How is it October already?
However it happened, it is…and I can’t be the only one behind on this year’s Halloween costume planning.
Let’s look towards picking something historic, eh? We can leave it to the hipsters to be a character from this year’s hit movie (I still recall Halloween the year Pulp Fiction came out, every party I went to had at least 3 girls dressed like Uma Thurman’s character); and we can leave it to the twenty-somethings to wear the shorty-short-short outfits that seem designed specifically to show off the wearer’s hoo ha.
Revel in being a woman, without showing off every bit of your business. Some of my favorite ideas:
Queen of the Nile…or anything else for that matter. Cleopatra seems exotic and wore tons of non-diamond jewelry, so I had tons of fun making this costume, even bought a wig. Black hair and lots of jewelry–perhaps you should learn a lesson from this picture and don’t use white as your base/ background color if you are planning to be in any photos. Or: be another queen…Elizabeth I if you have a fantastic makeup artist and costumer in your circle; Elizabeth II if you want to wear gorgeous full length 50’s dresses and tiaras; Victoria if you’re a sucker for the layered garb of the era named for England’s longest reigning queen. Emily Blunt made her look like the queen every girl would love to be.
Sally of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and Cleopatra
Young Victoria, as portrayed by Emily Blunt
Beloved movie character who has stood the test of time. For example: Scarlett O’Hara. History within history–“Gone with the Wind” is already over 80 years old, but it represents the Civil War era, now passing the 150 year mark. Hoop skirts are underrated, but make sure that the skirt is fairly close to the ground, shoes shouldn’t be a key feature on this outfit. Just stand tall and watch people clear a path for you. It’s quite an empowering bit of fashion.
Scarlett O'Hara "Barbecue Dress"
Or what girl wouldn’t love to try their hand at embodying the all around NYC party girl, Holly Golightly? Sunglasses, classy jewelry and a simple, chic sheath dress in black would do. Perfectly coiffured hair is also a must (this could have sufficed; thanks to Laura Piercefield at Be Salon)
It's all in the hair! This by Laura Piercefield, Be Salon
Don’t want to be recognized? Be a statue– New York’s ‘Liberty’ is a popular choice and Indy’s own ‘Victory’ atop the monument has been on my to do list. It takes a certain level of commitment to cover yourself in one color of paint, though…
Generalized other era-– as in the above Scarlett O’Hara number, pick any Civil War era dress, do a little research and rep a lesser known woman of history or make up your own character of a bygone era.
If you love movies that include saloon girls of yesteryear, make sure there are feathers in there somewhere, take it easy on the skin revealing, and as in this example: boots (that’s what ladies wore with dresses 100+ years ago, you know) and to really sell it, the hair needs to be up and big. Some of us don’t have the gift for such things, but it really is the clincher to perfect such an outfit. This is where involving a professional is worth it.
Saloon gal costume, from Margie's Costumes
Close-up of Victorian era hair by Laura Piercefield, Be Salon
Sometimes, you have the time, talent and energy to figure out building a costume on your own and sometimes your time is worth more. As mentioned, Laura at Be Salon (a.k.a. “The Hair Whisperer”) is my go-to gal when there’s a complex hair style to be implemented. For costume rental, the staff at Margie’s has been most helpful (extra for you: click, save and print coupon below!)
Whatever you decide, if it’s something historic (male or female) you don for Halloween, post it on our facebook wall. Come November, our favorite will win a prize! 
