Dressing up as Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) is easy, since there’s a licensed costume that perfectly duplicates her fabulous ensemble in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Her role as Holly Golightly was iconic, and everybody still recognizes that amazing black gown and beehive hairdo. But Audrey was much more than just a movie star. Her experiences during World War II (her family ate tulip bulbs to survive the Nazis) inspired in her a lifelong commitment to humanitarianism. After her retirement from films she became a worldwide ambassador for UNICEF.
But on to the costume! Here are the pieces we suggest, from left to right:
1. Holly Golightly costume. Includes the dress, gloves, and sunglasses.
2. Pearl necklace and earring set. This is the matching jewelry for the costume–it’s modeled after the fabulous necklace Audrey wore in the move.
3. Holly Golightly wig. If you don’t have hair that you can fix into a beehive, this wig will work. If you do have long hair that you can fix into a classic upsweep beehive—and you’re willing to tease it to within an inch of its life—this video will show you what to do.
4. Holly Golightly tiara. Perfect to just perch right there on your beehive.
5. Deluxe metal cigarette holder. Telescopes to 18 inches long.
6. Black evening gloves. The gloves that come with the dress look a little short, so if you want gloves that will come up all the way over your elbows, get these.
Before she married Prince Rainier of Monaco, Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was an Oscar-winning actress at the very top of the Hollywood game. On-screen she played cool beauties; off-screen she was fiercely independent and free-spirited. Later, as Princess of Monaco, she became rather conservative, but in her youth she was a firecracker. A firecracker in ice-blue satin.
Our costume is inspired by Grace’s famous Academy Award outfit. The pieces we suggest, from left to right:
1. Fifties-style strapless gown in ice blue. Very Grace Kelly.
2. White evening gloves.
3. Pearl drop earrings with rhinestones. In gold tone to match your Oscar.
4. Honey blonde wig. If you don’t have Grace Kelly hair, you can try this wig. The color is about right, though it’s a little too curly at the bottom.
5. Oscar statue to carry with you. Practice your acceptance speech!
Hoo boy! Our first few days have been amazing. We’ve been linked by the Washington Post, tweeted and re-tweeted everywhere, Facebooked, and now covered by Echidne and The Widdershins. (And probably more, but we haven’t sorted through all the trackbacks.) Awesome. Huge thanks to all of you!
We still need to add our Glamour Grrl category, and as we get closer to Halloween, we’ll focus on some costumes that you can pull together super-quick.
It’s our first blog post, so we’ll start by tipping the hat to all those blogs and posts that inspired us to start this site:
- College Candy
- College Fashion
- Echidne of the Snakes
- FatGrrl
- Feminist Mormon Housewives
- Filthy Grandeur
- HillZoo
- I Blame The Patriarchy
- Jezebel
- Ms. Magazine
- Rachel Simmons
- Salon
- The Sexist
- Sociological Images
- Stiletto Revolt
Here’s to a less craptastic Halloween!
This costume should really have its own category: Costumes For When You Have A Halloween Party Tonight And It’s Already 5 O’Clock. Yes, it’s extremely simple, but that’s the appeal. You can stop by a costume store and pick up a Medusa wig, combine it with your own cool clothes, and voilà! You’ll look exactly like Uma Thurman.
Seriously, we haven’t seen The Lightning Thief, so we have no idea if it’s any good. But the costumes look cool. Uma Thurman plays Medusa, the snake-headed Gorgon of Greek mythology, but she’s dressed in Matrixy-type modern duds. That’s what makes it easy to duplicate. The pieces we suggest, from left to right:
1. Medusa headpiece
2. Turban headband. You need an open-crown turban like this, or just a black scarf, to wrap around your head and hide the latex edges of the silly snake thing.
3. Trinity duster
4. Black sunglasses.
Other stuff: Wear all black under your duster—black pants and top, black boots if you have them.
Tomyris (6th century BCE), the warrior queen of the Massagetae, was the woman who defeated and killed Cyrus the Great. In revenge for Cyrus’s trickery and the death of her son, Tomyris led her troops into battle against the Persians, routing them in what Herodotus described as the fiercest battle the “barbarians” had ever engaged in (they were all barbarians to Herodotus). Tomyris famously had Cyrus’s corpse beheaded and his skull made into a drinking cup. Or so the story goes.
Whatever the details of Cyrus’s death, the fact is that there were very definitely warrior women and queens among the ancient Iranian tribes of the Eurasian steppes, including the Massagetae. So we’re going to dress Tomyris as the warrior woman she was, basing our design on the excavated clothing from tomb burials. The illustrations above (by Angus McBride) show a noblewoman; a queen would probably have more bling and some gold armor.
Fortunately, the basic steppe costume of tunic + pants survives in many cultures across the continent, especially South Asia. The pieces we suggest, from left to right:
1. Cotton kurti. This kurti has a simple geometric design that helps it seem archaic rather than modern. You can add leggings from that same store, or wear any narrow trousers that will fit into boots (next).
2. Bearpaw boots in hickory/champagne.
3. Phrygian cap. Yes, it’s really a Robin Hood cap, but you’re going to turn it around so the point faces forward. That will make it a Phrygian cap, which is what the steppe tribes wore.
4. Jeweled sword with faux leather sheath. This one has a handy belt loop, too. (Wear a leather belt.)
5. Gold armor wristlets. You are a warrior, after all. And a queen.
6. Skull drinking cup. Carry it with you and tell everyone it’s the skull of Cyrus the Great. (This might not be a good idea if there will be any Persians at your party.)
Such a pretty kimono! So delicate, so charming. And such a lovely young maiden…too bad she’s a DRAGON.
The story of Kiyohime is the original Fatal Attraction. She fell in love with a handsome young Buddhist monk, and when he spurned her, her rage was so great that she turned into a ferocious purple dragon. We suspect the monk had it coming to him. The two images above are both 19th century Japanese prints depicting crucial moments in the story. On the left, Kiyohime is in pursuit of her lover but hasn’t yet turned into a dragon. On the right we see her in the terrible moment of actual transformation—and it’s definitely terrible, because we have no idea what’s going on with that kimono. Our costume is the next stage: she still has her kimono on, but her head and body have already turned dragony and purple.
The pieces we suggest, from left to right:
1. Black floral kimono with obi. Very innocent and sweet.
2. Deep purple zentai suit. Of course you probably already have a zentai suit (doesn’t everyone?), but in case you don’t have one in purple, here’s your ticket. Wear this underneath your kimono. (You don’t have to wear the face part.)
3. Dragon headpiece.
Amina (ca. 1533-1610) was a brilliant warrior queen of the northern Nigerian Hausa state of Zaria. She is remembered in song as “a woman as capable as a man,” which is rather understating the matter, seeing as how Amina was the greatest ruler and warrior in Nigerian history. For our illustration we’ve used three images of Amina: the painting on the bottom is by Floyd Cooper (for the Budweiser African royalty series, hence the copyright), the one on the top is by Erhabor Emokpae, and the image on the right is an official Nigerian stamp from 1975.
Now, for the costume: basically, you need a babban riga, or as it’s more popularly known outside Nigeria, a grand boubou. This voluminous multi-layered outfit is now worn by men throughout West Africa, but it was originally the clothing of the northern horsemen. Since Amina was very much a horse-riding, weapon-wielding queen, that’s probably the kind of thing she wore. If a friend or relative already has a grand boubou you can borrow, you’re in luck. If not, you can search for a used one on eBay or buy a new one; we give you a link below for a store that has rock-bottom prices. As for Amina’s headgear, Floyd Cooper (the Budweiser artist) shows her in a very sultan-ish turban, which we think is a nice touch. This was the 16th century, after all, and Amina was definitely living in a world of sultans and emirs.
The pieces we suggest, from left to right:
1. Four-piece Grand Boubou set (pants, top, robe, hat). These come in a variety of colors; all are a large one-size-fits-all.
2. Costume turban. In white, gray, blue, burgundy, or black.
3. Costume sword. Wear a leather belt to hold it.
4. Costume scepter. Note that this is only 19 inches long, so it’s very much just a waving-around-for-show scepter.
Shoes: We suggest boots if you have them. Hausa horsemen today wear a variety of footwear, from boots to open sandals, but the boots just look so great:
Some sun goddesses are motherly types. They shed their nurturing light on the earth, helping the plants grow and the people thrive. Not Bila. She preferred to burn people up. Every day she would send out her dingo dogs (this was back in the Dreamtime) to hunt down human victims for her great bonfires. Eventually Lizard and Gecko decided to put a stop to this—apparently they were fond of humans—and so they attacked her. Bila turned herself into a fireball and fled, leaving the world in darkness. Oops! Lizard and Gecko then had to figure out how to get her back, which they did by hurling a boomerang into the sky. Somehow the boomerang drove Bila back onto the horizon, and now she travels across the sky every day in the form of the burning sun.
There is no standard depiction of Bila as far as know, so the costume design is sort of abstract. The pieces we suggest:
1. Hand-drawn batik sarong featuring a gecko design and sun motif. This is for your top layer. We suggest wearing it as a strapless dress, just like on the mannequin in the picture.
2. “Holy Fire” dance skirt. Note this is just the skirt, not the top. It’s a ten-panel orange chiffon circle skirt with flame-yellow inserts. Wear it underneath the sarong for a fiery look all the way to the floor.
3. Yellow flame wig. It’s silly, but we love it.
4. Small fair-trade boomerang. These boomerangs are only about 8 inches across, so you could hang one around your neck as a giant pendant. Just tie a cord to the middle. These are hand-painted by Australian artists in the Central Desert region.
5. Plush dingo to carry with you. Or you could just bring your own dog.
Illustration credits: For the background of our abstract costume illustration we used part of a painting by Jabaljarri, a Jawoyn artist (northern Australia).
Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), the beloved South African legend, was famously known as “Mama Africa” for her music and her courageous opposition to apartheid. Throughout her long career Miriam was always stylish, wearing everything from boubous to isicholos with panache, but for our costume we’ve chosen her 60s-era look: western-style gowns paired with tall African-style hats.
Finding a gown is easy; it’s the hat that’s hard. We haven’t been able to locate a good source for costume purposes (real hats are very expensive), so we’ve come up with a thrifty alternative: a chef’s hat! Not the poufy, floppy kind, but the tall stiff cylindrical kind. They’re available in solid black, they’re shaped exactly like the hats Miriam was wearing in the 1960s, and they’re only ten bucks. Can’t beat that. Add a great dress, bold hoop earrings, a glittery microphone, and maybe a pair of shades for that 60s look.
Costume pieces from left to right:
1. Black chef’s hat, 9 inches tall.
2. Gold strapless gown.
3. Large gold-plated hoop earrings
4. Gold glitter microphone.
And if you can sing “Pata Pata,” you’re all set.
Nu Wa (also spelled Nu Gua or Nu Kua) is the ancient Chinese creator goddess. She’s usually depicted with a dragon body—sort of like a mermaid, but with awesome powers over the universe. Nu Wa spent seven days creating the animals, beginning with chickens (!) and ending with humans. (Day one: chickens. Day two: dogs. Day three: sheep. Day four: pigs. Day five: cows. Day six: horses. Day seven: humans.) Our costume illustration shows two views of the goddess. The image on the right is from an ancient tomb painting; it shows Nu Wa (holding a bow compass) entwined with her mate, Fu Xi (holding a carpenter’s square). Very, um, snaky. We’re going with the image on the left. Though we love the drafting tools.
Our goal here is to approximate a Tang Dynasty silhouette: sleeveless underdress, wide-sleeved robe, and a wide belt cinching it all at the waist. The pieces we suggest, from left to right:
1. A mermaid dress! This one is really pretty. It looks like scales—very dragony—but in a nice way. Notice the smocking across the middle? That’s exactly where your belt will go, just above the dripping pearl thing.
2. Green dragon robe. Wear this over the dress, making sure to keep it pulled open at the front so the nice mermaid costume will show. The belt (#3) will hold everything in position.
3. White cinch belt. This goes over the robe and holds everything in place.
4. A tiara with streamers.
5. Bow compass. You can draw circles for people. You can also scare the living daylights out of people if you wave this thing around at a party.
Amaterasu is the Japanese sun goddess, the principal deity in the Shinto pantheon. (And yes, we know she’s the ancestor of the Emperor of Japan. So don’t wear this costume if you’re going to a party at the palace. Other than that, you should be okay.) We’re inspired by Stephanie Kao’s modern rendering above (main image), but we also love the traditional depiction of Amaterasu in a white kimono (detail from a 19th century woodcut, inset above). For our costume we’ve combined Stephanie’s rich colors with the traditional white, and added some fantasy touches.
The pieces we suggest, from left to right:
1. A cosplay costume that has absolutely nothing to do with Amaterasu, but is a great look for what we want. This is a three piece costume, and note that the white underskirt is open in the front. We suggest you tie the yellow obi/belt in the back instead of the front.
2. A red skirt with shiny lamé. Amaterasu should be shiny. She’s the sun!
3. Tomato red tank top. To match the skirt.
4. Yellow flame wig. Amaterasu is traditionally shown with sun rays extending out from her head, which is a difficult look to pull off unless you’re Cher. But you could make do with this felt wig instead.
