Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with costume

Creative ideas for a party

Kateruba — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:56:11 -0800

What short, creative performances can guests put on at my party to entertain themselves? I'd like to have a holiday party. But not just another dinner party or a drinking party. I'd like all of my guests to put on little performances - whether that would be a short skit, dance/music, puppet show, parody, magic tricks, telling some jokes, monologue, poetry reading, juggling, sword swallowing - whatever! I just would like everyone to do something entertaining and creative, my expectations are pretty reasonable, I don't expect everyone to prepare and practice like prima ballerinas...

I am always ambivalent about hosting parties - so much stress in organizing and making sure everyone has a good time! And I am especially doubtful about hosting this one. Even though most of my friends/acquaintances are a creative bunch, a lot of my potential guests find my party idea intimidating. They are either shy or have no idea what to do for this "assignment", and hence are unsure whether they will attend at all :(

I'd love some suggestions for this which I can offer to my friends to make them less intimidated and more enthusiastic. Ideally, they would have all or any of the following qualities: creative, suitable for shy people, do not take much time or effort to prepare for.

And what would I do for my part? I would do something similar to Isabella Rosselini's Green Porno "Nothing Porno about it!" as she says. In the series, Rossellini enacts the mating rituals of various insects and other animals (including the dragonfly, spider, bee, praying mantis, squid, snail and housefly) with cardboard cut-outs and foam-rubber sculptures (wikipedia) - the result is very whimsical and reminiscent of an elementary school play in its aesthetics! If anyone is intrigued, you can view all of the episodes on

Zig a zag ahhh!

Jubey — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:05:23 -0800

Help me dress as a rock star for Christmas! My office Christmas party theme is come as your favourite rock star and I need ideas! So, it's a fancy dress party and the theme is come as your favourite rock/pop star. For added excitement, it's also karaoke and there is an excellent chance we'll have to get up and actually perform as that star on stage in front of the entire company (I know, I know...I can't sing either and I hate being the centre of attention). Anyway I need ideas.

Additional information, I'm a petite white girl with long dark straight hair in Australia if it helps. It would be nice if I didn't have to spend a fortune on an outfit but I'm open to anything. Lady Gaga and the Spice Girls are already taken. I'm open to dragging in a few others and going as a group, and I'm open to dressing as a guy too. I was thinking Chrissie Amphlett from the Divinyls (Aussie band) as I can cobble together a school uniform from home, or Madonna from her dark haired Like A Prayer days but I was wondering if the hive mind had any other suggestions?

Help me dress up as a dead celebrity!

gwenlister — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:32:00 -0800

Costume Party Filter : Going to a "Dead Celebrity" costume party in a couple weeks and am having trouble coming up with any good ideas that aren't going to be done 100 times over. The obvious ones that I know are going to show up are going to be things like Billy Mays, Marilyn, Michael Jackson, etc. so I really want to go as something that no one else is but that people will still know/recognize. I'm also open to other interpretations of the theme, as well as dead movie characters etc. The problem is I'm a big, busty, curvy woman with long dark brown hair and the only dead celebrity I can come up with that fits that even a little is Mama Cass... and that sucks. I do not want to go as Mama Cass.

I would love to go as something funny/ingenious/unique so I'm hoping the brilliant minds here on askmefi can help me come up with something. I have no problem dressing up in ridiculous things and looking like an idiot, though I would prefer not to have to wear a wig though, simply due to comfort and wig availability. I'm very adept at styling my hair, though, so I can recreate most any look I would need.

Opening credits costume

painquale — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:49:55 -0800

For Halloween, I want to dress up as the opening credits sequence to some TV show. But which show? My Halloween costumes are always built last minute around some item that I've decided I am going to use. This year, I realized that I have an iPod and a portable speaker, so I can incorporate audio! Looking through my iTunes list, the songs I have that would make for the funniest costume are TV show themes. So there we go. There's my starting point.

But which show? Ideally the song will be instantly recognizable and catchy, and it will provoke a cool costume idea. I don't want to just dress up as a character from the show, but if forced I could do that and tack a caption like "Starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar" on my chest. A show with an abstract sort of opening (like Mad Men) would work well.

So far I am leaning toward either Law & Order or Murder, She Wrote. I know that a few other friends will be Twin Peaks characters...

(Other audio-based costume ideas would also be appreciated.)

Using spirit gum to attach a prosthetic near my real hair

Riki tiki — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:04:36 -0800

Tell me about using spirit gum near my actual hair. My Halloween costume has a prosthetic that I intend to attach to the top of my head. The prosthetic came with a tube of spirit gum as an adhesive. I've never used spirit gum before... is it okay to use it near hair? Will it stick? Will I be able to remove it afterwards? Is there a better alternative?

(this is the prosthetic... it's a latex bolt-looking thing with a thin flower of flesh-colored latex as the base)

Zombie cowboy wants naaaaaaames.

hilaritas — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:53:32 -0800

What are some good names for a zombie cowboy? I'm planning to dress up as a zombie cowboy for Halloween. However, every zombie cowboy needs a name, right? What are some good, preferably punning names for an undead ranch hand? Bonus points for puns that reference Western swing or old country musicians.

"I am Batman"

Glendale — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:38:29 -0800

Halloween costume: "Casual Batman". Help me come up with bat-gadget ideas! The idea is that Batman woke up this morning and just didn't feel like giving 100%. I'm wearing a Batman mask, a cape, and a hoodie that I have that has the bat-symbol on it. From the waist down I'm going to wear khakis and slippers (casual). I'm having a hard time coming up with bat-gadget ideas!

The only thing I've made so far is a bat-a-rang bottle-opener out of an old machete blade that I had kicking around the garage... Any other "casual-Batman" gadget ideas floating around out there?

Where would I find a black fedora and black sunglasses for a Blues Brothers costume by Saturday morning?

decrescendo — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:27:04 -0800

Where would I find a black fedora and black sunglasses for a Blues Brothers costume by Saturday morning? My friend and I are going as Jake and Elwood but we haven't found a hat or sunglasses yet.

How best can we track some down before Saturday without paying $85 for shipping?

Are there any department store that carry black fedoras on a regular basis?

Yes, I've got a lulu. Why?

stuck on an island — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:25:06 -0800

Where can I find reasonably detailed reference images of smart everyday women's clothes from the 1940s, 50s and early 60s? After bemoaning the state of modern women's workwear for years, I've decided to draw my office wardrobe influences from the past. Specifically, the block of time bordered roughly by His Girl Friday and Mad Men. (Yes, I know.) To do this, I need images from the time to "clip" for reference and inspiration, but I can't figure out where to look -- searching specifically for costume images yields too few results, searching generally for the time periods yields too many.

Where should I look to get a good idea of what the woman in the street wore? I am not looking for haute couture or Hollywood glamour (although I'd welcome recommendations for good frock porn films) -- more along the lines of what a Sartorialist of the time might have photographed. I make clothes and am learning to draft my own patterns, so the more detailed the images the better.

Make me deathly pale!

Captain Cardanthian! — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:13:25 -0800

DeathFilter: How can I make my arms, chest, and neck look paler without getting white stuff everywhere? My Halloween costume this year is Death from Sandman. I'm mostly set except that my skin is still moderately tan from summer. Is there anything I can apply that will make my skin lighter without being horribly messy? I'll be wearing a black tank top and black jeans, possibly putting on and taking off a jacket and gloves, and I have to drive to a party, so there will be a lot of opportunities for smearing/getting on everything. I'm imagining some type of powder, possibly, or a non-oily makeup that could be set or sealed--is there anything that fits that description?

I'm mainly worried about making sure my face blends with the rest of my body. Ideally the resulting skin tone would be similar to this girl's. This face/chest contrast is what I'm trying to avoid. Googling and the AskMe archives have yielded nothing. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Bonus points: best quality brand of colored hair spray?

Halloween Costumes for a Couple

demagogue — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:23:40 -0800

Please post some cool ideas for Halloween costumes for a couple! Big brownie points if it's superhero-themed. (But this is just brownie points, please post anything that would be good for a couple!) PS if it matters, she's thin, I'm relatively athletic, she's 5'7" and I'm 5'9". But really, post without that as a concern -- even if we don't wear it, I am sure some MeFiers will get inspired :-)

Sexy Library!

chara — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:15:46 -0800

Costume-filter: I would like to dress as a library for Halloween. How can I accomplish this in an inexpensive, recognizable, maneuverable/non-bulky way (aside from sticking random books to my bum?) When perusing for costume ideas for bespectacled folks, I came across the "sexy librarian" idea over and over again. I've decided to give it a twist and dress instead as a "sexy library". I figure the 'sexy' part isn't so difficult, it's the 'library' part that I haven't quite worked out logistically.

The actual costume doesn't have to be sexy, per se; I'm probably just going to throw some ridiculous lingerie over the top of whatever I wear.

How do I make a costume out of a wedding dress?

libertypie — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:41:55 -0800

How can I turn a wedding dress into a Halloween costume without destroying the thing? Okay, so it's not quite a wedding dress (it's a debutante dress, actually), but it's pretty, and conceivably could be used by someone for actual marriage so I don't necessarily want to smother it in fake blood. It has a pretty typical circle hem and straps.

That said, if someone has an amazing costume idea I'll drag the thing behind a freaking truck. I just feel like the "zombie bride" thing is a little bit done and am curious what else the hivemind has lurking in its recesses. The crazier the better.

Halloween Costume Filter: Hobbes plush in Toronto?

JPDD — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:27:54 -0800

Where can I get a Hobbes or Hobbes-lookalike plus toy in Toronto this week? I just made the last minute decision to go as Calvin & Hobbes for Halloween, where can I find an appropriate stuffed tiger on short notice? Bonus points for help with other costume elements, thanks!

Where can I buy a toy gun that can be made to look like Bruce Willis' in the 5th Element movie?

I like to eat meat — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:59:21 -0800

Help me complete my 5th Element movie bruce willis costume please! I'm looking for a toy gun that looks sort of like his in the movie. Would like to keep it under $15, just looking for something close. I don't mind painting it or doing some slight modification.

I want to give off a vibe of 'anime' without being a particular character.

jacalata — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:23:57 -0800

[AnimeCostumeFilter] What are some elements that could make up a 'generic anime costume'? The main plan is crazy blue spiked anime hair, with halloween as an excuse (suggestions on how to accomplish this aspect welcome). But I can't think of any particular anime characters with blue hair I want to dress as, so I was thinking 'generic anime figure'. My main requirement is that the costume doesn't go anywhere near 'school uniform' or 'cleavage/slutty' themes, and apparently that is cutting out all the ideas the google is giving me. (I'm going to have the hair, so I want to be able to wear the outfit to work, where normal dress is jeans and tshirt but some people will be in costume for the day).
me: 24, female, needs long sleeves and pants for warmth, blue eyes, wear contacts but could put on glasses if it fitted in. I would like it to be recognisably 'a costume' not just look like 'what those crazy kids wear these days', but it's going to be DIY.

Ideas so far
- really bright colours? I have shiny blue trousers and a bright orange gaming tshirt.
- karate style outfit? I'm sure someone I know has one.
- particular logos/symbols/details I can add that people would associate with anime?
- is it possible to do the eye makeup without looking as weird as all the photos of people trying it on the net?

when the clock strikes half past 6, babe

troika — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:49:54 -0800

How can I make a Mac Tonight head? Yes, a Halloween costume. I am thinking papier-mache or styrofoam, but I'm not sure at all how to go about it.

I am really only held back in any way by extremely limited access to power tools.

Mac Tonight was a weird McDonald's spokesmoonhead in the 80s.

Kid's Lincoln costume in Austin, TX.

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:35:34 -0800

Where can I buy a little boy's size M or L Abraham Lincoln costume in Austin, TX for less than $35? Looking for a little boy's M or L Lincoln costume last-minute, so I can't buy online. Looking for a place where I could find this in Austin. No luck at Goodwill or Target. Don't want to spend more than $35.

How do I get Dolly Parton's cleavage?

web-goddess — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:35:13 -0800

How can I get cheap, comfortable, semi-realistic giant fake breasts for Halloween? Yes, I'm going as Dolly Parton. I'm also a girl with some already not-insignificant boobs going on. (And yeah, we may well be overthinking this giant plate of beans.) I've got a nice shiny red Western-style shirt that I need to fill. The costume shop told me they had some "inflatable inserts," but they were sold out. I'm normally a C-cup. My plan was just to grab a roll of toilet paper and go to town, but my husband doesn't think that will work. I can see his point; I don't have a lot of extra room in my existing bras to work with. It might just crush down within the first hour. Should I go to Kmart and get a big bra and go from there? What do I stuff it with? I know you can get those silicone push-up "chicken cutlet" things, but they're probably not cheap and I highly doubt I'd ever use them again. And I really don't think those novelty plastic breasts they sell for bachelor parties to wear are going to work. Maybe something a little more substantial, like wadded up panty hose? Shoulder pads? Should I stuff "underneath" so I've got some actual cleavage, or will that just look bad?

Somebody has to have done this before. What worked (or didn't) with your big fake cleavage? (I've tried to google this, but that failed just about as spectacularly as you might imagine.)

My husband is, of course, going as Kenny Rogers.

Help me find an Artie, The Strongest Man In The World Shirt for Halloween!

PetiePal — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:09:17 -0800

I want to be Artie the Strongest Man in the World from the Adventures of Pete and Pete 90s Nickelodeon show....BUT I can't find a shirt that is anything close HELP! So for many years now I've wanted to go as Artie, the Strongest Man In The World from the Adventures of Pete and Pete. I've got red tights and the glasses all set but I'm having a LOT of trouble locating a shirt that will work.

-Shirt should be long-sleeved
-Blue and Red alternating stripes would be *ideal*!

I've searched all over the web and all the forum discussions or related material links to broken sites/items etc. I really don't want to do a "ghetto" shirt where I take a red shirt and put blue tape in stripes on it or vice versa...I want it to be vintagey like the show.

Help me Hivemind!

HalloweenCostumeFilter: Bruce Wayne

Jacen Solo — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:06:19 -0800

I'm thinking of being Bruce Wayne (not Batman) for Halloween. Any tips on pulling this off, or nice touches you can think of?

Yet another HalloweenCostumeFilter. Sorry.

mollymayhem — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:54:20 -0800

Halloweencostumefilter: I've been racking my brain to come up with a good Halloween costume to wear to work, but I can't seem to come up with anything. Limitations: (pants, physical job, not overly sexy) I work backstage in a theater. The past two years I've been Rosie the Riveter and my boss, both of which have been exceptionally well received by my coworkers.

I've got a very physical job, climbing ladders and lifting heavy stuff and running around, and I wear a toolbelt at work. I'm not adverse to throwing on my toolbelt over an otherwise unrelated costume. Big silly hats are questionable, as I have to wear a hard hat part of the day. Wigs are OK, as are funny hairstyles. The men I work with are a fairly lecherous bunch, so overtly sexy is out.

I'd like something a little offbeat, but not completely out there. My modern pop culture knowledge is severely lacking, FWIW. Audience is a bunch of artsy/construction worker types. I am a fairly hourglassy plus size female with dark hair with blue and purple streaks and a half sleeve tattoo on one arm. I've got excellent sewing and crafting skills; I was a costume design/construction major in college. If you can describe it, I can probably sew/build it. I also live in San Francisco, so weird supplies are pretty easy for me to find.

Please hope me, metafilter. I've got to keep up the awesome costume tradition.

What would Jesus wear on Halloween?

DMelanogaster — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:47:17 -0800

My teenaged son want to dress up as Jesus. He has the hair, but he wants a robe like Jesus wore. However, he doesn't want a crappy polyester costume-shop robe. Also both of us refuse to sew anything. So -- what would be a good Jesus-robe (or just any plausible Jesuswear. This would be daywear, not Jesus eveningwear) that we could buy, in a nice natural fabric? and we're in New York City so if you have specific suggestions for stores that would be even better.

What to be for halloween?

ac — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:25:08 -0800

Where in NYC can I buy or get the materials to create a simple (easy to wear and not too expensive) Halloween costume? I also need to think of a simple historical or pop-culture figure to be. Thank you, hive-mind! I'm in Harlem. I'm a young, average height/weight white guy. Bonus points for any original ideas. Thank you!

What TV character to be for Halloween?

just_ducky — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:27 -0800

HalloweenCosutmeFilter: I'm tall blonde girl...help me come up with a TV-themed Halloween costume idea! I'm going to a Halloween party with a TV theme, and I don't have any good costume ideas. I was thinking about going as Number 6 from Battlestar Galactica, but I'm not sure that enough people will get the reference, and there is nothing worse than having to explain your costume to everyone. Any ideas, hivemind? Bonus points for an idea for my boyfriend (other than Gaius Baltar!).