HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (Or, 5 Last Minute Costume Ideas You Can Grab from Your Own Vintage Closet)

Happy Halloween Everyone!

If you've been reading my blog for a long time you know that on holidays I usually post a themed pinup photo and a quick greeting.

unsourced via Pintrest

Ya, that looks about right...

I thought since Halloween lands mid week this year and it's likely most of you will be heading out to party this upcoming weekend instead of this evening. If you're still stumped in the costume department I thought I'd help you out with some easy last minute costume ideas you can throw together out of your own vintage wardrobe.

Mime
This is a classic, but a fun costume I think. It's a costume that comes with an attitude! You can be trapped in a box, pull on imaginary ropes and all sorts of other mime-y things!
This was an easy costume to cobble together. It's comfortable and recognizable.
You could pull out all the stops and wear a full white face, but if you're not into that, drawing a tear under one eye and some triangles around the other like I did with and eyeliner pencil will get the message across.

* Black and White Striped Tee * Black Pants * Red Neckscarf (could also be black or white!) * White Gloves * Black Flats * Black Eyeliner Pencil * Black Beret *

Sailor

Every good vintage loving gal has a sailor dress in her closet. I also happen to have a gob (name for the classic white sailor hat) in mine as well (I found it at Value Village one day and couldn't resist bringing it home). If you need one to complete your costume check your local Dollarstore or Halloween Party Store. 

This is another easy, comfortable costume. And as you can see, you don't need to be exposing skin and be "sexy". This costume is cute and is still costume-y enough. It's certainly better than showing up to a party without a costume! 

For added effect, I drew an "tattoo" anchor on my forearm with a black eyeliner pencil. Sailor inspired temporary tattoos would be fun too!

* Sailor Dress * White Belt (optional) * Peep Toe Pumps * Gob Sailor Hat * Black Eyeliner Pencil *

Mother Nature
This costume is up for interpretation. I threw on a bright vintage flowery dress and pinned every flower brooch I have to it and wore green tights and shoes (which are a bit hard to see in this pic). I even pinned a decorative birds nest into my hair!
For the purposes of this photo I only applied a little green eyeshadow and some pink lipstick, but if I were actually going to wear this costume out I would go all out with my makeup. Bright eyeshadow, crazy coloured fake lashes, maybe even glue some leaves or butterflies to my face. I'd also spray my hair green to look like grass. Can't you imagine it?!

* Bright Flowery Dress * Layered Petticoats (optional, depending on your dress) * Green Tights * Green Shoes * Lots of Flowered Brooches and Jewelry * Long Gloves (green would be fun too!) * Decorative Bird Nest (optional) *

Ringmaster

This might be my favourite costume in the bunch - I will definitely be wearing this one year soon. 

I pinned the bottom of my jacket back so it looked more like a tailcoat wore a layered a thick elastic belt at the top of my jeans to get a high waisted look. High waisted black or red pants would do the trick too. Or shorts and tights. The options are limitless. 

For the blouse, go for something frilly so it looks like you've got a jabot. I pinned a sparkly bow shaped brooch to my neck. You could opt for any appropriate brooch you've got at home.  

And don't think you have to have a red blazer to rock this look. I think it could also work if you had red pants and a black blazer. People will get the idea. 

And if you're missing a top hat and want one on a budget, check Pintrest or YouTube for a tutorial on how to make one with felt or cardboard. 

My whip is simply a black leather skinny belt. I held the buckle in my hand. 

* Red (or Black) Blazer * Black (or Red) Pants * White or Cream Frilly Blouse * Wide Black Belt * Black Knee High Boots * Black Top Hat * Black Gloves * Sparkly Brooch * Black "Whip" (aka leather skinny belt) *

Leopard
Meow!
This costume would work just as well if you had a leopard print cardigan and wore some black pants. I happen to have a leopard print dress, so it was my number one! I paired my dress with black tights, black gloves and leopard print heels.
I didn't have cat ears (perhaps a surprise for a girl who just happens to have a top hat and a sailor gob in her closet! haha!), so I made these ears with a black headband and some cardboard I coloured black with a sharpie and taped to the headband. Worked like a charm!
Again, I went super simple with the makeup for this look and painted the underside of my nose with black eyeliner pencil. You could go super elaborate if you want or keep it simple like me. Your choice.
If you don't own any leopard print clothing, dress in black and go as a black cat.

* Leopard Print Dress * Black Tights * Black Gloves * Leopard Print Shoes * Black Eyeliner Pencil * Homemade Cat Ear Headband *

I had such a fun time putting together this post for you all! I hope you enjoyed it and its got you looking at your wardrobe with a new light.
This is the way Halloween is supposed to be.

Still need more inspiration? Check out some of my costumes from Halloween's past here. 
Or check out my Pintrest board Halloween Costume Ideas - Vintage Style. 

Lisa.xo