These are classy, clean, and creative costumes that you are going to want to take a look at. I was trolling around Pinterest checking out Halloween costumes for couples and ran across this very cool post for “10 Vintage Inspired Couples Costumes.” Most are for male/female couples, but there’s also an idea for 2 girl friends. You could easily compose many of these costumes from clothing in your own closet and a trip to the thrift store or your grandma’s closet. I totally see college age kids pulling these looks off and looking good doing it.
Category: General
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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4hWqIW–rQ
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)
A friend recently asked on my Facebook page if I had any ideas for a Frankenstein Halloween costume for girls. I immediately went to Chasing Fireflies, one of my favorite costume resources for inspiration. They have amazing looking costumes, though they may seem a bit pricey. However, they are very detailed and often come with numerous pieces. This “Green Monster Girl” costume retails for $89.50, but you get the purple top, the textured green shrug, tiered skirt, the furry boot covers, and the SO fun Frankenstein hat & headband. If you are running out of time to put it together yourself or don’t feel crafty, Chasing Fireflies is a good online resource for boutique costumes and they have really unique costume accessories that I haven’t seen at other retailers. It’s getting close to Halloween so if you want a costume from Chasing Fireflies, you will need to get right on it and pay attention to the delivery date in case you need rush shipping.
If you love this girl Frankenstein, but would like to recreate your own version, this is how I break it down:
- Color scheme: Black, purple, and lime green
- Details: Jagged edges, stitches, and bolts
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 thought it was just me, but I am starting to notice more chatter online about all the costumes that show waaaaay too much skin–it’s becoming accepted now as “normal”, even for teens. Crazy how some people use Halloween to push the boundaries. Not only does it seem that many of those costumes are inappropriate for public use, but isn’t it freezing in many locations by Halloween time? Wouldn’t you want to be a bit more covered up? And frankly, they aren’t very flattering to most every-day body types.
This site is a safe place where the costumes are appropriate and I do my best to promote modest and family friendly costumes for all occasions.
There are many ways to tone down those “adult” costumes into something a bit more appropriate.
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.
Another option
Well someone at my house keeps changing her mind about what she wants to be for Halloween. Now it’s Rosie Riveter. That’s pretty simple: blue shirt, red bandana, jeans, and boots. She wants to dress up, but not look like she tried too hard, and she wants comfort after years of wearing costumes with wigs, makeup, and multiple accessories and pieces. It’s tough for teens to find that perfect something. This step-by-step guide will come in handy, along with the makeup tutorial below. Until she changes her mind. Again.
Update: She stuck with Rosie the Riveter and put her own spin on Rosie with fingerless gloves, leggings, and Converse All-Stars. 
This morning my daughter showed me a favorite channel on YouTube called KittiesMama where an adorable 8 year old girl does Monster High Dolls makeup tutorials (see below), so I was inspired to post pics from the year we did a Monster High Group costume for our family.
I prefer to use regular clothing that will get used again, where possible, as part of costumes and I like them to be one-of-a-kind, so I generally do not buy the “costume-in-a-bag” available at the retailers during the Halloween season. However, I do like to purchase accessories that really define the character and that are worth the splurge.
For more info and step-by-step instructions on my proven process used to create a Halloween costume, check out my eBook on Amazon, “How to Create & Design a Halloween Costume.”
Frankie Stein is a school-girl look. So think of plaids,