Not only is this a great group costume, but isn’t this a great image? Just so stinkin’ cute. This is from my friend who made these costumes for her son and his cousins. These costumes are easy to make from black sweats. The hardest part may be waiting for the silver glitter glue to dry so that you can flip the sweats to decorate another area. I dare my three girls to pull this off when they are all teenagers. With a mustache, of course.
I have all girls, so my mind isn’t geared to think of costumes for boys as much, so I am always looking out for good boy costume ideas. I was at my daughter’s karate studio for their Halloween party today and saw a boy in this green hoodie, holding the sword, and wearing Minecraft Creeper mask. He looked like a cool cube. You can try to make the mask and sword from cardboard and a careful paint job, but you know how kids are– sometimes you just gotta splurge to get the real thing. Check the shipping date on Amazon or sign up for 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime.
My costuming philosophy is all about being able to reuse something you purchase as part of the Halloween costume. You know these items will be worn and played with long after Halloween, so it is a worthwhile investment in a Halloween costume!
A friend messaged me asking for some ideas on a toga costume for her and her new fiance. (Congrats Lauren!)
Yes, you can make a toga using a bed sheet or curtains, if they aren’t too thick. It needs to be a fabric that is lightweight like sheets, and will drape nicely. Start with a twin sheet to see how it fits, but it depends on your size and height. You may need to experiment with the sheet size for the best results. Fold it in half if necessary. Use safety pins to secure. The three videos below show different methods for tying the toga, both for men and women.
Clothing: Consider what you will wear underneath the toga in case of a wardrobe malfunction or if you simply want a little more coverage. Items that fit snug like a tank top, tube top, layering tee, bike shorts or spankies work the best so that the toga isn’t disturbed by bulky or baggy fabric underneath.
Accessories: Find gold trim or ribbon at Walmart or a craft & fabric store to form a belt for the toga. It gives a better shape to the toga by pulling it in a bit at the waist for both men and women. Sandals or flip flops complement this look along with gold jewelry. And don’t forget something for the hair such as gold trim wrapped around the head as the first video shows, a golden floral wreath shown in the second video, or a green leaf wreath worn by the male in the last video.
Makeup: If you really want to look like you didn’t just throw on a sheet at the last minute, then follow the second video for some tips on a makeup design to go with the toga. This will really finish off the look and your costume will look intentional and stylized.
I discovered this company (chasing-fireflies.com) a few years ago when my mom passed along their print catalog she had received in the mail. My girls loved to look through the pages at all the fanciful and interesting costumes. I was relieved that I could trust my girls with this company’s catalog of modest costumes because so many costume resources display the cutesy “adult” costumes right alongside the costumes for kids.
Wow–was I hooked! Chasing Fireflies’ costumes look incredible. They have a 75 page catalog showing a large assortment of family friendly, age appropriate boutique costumes. Prices range from $29.50 for an infant pirate costume to a wickedly gorgeous evil queen costume that goes from a girl’s size 6 ($98.50) up to a women’s size 24/26 for $148.50. This may seem like an investment, but that’s exactly what it is. These costumes are built to last well past the first Halloween party and depending on the costume, many include 2 to 6 pieces, such as a mask, cape, belt or leg warmers so you get big bang for your buck.
Though I have not purchased a costume from Chasing Fireflies it seems that they are much higher quality costumes because of the attention to detail and design. They have trims, embellishments, and fabrics that are not available on most costumes from typical retailers. The hems look properly folded over and finished which keeps them from shredding and running. Many of the girl costume hems are even finished off with feathers, lace, or sequin trim. Some costumes such as the police office, knight, and firefighter include personalization. Multiple accessories available including shoes, jewelry, or treat bags really take the costume over the top!
I ran across the following two Chasing Fireflies Videos on YouTube and though they are from a few seasons ago, it shows a sampling of their product in action. I love the behind-the-scenes look at things, so it’s kind of fun to sneak into their photo shoots…
My Top 5 Costumes From Chasing Fireflies (though I have many favorites)
I ran across this colorful post yesterday on creating super hero costumes including the top, eye mask, and gauntlets. Have your child wear all black underneath to look super sleek and they are set! Girls can add a tutu out of black or a coordinating color scheme. These are made from felt, so it is an easy fabric to work with, inexpensive, and needs no hemming. This costume idea is so much better than the thin “costume-in-a-bag” that starts to shred soon after they put it on, and they will be super comfortable in black sweats or jeans and a tee instead of an awkward 1 piece costume.
I just had lunch with a friend who said her son wanted to be Sully, but she was having trouble finding the costume in his size, so she was going to make one. Here are some other options for Sully that are simple and no-sew. Top it off with the Sully hat or mask shown.
You have to watch this music video if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s clean and safe for all ages and though the video seems a bit bizarre, it has gone viral and the song is c-a-t-c-h-y-. My daughter’s karate studio plays the song for their warmups, so it must be legit…
I already did a post on a cool take for a “Mr. & Mrs. Fox” couples Halloween costume, but this post gives you some ideas for costumes that are slightly more literal representations of the animal characters from this song. It’s going to be a popular Halloween costume theme this year for individuals, couples (a fox and a fox dancer), and groups. You could even do a huge group with many different animals, or just the fox and a large ensemble of female fox dancers. Have animals and dancers for a super size group.
>SUPER SIMPLE TIP IF YOU DO THE GROUP OF ANIMALS INCLUDING THE FOX: HAVE EVERYONE WEAR ALL BLACK AND THEN WEAR THE HAT/EARS/ACCESSORIES THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT. IT WILL BE CHEAP, EASY, AND YOU WILL LOOK REALLY PULLED TOGETHER AS A GROUP, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ADD IN THE FEMALE FOX DANCERS IN THEIR BLACK AND WHITE UNIFORMS. SUGAR SHARP.
Fox: The fox mascot costume for a male adult is now in hot demand, so retailers have raised their prices and may even be sold out. Check out Amazon for the fox costume.
I recently wrote 3 different posts using a faux fur vest as a starting point for Halloween costume ideas. I was out shopping today and it’s not just available at JC Penney. Apparently this faux fur vest look is hot this year because I saw similar vests at H & M and Target . H & M even has a version in their adult sizes. Justice has a version you can purchase online here. So not only do you or your kids get something cozy and warm to wear as part of a Halloween costume, but you get something trendy for fall and winter! Who doesn’t love that?
