Dress me up for the end of the world!

December 10, 2012 8:46 AM

Help me dress like the end of the world!

This weekend, a friend is hosting an end of the world party. We are encouraged to dress up as something related to the end of the world -- e.g. apocalyptic events, survivalists, etc. I need a witty costume that's pretty easy (<2 hours) and inexpensive (<$15) to make by this Saturday. Comfortable is crucial, too. Please, Metafilter, help me celebrate the end of the world in style.

posted by superlibby to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

Wear a pair of jeans, boots, a shirt you enjoy and an N-95 mask from the drugstore. Contagion-riffic!
posted by terrierhead at 8:59 AM on December 10, 2012

Since it's evidently not really the end of the world, you could impersonate apocalyptic failure instead, and dress up as Marvin. Use the remaining time practicing to get his voice and his lines right ('I'm going to blow up the earth,' 'there was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!' etc.)
posted by Namlit at 8:59 AM on December 10, 2012

If the world was ending, I would probably put on my fanciest outfit to go out in style (and I would probably wear a bike helmet, too - because you know, safety first and all).
posted by anya32 at 9:03 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'd wear all black, except for a single white sleeve with "GEDDON" written/painted/sewn/ironed on it in big letters from your shoulder down to your wrist.

Arm o'Geddon!
posted by argonauta at 9:09 AM on December 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Pajamas and a bathrobe? Or regular clothes and a towel (to be Ford Prefect) - or maybe (to get a bit more obscure), dress like one of the construction workers (human or Vogon).
posted by jb at 9:24 AM on December 10, 2012 [5 favorites]

Heaven's Gate cult member. I think they wore white jumpsuits and nike shoes.
posted by cazoo at 9:44 AM on December 10, 2012

I'd do like anya32--go with an Elizabeth Montgomery on the Twilight Zone look: party dress that's become ratty (due to the having to survive in the post-apocalyptic world), combat (or other sensible) boots, and a hunting jacket, maybe with a fake rifle or gear attached to a utility belt.

Or skip the survivalist part of it, and just dress up fancy and resigned to facing the end with dignity (like Redgrave in Deep Impact).
posted by crush-onastick at 9:52 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Tee Shirt "Grandpa Went on a Time Safari and all I got was this Dead Butterfly"
posted by Sophont at 10:14 AM on December 10, 2012

Heaven's Gate cult member.
I'd argue that one to be a bit tasteless, but each his own.

I acutally really like the fancy clothes + helmet idea. Or maybe fancy clothes + helmet + weapon.

another option would be a shirt that reads in big letters "I FEEL FINE", like in the song 'Its the end of the world as we know it".
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 10:19 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Foil. Lots of it.
posted by E3 at 10:57 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You could always write PATIENT ZERO on a shirt and dress otherwise normally.
posted by zoetrope at 11:21 AM on December 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

I would totally, unquestionably go in a Vault suit.
posted by restless_nomad at 11:27 AM on December 10, 2012

At the moment, it is possible to get Mayan Calendar Mardi Gras beads. I'll be getting some. Party stores probably have them, or they can be ordered online.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:36 AM on December 10, 2012

Instead of a helmet with your party dress, you could wear a tinfoil hat.
posted by CathyG at 11:48 AM on December 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Prom dress and gas mask. I wore that for an apocalypse party.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:57 AM on December 10, 2012

Oh, this is easy. In the 90s everyone wore evening gowns with DMs, because the evening gown was what they had left to wear after the apocalypse.

People also used to boast about how unselfconscious they were and how little attention they paid to their appearance. It was when the natural makeup look was running riot, so much so that clear mascara and clear foundation emerged, and women used to boast that they had a full face of makeup such that, when they took it off, they looked exactly the same.

Google fashions from 1990-92 and you'll see what I mean.
posted by tel3path at 4:02 PM on December 10, 2012

Buffy the Vampire Slayer! She's always good to have on hand for an apocalypse!

Buffy: "This is how many apocalypses for us now?"
Giles: "Oh, well... uh... six at least. Feels like a hundred."
posted by platinum at 1:31 AM on December 11, 2012

Response by poster: AWESOME ideas! I think I'm going the Patient Zero route, but all of these are great.
posted by superlibby at 7:35 AM on December 11, 2012