"Never use a door when you can make one of your own."

October 3, 2006 7:05 AM

I'm channeling my inner Kitty Pride for Halloween, but I have a slight wardrobe malfunction: my inner Kitty wears yellow boots, but I only own white.

I know I could just pull on my white polyurethane boots and keep telling Marvel fans at the party that I was too cheap to buy yellow GoGo boots that I'll never wear again, but I'd like to at least attempt to make this costume as realistic as possible. I was thinking about something with yellow tape, but that would probably leave residual gunk that may or may not come off. No, I don't want rain boots, or to switch characters to match my footwear, and I'll only purchase new boots if they're under $15.

posted by zoomorphic to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (16 answers total)

Response by poster: I should clarify that I don't want any changes that will permanently yellow my boots. Also, apologies on that glaring spelling error, Pryde fans.
posted by zoomorphic at 7:09 AM on October 3, 2006

Your white GoGo boots are valuable enough to you that you don't want to mess them up, but yellow ones you don't want and would never wear again, ever?

If they are really polyurethane and therefore entirely non-pourous, you could try a washable, water-based paint like tempera, which should come off easily with soap on November 1.
posted by ChasFile at 7:15 AM on October 3, 2006 [1 favorite]

i recommend shadowcat's costume while a member of excalibur.
posted by soma lkzx at 7:20 AM on October 3, 2006

yellow cellophane/plastic wrap? It'll be hard to make it not look incredibly tacky.
posted by JMOZ at 7:26 AM on October 3, 2006

Could you wrap the boots in yellow Saran Wrap?
posted by amber_dale at 7:27 AM on October 3, 2006

I recommend searching dancewear websites/stores for boot covers. Like these, but for adults.
posted by juniper at 7:29 AM on October 3, 2006

Best answer: Urgh. Like these.
posted by juniper at 7:30 AM on October 3, 2006

Or, you could buy some ubiquitous white boot tops (much easier to find than yellow) and take some yellow paint or Rit dye to them. I thought about and researched this question way too much, because every year there's one key item I need for my own Halloween costume.
posted by juniper at 8:05 AM on October 3, 2006

You should just buy those yellow boots. They are only $30, and it seems like you really want yellow ones. You'll likely spend hours and at least $15 trying to make your white ones yellow and then white again.
posted by sulaine at 8:12 AM on October 3, 2006

I second the yellow cling-wrap. I suggest that before you apply it to the boots, you layer it on itself a few times, to create a thicker, less wrinkly plastic. This is probably best done on a flat surface, with weights or tape holding down each end of the wrap while a new layer is pulled out across the top. You might even be able to treat this thicker wrap as fabric - you could cut it to fit the contours of your boot, then use clear tape to hold it all in place.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 8:13 AM on October 3, 2006

You could make yourself some yellow spat type things out of felt or craft foam.
posted by Biblio at 9:09 AM on October 3, 2006

Yellow electrical tape... any hardware store will have it, don't keep it on too long and it won't leave residue.

It'll get the bright yellow color (cling wrap might be just a dull yellow)
posted by hatsix at 10:37 AM on October 3, 2006

cling wrap will probably lose its cling-to-your-boots and gain a cling-to-someone-else's-leg (in other words, I wouldn't reccommend it).
posted by muddgirl at 10:43 AM on October 3, 2006

I think any yellow tape plus Goo Gone for removal of the residue would work fine! The stuff takes off almost anything sticky or glue-y and is pretty easy to find at the grocery or hardware store.

As far as trying methods out: if there is polyurethane on the underside of your sole or the part of the heel facing your sole, I think you could test out a couple ideas in that sort of hidden spot. Then any residual yellow either won't show, or be in a place where people attribute would attribute it to normal wear and tear. At least in my experience, white material normally yellows or browns over time anyway.

Or, you can buy yourself an early birthday present of those yellow Go-Gos and have an excuse to dress up as Kitty as often as you like!
posted by nelleish at 2:27 PM on October 3, 2006

Best answer: A lot of skaters I know use this stuff. Granted, figure skates are leather but it never left any residue when it came off and it looked remarkably good from anywhere more than a couple feet away.
posted by samsarah at 3:11 PM on October 3, 2006

Response by poster: Awesome, thanks to everyone for helping me salvage my white GoGo's for later use. I'll try out a few things in a day of DIY-inspired boredom and see what works best.
posted by zoomorphic at 6:27 AM on October 4, 2006