Alexplorer's Halloween page: Choosing a Costume

Choosing a Costume
This is a re-tooled, condensed version of what used to be three other articles on this site. Enjoy.

Subject

Knowing who or what you are going to be is the starting point.

Review your history. Who have you gone as in past years? Knowing what you've done in the past will give you clues as to what you're most comfortable with. That said, you shouldn't be a slave to a pattern you've established.

Inventory your interests. What are your favorite movies? What characters do you find you identify with? My interests tend to be things like comic books and sci-fi movies, so the characters are usually colorful or at least outlandish enough that they leave few guessing who we're supposed to be.

Be a character. I like to literally be a character for a night. I don't do any sort of method acting; I just like to be able to revert to another identity, quote lines from a movie, do a voice, strike a pose, whatever. I don't like "joke" costumes like the plug and the socket. Yeah, I get it. But then what? Say I'm the plug, what do I do? "Look, I'm a plug! Bzzzzz!"

Be recognizable. While you might enjoy dressing up as your favorite character, you need to choose something mainstream enough be be recognized immediately. That is, if you want other people to enjoy it as well. Otherwise you could just as easily dress up and look at yourself in the mirror. If you're going as a "joke" based around a one-liner (e.g., a guy on Oak Lawn went as a $3 bill as in "queer as..."), it needs to tell itself visually. Don't leave people guessing.

Be timely. This is a corollary to being recognizable, but costumes fall in and out of fashion. If you do a movie character a couple years after it has peaked, you look like you were at a loss for an idea. (On the other hand, you also don't want to go with the most popular costume and be one of a hundred Heath Ledger Jokers on the street in 2008.)

Be accurate. The look will fall apart if you don't pay attention to the details. You will compromise the validity of the costume if you start playing the "close enough" game.

Know your look. Think about it like this: You're casting yourself in a role. You have to look the part, and certain costumes just won't work with your body and/or hair without serious alterations to it or you. Which characters do you resemble?

Constraints

There are limitations in time, money, and/expertise in many of the most ambitious costume ideas. These can be overcome if you are industrious enough to get an early start.

Have enough lead time. Some costumes are going to require experimentation, and you have to budget failed attempts into your timeline if you expect to be ready in time for Halloween festivities. If a costume requires some engineering, you're going to have to dedicate some time to finding solutions.

Be conscious of your budget. Again, this gets at whether or not you are willing to invest in exotic new materials and can afford to experiment. Additionally, you may not be able to find that print you're after without having to order it or fabricate it by customizing other materials.

Don't be afraid to try something new. You may find yourself delving into new techniques (e.g., makeup, prosthetics, metallurgy, leather-working, electronics, etc.) in order to achieve a desired look. For example, we didn't know how to use fiberglass before we tried it on a costume. I had never done anything with el-wire before we built lightsabers. But we had an end in mind and sought out the means to realize it.

Couples/Groups/Family costumes

Knowing how to a look work with more than one person requires understanding the dynamics of the costumes.

Consider group or couple options. Making a costume be part of something larger is a good way to create an even bigger impression.

Balance your pair/group. It isn't cool if you do a couple's costume and only one of you shines. Both costumes should compliment the other, thus reinforcing the look you're going for. If you're going as a group, no one should be the "star" and leave the others in their shadow.

Should work without others. Conversely, if your group might not have a member for an occasion, the costumes should still hold together. For example, once our baby Stan arrived, we brought him with us to most Halloween things, but sometimes (e.g., Oak Lawn) we leave him with a sitter. We could still be the Wild Things without Max or Popeye and Olive Oyl without Swee'Pea. If the costume didn't work without him, it wouldn't be much good to us at an adult event.

Comfort

A costume is worthless for any Halloween celebration if you can't stand wearing it. Consider the following...

Know what's irritating. I don't like anything on my face. Experience has shown me that I can't stand certain kinds of face-paint or masks (more about that below), and so we avoid costumes that require those elements.

Do without masks. Masks are hot, and they don't allow facial expressions. No one knows who you are with one on, only who you're dressed up as, and those are two separate things. I have nothing against make-up and/or wigs, however, so long as anything I put on is durable enough to last through the night without me having to sacrifice my activity level.

Leave the props home. A sword (or lightsaber) is cool, but you need to have at least one hand free. You know, for holding the camera or your bag of candy. If you have to have something to complete your costume, don't let it tie up your hands. Have a hilt or a holster or some alternative to shift it to.

Reign in the accessories. Props are bad enough, but take case when choosing/designing a costume that you aren't stuck with something requiring, say, elaborate headgear or giant wings. Anything that obscures your view or is constantly getting bumped into simply won't survive the night, and you won't enjoy yourself.

Get the right shoes. In most cases, you can still create a good look without wearing uncomfortable shoes. If you're going to be out on the town all night, you don't want to wear anything that results in blisters.

Be weather-appropriate. You want something versatile enough that you can avoid being too hot or too cold, depending on the conditions on whatever day(s)/evening(s) you're going out.