post-off: what was your favorite halloween costume, ever?
By now all you crafty people have probably whipped up an amazing costume to wear to that Halloween party this weekend. Right? But just in case you haven’t, or perhaps are skipping the trick-or-treat getups this year, we thought we’d take a trip down memory lane for inspiration. Remember how much fun it was dressing up as a kid? Remember how you wowed all your friends with your uncanny resemblance to Madonna back when? Please, tell us, what was your favorite Halloween costume, ever?
(P.S. and if you’re looking for ideas for this year check out New York magazine’s hilarious How To Dress Like Suri Cruise gallery.)
Chad H. (left in photo above) says:
In third grade I was really into the movie Star Wars. My father took me out to get a costume and all we could find were R2- D2 and Princess Leia. I was short to begin with and dressing up like R2-D2 would only earn me more teasing at school. We came home with the RD-D2 costume and my father immediately started looking around the house for all the parts to make something different. His old motorcycle helmet, cardboard, tape, and toilet paper tubes. We used the RD-D2 mask as a base and covered it in tape and cardboard until it looked like the perfect stormtrooper mask.
Cassie F. (Chad’s sis, right in photo above) says:
My grandmother’s wooden shoes and doll from Holland were the inspiration for my costume that year. I wanted to dress up and look just like that little doll. So my grandmother helped me sew a hat and a skirt from some left over material in her closet. I must admit, at the time I thought I looked exactly like that doll. Now, however, looking at the picture, my brother is right, I looked like a stripper from Holland.
Click through to the next page to read more answers and leave your own!
Arianne C. says:
This may be a weird answer, but the most fun I ever had in a Halloween costume was the year I was a giraffe. I donned a tapioca yellow tank top and cropped pants, wore little yellow horns. Then I painted myself with edible chocolate spots. People were licking me all night.
Erica P. says:
Well considering next to Thanksgiving that Halloween is my all time favorite holiday I certainly have some killer past costumes to share. I was the kid who was ready for Halloween in July, costume planned out and production started (I could never buy a pre-fab, I HAD to make my own). My top two costume came consecutively in my 4th and 5th grade years when I was Charlie Chaplin and then Mona Lisa. Chaplin was relatively easy to pull off but still an unexpected twist on a 10-year old. I had it all; stache, tails, and big black shoes. I even adopted the Chaplin-waddle as I made my way up my neighbors front walks. Ms. Mona Lisa took a bit more planning but it was worth it. As I made my way around town in a heavy brown sheath, hair parted down the middle hanging long around my face, I carried with me my very own picture frame. I even attached a little light on top to shine on my face as I did my best “Mona Lisa half-smile.”
Beth J. says:
My best one ever was when I was three and my mom dressed me up like the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. It was a great costume — a crown, all kinds of hearts everywhere, a pretty dress and painting on my face. Plus I think I had a scepter of some kind. I don’t remember wearing it, but have seen great photos and I did absolutely love Alice in Wonderland.
Ashley P. says:
Favorite kid costume: Wonder Woman! (I loved Lynda Carter!)
Favorite costume in college: Marsha Brady w/ long blonde wig (Added touch: I wore a bandage over my nose so I was actually Marsha in the episode when she get hit in the face with a football. I ran around all night saying to people, “Now I’ll never be a teen model!”)
Favorite post-college costume: Josie from Josie and the pussy cats (with short red wig and guitar)
Favorite group costume: I was a surfer who had been bitten by a shark. Jeff was the shark.
Angela M. says:
My favorite costume was one that no one but me really got. I went as Anouk Aimee in La Dolce Vita. I wore a curve-hugging 1950s dress with a bobbed wig, dark sunglasses, and a fake bruise on one eye. I’m a film geek at heart, what can I say….
Bunny W. says:
My favorite Halloween costume was when I was the Big Bag Wolf. I think I was five, and the costume involved a black leotard, a big stuffed tail, and, of course, huge teeth…all the better to eat those candies with, my dear.
October 26th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
the flying nun when i was 6, 1st grade. i wanted to fly like sister betrill
October 26th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
I had a costume I loved that I wore to a masquerade ball that was in the spring, but it doesn’t qualify for this!
When Disney put out their first run of Nightmare Before Christmas costumes about 5-6 years ago, I got a Sally costume. It’s slightly different from the costumes that you can get everywhere now, and a little bit higher quality. It was hard to match the facepaint to the color of the “skin” in the costume, but otherwise pretty good. I had a good time in that costume.
When I was 12 I went as the Phantom of the Opera (Broadway Edition) in a mask that was really hard to get my hands on at the time. I glued the mask to my face with rubber cement and I suppose I’m lucky there was no permanent damage. I think this is the only non-girly costume I’ve ever done, and that’s why it’s on my list. I wore black pants and a plain white shirt with a bow tie, and a length of black fabric with silver trim sewed to it as a “cape.”
Last year I was Alice (in a Japanese Gothic Lolital influenced outfit, though) and my fiance was the White Rabbit (in a creepy smiling mask).
I liked all of these. I don’t remember too many others. A lot of my childhood costumes were based on raids of my mom’s closet.
Now I keep a small plastic storage container of basic costume components: cat ears on a headband, little devil horn barettes, a boa, fairy wings, wigs, cheap feathered masks, etc. It makes it easy to throw together a costume for friends and family members if something is needed. Most of it is stuff left over from my past costumes.
October 27th, 2006 at 5:52 am
My most memorable costume was a roller skating mugger. It was the mid-1980s, so roller skating was still something people did for fun on a Friday night. The only problem was that my school had lots of stairs. Another slight problem was the parade, which was held outside on the baseball field. All the gravel did a number on my skates’ ball bearings. Eventually, I had to dispense with the skates and just be a mugger.
An easy last-minute costume, just dress all in black, have a face-mask knit hat, and a pair of black roller skates.
October 29th, 2006 at 4:41 am
My mom & I were just talking about all the creative costumes we (SHE) came up with when I was a kid. My favorite was when I was probably around 10 years old. I was a devil, but it was an extraordinary devil. I had a gold face & large pointy red ears that really made this devil special. We laughed b/c I won the costume contest at our church that year! I think my best costume EVER was in college one yr when I was Poison Ivy from Batman. What a costume! I’ll have to dig out pictures & post them!
October 31st, 2006 at 1:18 pm
My two sisters and I grew up with a big black Newfoundland dog, so one year we put on gingham dresses, did our hair in pigtails, stuck a leash on the dog, and went as the Three Goldilockses and the Bear!
September 4th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Kissing Booth! I had just recovered from mono and was on a kissing rampage. The costume was easy enough to make: I cut a box in half and painted a sign on the front. I hung that around my neck using a rope and wore a great push-up bra. Oh and I also had a can to collect money for my kisses. I made $20 and met my future husband!