at 10:11 AM on October 26, 2012

If you don't mind being super-topical, add a curly blonde wig and red pumps, maybe a leather jacket and carry a spray bottle with which to spritz fellow partygoers. Instant Hurricane Sandy.
posted by troika at 10:16 AM on October 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Dude. It's halloween and you're a grown man in blue flannel PJs in public, probably at a party or bar or at least with other friends around. There is no need to be all serious art history on top of that. Go with funny - Baumgartner holding a can or two of Red Bull.
posted by barnone at 10:51 AM on October 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Can you enlist a buddy to dress up as a Chance of Meatballs and go together?
posted by argonauta at 11:26 AM on October 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

Get a red beret, wear heeled boots and make a white cardboard cut out of this guitar and go as Prince (scroll down to the first picture)
posted by jaimystery at 11:45 AM on October 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

The simplest thing is to get some foamcore, cut out the word The Simpsons in the correct font, and spray paint it yellow. (You should do this on the horizontal, so the title is wider than your body.) Hang it around your neck with fishing wire.

In the back, do the guest voice closing credit printed on back, taped to the PJs. I would suggest the gues voice be starring your name.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:18 PM on October 26, 2012 [1 favorite]

I immediately thought of Little Nemo, but I can't find any pictures of him in cloud pajamas and folks might not get the reference.
posted by postel's law at 1:10 PM on October 26, 2012

I really need to second the Atlas idea. I am still laughing about it. Attach a he-man or something and be done!
posted by Carillon at 1:11 PM on October 26, 2012

Another take on the Cloud Atlas thing: Wear the PJs, carry around a big globe or inflatable ball painted like the Earth. Cloud Atlas!
posted by Verdandi at 2:39 PM on October 26, 2012

I had cloud PJs and I always wanted to go as Windows (3.1??) but everyone thought it was an awful idea.
posted by geek anachronism at 4:12 PM on October 26, 2012

I like the Up idea (and who didn't like Up?). The Baumgartner idea is familiar and topical (bonus points for not being overly pop culfural). The Simpsons one is clever.

I'm really really not crazy about punny costumes (like, anything that would be followed up with "Get it?"), so a Cloud Atlas costume might induce a lot of groans, if your acquaintances are anything like me...
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 8:37 PM on October 26, 2012

I favorited a couple of these, but going to cast the final vote for Magritte.

And I want to favorite your pajamas!
posted by BlueHorse at 2:42 AM on October 27, 2012

Actually, if you want to go with Maigritte, one of his works was nothing but fluffy white clouds.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:15 AM on October 27, 2012

Thanks everyone, I was short on time and went with Fearless Felix: tied a spaceship/balloon around my chest and an astronaut* around my thigh. Favorite question of the night: "Are you... Toy Story?"

*OK, it was Buzz Lightyear. Like I said, short on time.
posted by psoas at 9:18 AM on October 29, 2012