Most years, we don’t attend. I’m usually sick or just getting over a cold at that time of year, or we already have plans, or sometimes I just can’t think of a good costume.

But one year, not only did we attend, but we went all out. And when I say “all out”, I do not mean we spent $$$ at a costume shop (which is fine, by the way). I’m old school when it comes to Halloween costumes, so we went the DIY route.

Behold, Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein, made possible courtesy of Halloween makeup purchased at the grocery store, a white sheet, hair spray paint, and generous backcombing of naturally-curly hair (bride); and black clothes, Halloween makeup, and fake neck bolts purchased at the same grocery store.

Bride of Frankenstein

Frankenstein

Total cost, about $15.

Reaction from party goers? Priceless!

It is fun to dress up like and act like a nurse. No matter if you want to be a good nurse, a bad nurse, a sexy nurse, or a crazy nurse, you will have fun doing it. It will be just as much fun creating the nurse costume as it is wearing it.

Things you Need to Create a Great Nurse Costume

When people think of a nurse, they usually think of a woman wearing a short white skirt, a nurse’s hat and white shoes. Although, this is a traditional nurse, not all nurses look like that. There are many different types of nurse’s costumes you can create. Not all nurses look the same, but all nurses usually wear white clothes. Therefore, although the nurse’s costumes may be different, they all will be based around the color white.

A Sexy Nurse

Older women may choose to be a sexy nurse. In this case, you will want to get some sexy white lingerie, a white cape, a white nurse’s hat and some white stiletto heels. The possibilities are endless when one wants to be a sexy nurse. It is totally up to you how sexy and revealing you want to be. One can be a conservative sexy nurse, while another can be a very liberal sexy nurse.

A Cute Nurse

Younger girls may want to explore the possibility of being a cute nurse. With this nurse costume, you could wear the typical nurse dress, with a hat and white shoes. One can either have a short white skirt or white pants with a scrub top. White panty hose will also look cute with this type of nurse costume.

The Crazy/Mean Nurse

A psychopathic nurse is another great nurse’s costume. This costume can really be any type of nurse’s costume. However, one may also want to include blood stains, messed up hair, too much make-up or other things to make the nurse appear to be psychotic.

Accessories

One of the coolest things when creating a nurses costume is the accessories. A nurse can carry around a clip board, a stethoscope, a large sized needle, pill bottles or bandages. These types of accessories can be found at a local costume shop, a medical supply store, and sometimes at a pharmacy. The accessories for a nurse’s costume are endless. You can accessorize as much or as little as you like.

Although it originated with the French, it is celebrated by people all over the world. One way people celebrate Mardi Gras is to dress in costumes and parade down the street. Many people have some very unique ideas for Mardi Gras costumes. These ideas are usually very colorful and creative in nature and are designed to hide the true identity of the person wearing them.

What are Some Good Ideas for Mardi Gras Costumes?

There is no set rules for designing a good costume for this unique celebration. Therefore, the ideas for the Mardi Gras costume are endless. The main thing to remember is that the costume must conceal your identity as much as possible. Other should not be able to guess who you are by simply looking at your Mardi Gras costume ideas.

One can choose a whole mask or a half of mask for their Mardi Gras costume idea. The mask is then decorated with colorful flowers, gems, rhinestone and other adornments. The mask should be the most unique and most colorful part of your Mardi Gras costume idea. Make your mask as unique and as colorful as possible.

In addition to the masks, you should also have a colorful hat or hair. Some people wear large jester hats or large, oversized top hats. Other people will simple spray paint their hair a color to match their clothes and mask. There are many Mardi Gras costume ideas for your head and hair.

Your Mardi Gras costume ideas must also include accessories. These accessories can include Mardi Gras beads, coins, gloves, hose and other trinkets. Almost everyone wears Mardi Gras beads, so you definitely want them to be part of your costume. With many Mardi Gras costume ideas, the accessories and trinkets are what make the costume stand out in a large crowd of partying people.

No matter what Mardi Gras costume ideas you come up with, you have to make sure you stand out. Your costume must be colorful, it must conceal your identity and it must be larger than life. Mardi Gras is a fun time to dress up in costume and parade and party with all of your friends and family.

Adult 80s Madonna Costume Our Women’s Madonna Costume is the ideal 80s Pop Star Costume. Not quite what you are looking for? Then consider any of our other Madonna Costumes or try any of our Rock Star Costumes.Main Features Black Material Girl Madonna Dress Black choker Please Note Wig and gloves available separately

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In many instances it is not necessarily the dress that a person wears as it is the hair color and style that makes it obvious they are wearing a Madonna costume. Since the material girl like to change her style every few years, it is also possible to dress up like the infamous singer wearing a Madonna costume from different eras of her career. One bit of advice though, if you cannot sing a note, you probably should not try to emulate her talent as it can quickly detract from the realism of the costume.

When most people look for a Madonna costume they look for skin-tight and short, but they also gravitate to the wild big hair days of the 1980’s to help them look more the part. Big sunglasses and bold golden curls will be necessary for other to recognize the so-called singing icon that you are trying to portray. A pair of black silk gloves can also be added to the Madonna costume to help make the appearance more realistic for the times.

Dressing in the 1980’s was not all about the hair and skin-tight clothing as the material girls would also occasionally show up with large, puffed out dresses, cut above the knee in order to establish her bad girl image. To really make the Madonna costume more realistic, you will also need to add a dose or two of attitude to fit the Madonna mold.

Not All Costumes Point To Madonna

It is not always necessary to replicate her apparel in order to be considered wearing a Madonna costume as many times the singer has appeared wearing costumes for their shock value. She once showed up wearing a nun’s habit to go along with one of her songs, “Like A Virgin” and really upset a lot of religious believers.

She is also well known for her desire to wear off-the-wall types of clothing and accessories that make finding Madonna costume almost a scavenger hunt as finding a tight dress that appears to be fitted with funnels on the bosom can be a challenge, unless you are capable of making your own Madonna costume.

For most people, sticking to basics of tight Capri-style pants and a cropped top, wearing a curly blonde wig, big sunglasses and an attitude can be representative of a Madonna costume. The walk, the talk and do not forget the wad of chewing gum can transform anyone into the 1908’s singing legend.

One very cool idea is to have all of the guests at a costume party dress like a historical figure. While at the party, you can play some games where the guests have to guess who the historical figures are by playing a game of charades or other trivia games. Having a historical costume party is a unique and fun party idea. If you do have such a party, you will need to choose a historical costume.

Making History With a Historical Costume at a historical party

A historical costume can be a hard decision because the possibilities are endless. When you choose to become a historical figure, you open your possibilities up to a world of cool ideas. You can be a famous president, a sports figure, an inventor or any number of historical people throughout time.

Choosing a historical costume will get you noticed at any costume party. You will be bringing back an important piece of history and possibly teaching all of the costume party goers a thing or two about your historical costume and character. Therefore, choosing a historical costume is a great idea for any type of costume party.

Before deciding on which historical costume you want to wear, you should do a lot of research on the person you are planning on becoming. The more you know about the historical person, the easier it will be to create the costume and play the role. Search the internet for information about the person and the time period in which they lived.

Once you decide upon which historical costume you want to wear for your party, you will then be ready to create it. You can find a lot of the items you will need for this costume at the local second hand store or at the local costume shop. Shop around for all of the things you will need to complete your costume. Shopping for your costume will be just as much fun as it is wearing the costume.

Finally, if you are in doubt or are having problems figuring out what to wear to your next costume party, you should consider wearing a historical costume. There are hundreds of possibilities in this category. You are bound to find something that you will have fun learning about and fun wearing.

The Components of the French Maid Costume

The overall appearance of a French maid costume is to convey the feeling that she is not really a maid at all, but actually something more seductive. The French maid costume is simple within itself, but when worn correctly, it can mean much more.

Specifically, the dress of a French maid costume is all black, with a white ruffled petticoat, and a simple white apron. However, the dress itself is very short, and it is low-cut. Aside from the standard outfit, you can add your own personality to the French maid costume, which makes it even more fun to wear.

For example, part of what makes the costume look interesting is the shoes. You can go with a stand pair of high heels if you want to go for more of a classic look. However, if you want to spice the costume up a bit, you can add platform heels or boots.

Something else you need to think about is the stockings. Regular nylon stockings would be rather boring, so why not go a bit more daring with some fishnet or black stockings? You could also add a unique style to your look by wearing white knee socks.

Something else that a French maid needs to have is an accessory. One of the most popular costume accessories is a white duster. However, you can do something different as well by bring a small purse, or perhaps a toy French poodle.

For more information on obtaining a French maid outfit, begin by going to your local costume store. There should be at least one variation of this popular outfit there. Be aware that there are some costumes that are made better than others, so keep that in mind when choosing a French maid outfit.

Remember, the most important thing is that you find a French maid outfit that fits you well and allows you to comfortably enjoy your party. For this reason, consider outfits that do not include a corset. Also, get a black choker and a little white hat to complete your ensemble. With the proper preparation, you are sure to have an excellent French maid outfit!

Everyone loves to watch people dress up in sleezy or sexy dance costumes and shake their booties to their favorite songs. With these dance shows so popular, why not consider wearing a dance costume for your next costume party? A dance costume would be a very fun and exciting costume that will surely turn the heads of everyone in the room.

How to Create a Fabulous Dance Costume

One can very easily create a dance costume that is out of this world. You can simply use a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and decorate with them with many beautiful and sparkly rhinestones, gems, glitter, laces, sequins, and other adornments. You will want to make it very shiny and glittery because the majority of all dance costumes are designed to catch someone’s eye.

Another idea is to take an old bathing suit and decorate with the same types of adornments. Many dance costumes are very sleezy and sexy and will show off many parts of the dancer’s body (for both male and females). No matter what type of clothes you choose to decorate, you will definitely want to make sure that it is shiny and eye catching.

Next, you will need to get a pair of dance shoes. The type of dance costume you wear will determine the type of shoes you will wear. A ballerina will want to wear ballet shoes, a ballroom dancer or Latin dancer will want to wear heels, and a hip hop dancer will want to wear boots or tennis shoes.

Many shoes stores usually have a nice selection of dance shoes to choose from. Some dancers even go bare foot. So, if you really do not want to wear shoes, then it is okay to be bare foot. You may also want to add a pair of leggings or leg warmers for the added dancer look.

Wearing a dance costume to a costume party is a great idea. It is something shining and sparkly that will catch the eyes of everyone in the room. If you are really brave at the costume party, you may even attempt to demonstrate a dance. Your audience will love it.

A Victorian costume for a woman should be a long, beautiful dress that is full of detail. Most of these dresses were a soft pink or earth tone color. Not many bright colors were used in Victorian dress. There were usually a lot of buttons and lace around the dress. The skirts of the dress were very full and the bodices were very long, thin and tight. Each dress included a very large, decorated hat or a bonnet.

Victorian women put a lot of emphasis on detail and your Victorian costume should also contain a lot of detail. Not only did the dress bring out the woman’s beauty, it also made a statement about her as a person. Women of money had extravagant dresses; whereas the poor women only had a plain dress. Your Victorian costume should reflect something about you as a person as well.

The Victorian Man

Like the Victorian costume for a woman, the Victorian costume for a man should also be very elegant and stylish. They should include a long, dark overcoat, a top hat or some other form of hat, and some type of bow tie or dickie. Many men would also carry a walking stick and a pocket watch. Dark colors such as browns, grays and blacks were usually the main colors of choice for men of the Victorian era.

The Victorian costume for a man also tells a lot about who the man is and what role he plays in society. Depending on what career the man chose, his clothes would reflect his life’s work. Most of the time, one could determine what line of work a Victorian man was in simply by the way he dressed and presented himself.

When thinking about a Victorian costume, one should do some research and look at the different ways people dressed during this time period. Although each person dressed uniquely, there was still a very distinct style for this time period. One will have fun dressing up in a Victorian costume because of the elegance, beauty and splendor of this type of costume.

For instance, variety is the spice of life, and leasing a car for a few years, and then leasing a different one, can definitely keep some anticipation and excitement in life versus owning the same car for decades. Also, for some items, owning is actually counterproductive and wasteful—if an item is only going to be used once or twice, there is no point in spending more money to own it. Cleaning supplies, moving equipment, furniture—if it is for a special occasion, renting is definitely wiser.

Costume rental is another perfect option, and the superior choice to buying a costume. There are many factors involved with choosing and wearing a costume. Costumes are usually only worn once or twice a year, around Halloween or some other costume party. They depend on the size of the person, meaning they cannot be worn year after year.

They also serve a specific purpose—fun and excitement. Some costumes are only funny or memorable in a specific year, based on what may have happened in popular culture. Costume wearers also do not want to dress up the same way year after year, and their friends also want to see something new. Costume rental is the perfect alternative to buying costumes, as it saves money, frustration and brings the true meaning of dressing up to life.

Picking and Choosing

Costume rental allows an individual to always try something new. Instead of wearing the same outfit year after year, he or she can mix it up and try something different. Also, a lot of people are unable to afford to buy really intricate costumes—instead they buy cheaper, less detailed costumes and reuse them. Costume rental allows people to wear a better costume, and still save money, as the cost of renting a costume is cheaper than the cost of buying a cheap costume.

And in the end, cheap costumes often do not last for years—people end up having to buy new costumes anyway. Costume rental is the perfect solution for people looking to save money, and for people looking to enjoy Halloween, and other special occasions, to the utmost.

Costume jewelry made over the last hundred years is nearly as beautiful and spectacular as genuine jewelry made of precious metals like platinum, gold, and silver, and precious gemstones like diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Costume jewelry has evolved through the years, as can be seen by reviewing the history of this fashion tradition.

Roaring Twenties

The 1920s and 1930s saw an era of Art Deco jewelry, featuring jet black stones, white platinum and silver metal, and symmetrical and geometric shapes. This period in costume jewelry is characterized by pendant necklaces, bangle bracelets, jeweled accessories like cigarette holders and pillboxes, and long, dangling earrings.

Retro Modern Period

Plastic was king of costume jewelry from about 1935 until well into the early 1950s. Indeed, plastic Bakelite bangle bracelets and Bakelite bead necklaces are sought after today as collectible jewelry because of its vivid colors and timeless modern design sensibilities. This era saw plastics formed into fanciful shapes, like sunbursts, bows, daisies, horses, and ballerinas, often with twinkling rhinestones set into patterns on bracelets, earrings, and necklaces.

Contemporary Modern Period

Costume jewelry made between about 1945 and 1960 was tailored and sophisticated. Refinements in the jewelry of the 1940s and 1950s meant smaller pieces. Themed pieces became popular, like animal pins with Poodles and Scottish terriers. Christmas tree pins also enjoyed great popularity, as did other themed jewelry for holidays like Easter, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day.

Sparkle has always been popular on costume jewelry, with rhinestones and their descendants, cubic zirconium, often found embedded in rings and earrings. Today, these kitschy pieces are highly sought after by collectors.

Mid-priced wristwatches are a great example of a costume jewelry item that is highly collectible and growing more valuable with every season. Look for chunky men’s watches with brands like Bulova, Omega, Seiko, Rolex, and Elgin.

Where to Find Vintage Jewelry

The best place to find these vintage jewelry pieces is on the secondhand market. Online classified and auction sites like craigslist, eBay, and overstock offer many fun costume jewelry pieces. A recent eBay search turned up 2,554 costume jewelry items for sale! Estate sales are also an excellent source of secondhand costume jewelry, as are antique floors and private sellers.