Halloween 2017: A Tale of Two Costumes
So, Halloween is a big deal for me. It will come as no surprise that I absolutely love making things with my hands, and costumes and props rank right at the top of the list of my favorite things to make. And this year, I did what I normally do and made two costumes. But unlike previous years, this year, I wore them both.
First, I gave into my inner fangirl and made a stage-replica costume for Jenna Hunterson from the musical Waitress. (Go back to my post from August to get mine and Waitress's love/back story.) By sourcing individual pieces like this housekeeping dress, adding a few details like white bias tape, die-cutting a name tag and clay sculpting a prop cherry pie, I created the perfect costume to encapsulate the crazy, difficult, perfect year that has been 2017. Here's a photo recap, complete with photos of both my costume and a few photos I used for inspiration.
Top-Left, Center, and Bottom-Right: Jessie Mueller as Jenna Hunterson from Waitress, Mid-Left, Bottom-Center, and Mid-Right: Me as Jenna Hunterson. Bottom-Left is a WIP of the pie, Top-Center is the finished pie, complete with a Sculpey dollop of whipped cream.
But I wasn't done there. For Halloween proper, I came to work in something a little more...involved. As previously documented, I'm really into professional wrestling. (It actually fits very well with my love for musical theater. I'll probably post on that later.) And in late 2017, there's nobody better on any WWE roster than The Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka.
My Jenna costume was to-the-T based on production photos, but I went a little more loose with Asuka, mostly owing to the fact that in-ring gear is a little to revealing both for my personal preference and for work, where my costumes would debut. [Asuka's in-ring gear toes the line between sportswear and lingerie, so I knew I needed a SFW solve.]
I decided to start with her promotional tee as a base, then add details like her signature kimono with fur details, some 6" platform boots, and top it all off with a little NXT champion gold. Between the rainbow wig, signature black lined face paint, and orange and gold kimono, I was unmistakeable to any wrestling fan. [Read, I had to tell people who I was dressed as all day.] But it was such a great costume. There's nothing to boost your confidence quite like suddenly being 6" taller and trailing a 3' train behind you everywhere you go. Oh, and the mask helps. A lot. Here's a photo recap of my Dagger Costume Contest award-winning Asuka Costume, with the inspiration herself in the Top-Right panel.
It was rad.
And the coolest thing of all? Twitter let me share my creations with their original creators. And both were gracious enough to give me a re-tweet or like. It was great to be able to grab their eye, even for a second, to let them know how much I appreciate their creativity and talent. So thanks, ladies! (Forgive the screenshots, but as they say, "Pics or it didn't happen.")
Happy Halloween, y'all! Now, to get started on next year's costumes...