Valentine’s Day Costumes You’ll Love
Valentines Day is almost here. February 14th is the day when lovers and secret admirers express their affection for their intended through romantic gestures such as sending cards, chocolates and flowers. Sure, heading out to a fancy dinner and enjoying these lovely gifts may be the way you’ve celebrated Valentine’s Day in the past, but why not try something new! Dressing up in a Valentine’s Day costume puts more fun into the festivities, transform into your sweet self, your silly self or your sexy self!
Men’s Costume: Just think how cute your beloved will think your are dressed up in a Cupid costume ready to pierce a pretend arrow through her heart. Or, dress up in a dapper smoking jacket a la “The Heff” and you’ll look like you’re well suited for love.
Women’s Costumes: There are many options for sexy costumes for women to wear on Valentine’s Day. From saucy French Maids and naughty nurses to any number of lingerie-inspired sexy costumes, you’ll be guaranteed to have all eyes on you. The Queen of Hearts Valentine costume (from Alice in Wonderland) is another popular choice as is the beautiful Greek Goddess of Love, Aphrodite.
Humorous Costumes: There is no need to be super serious about love on Valentine’s Day. Have some fun by dressing up in a silly, humorous costume such as the Kissing Booth costume. Inspired by the carnival booths of yesteryear, this funny costume features you as the main attraction! Or, grab your date and create an electrifying night by dressing up in the funny Light Socket and Plug costume meant for a well-connect couple.
Couples Costumes: If you are heading to a Valentine’s Day party and want to have a coordinated couples costume, dress up as a pair of famous lovers such as Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Marc Antony, Lucy and Dezi, Rhett Butler and Scarlet O’Hara, and so many more.
“Percy Jackson & The Lightening Thief” Strikes Soon!
Just a couple more weeks until Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief is released to theaters. The young-adult book series, by Rick Riordan, has been a big hit in my family and although it is written for the younger generation, it also appeals to adults. My guess is that with the popularity of the books and a new movie opening up on February 12th, costumes based on this fantasy adventure story will be very popular for Halloween 2010.
The plot revolves around high school student Percy Jackson who really gets a history lesson when the gods of Mount Olympus come to life and walk right out of the pages of his Greek Mythology text book! Turns out Percy, who finds out his father is Poseidon (making him a demi-god), is the prime suspect in the stealing of Zeus’ lighting bolt. His mother mysteriously disappears and, with the help of friends, Percy sets out on adventure to catch the real thief, safe his mother and unravels an epic mystery as well.
You can make the story come to life at your own party by dressing up in Greek god and goddess costumes. Zeus, king of the gods and ruler of Mt. Olympus, is known for his white robes, white beard and lightning bolt which he throws about. A toga costume and costume beard will make this Greek costume easily transformable into a Lightening Thief costume. Women might like to dress up as Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the Greek Goddesses. A long column-style gown wrapped criss-cross around the waist, a cascading blonde wig and golden Greek jewelry complete her Greek costume. Other touches for a Greek costume include leather sandals, coin jewelry, arm cuffs that look like snakes and laurel wreath headbands.
Mad Men, Pure Sixties Style
As I’m sitting here in between television seasons and feeling nostalgic for my favorite show, Mad Men, I may just have to dress up my family and friends and keep the plot rolling along in my own invented world. If you’ve never seen Mad Men, you’re crazy! This Golden Globe and Emmy winning television drama that airs on the AMC channel is part high-brow drama, part social commentary, and part uncanny kitschy fun. Set your Tivo for season four in 2010 if you’re not afraid to dive into the issues of cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism, adultery, homophobia, anti-Semitism and racism that were prevalent in the 1960s.
One thing that you’ll notice right away when watching Mad Men is the historical authenticity and visual style of the 60s costumes, sets and locations. Stylists spend painstaking time to recreate a snapshot of this bygone time, shopping thrift stores, hunting through antique markets, borrowing from private collections and creating replica clothing, furniture and props. With a little bit of ingenuity, a raid through a grandparent’s closet and some good costume props, you can create a Mad Men costume of your choice.
Imagine the ultra-cool you exude when you walk into the room as Don Draper, one of the partners of the fictional NYC ad agency. You just need a dark suit and a thin black tie to pull of the classic and dashing silhouette of this central character. Add some hair pomade and be sure to carry a silver cigarette lighter and glass half-filled with scotch.
Ladies will feel all Grace Kelly to dress up as his stunning, but icy-cold wife Betty Draper. Pay tribute to her former days as a model by dressing up in a retro evening gown and elbow-length gloves (for a client dinner, of course) or go for her sportier Mad Men costume, an equestrienne outfit. Don a wig if you don’t naturally have her coiffed, blonde hair.
Other Mad Men costumes for women include Peggy, the secretary turned copywriter with her own office (gasp!) who is known for her short brunette bangs and pony tail. To pull off her Mad Men costume, a plaid dress will give you the nice, conservative style she prefers. For the more va-va-va-voom ladies, dressing up as office manager, Joan Holloway, will help you make a very memorable entrance. Just wear a red wig and make sure your curvy figure is accentuated in all the right places!
Men can dress as agency big-wig and silver fox, Roger Sterling, motivated up-and-comer Pete Campbell, creative-type Paul Kinsey or several of the other guys in the office. The one common denominator is they all pretty much wear the same 60s suit in some color variation. Add horn-rim glasses, bow-ties, vests, briefcases and other accessories that give your Mad Men costume extra flair.
The Princess and the Frog – Totally Tiana!
To the delight of little girls everywhere, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog opened nationally to critical acclaim on December 11, 2009. This story, inspired by a Grimm Brothers’ fairytale, is premised on a young waitress in New Orleans, named Tiana, who dreams of owning her own restaurant one day. However, before she can achieve true “princess” status, she must learn some life lessons along the way.
Interestingly enough, the Tiana is the first African-American princess on the Disney roster and is expected to be one of the “strongest” Disney heroines to date. Girls of all ages (including mommies) are going to love dressing up as Princess Tiana for Halloween or a special Disney Princess party. Already, there are several choices to pick from. We love the dreamy pale green and cream dress that is designed to look like layers of petals from flowers found down on the bayou. A delicate flower embellishment entwines itself up the skirt and blooms so prettily at the waist. Just add your own sparkling ballet flats and a tiara and you are sure to put some polish on your diamond in the rough.
In the movie, Princess Tiana is also shown wearing a long, strapless blue evening gown with a pair of white, satin gloves that reach all the way up to the elbows. This would be an elegant Princess and the Frog costume for older girls, teens and women to wear, especially with a regal up-do and sparkling rhinestone jewelry. Bring along a toy stuffed frog for fun and hope to bump into your own personal prince charming. Another idea is to dress in a Tiana costume based on her outfit she wears while working in the restaurant. A yellow dress, white apron and a round serving tray to serve up some beignets will make a good Tiana costume.
It’s Winnie the Pooh Day!
Pick your willy, silly old friend off the shelf and give him a big squeeze, January 18th is Winnie the Pooh Day! Winnie the Pooh Day is the perfect opportunity to reminisce about one of your favorite childhood toys and all his friends – Christopher Robin, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet and Roo. Winne the Pooh came to life from the story book pages; A.A. Milne created the tale of Pooh and his pals and Winnie the Pooh Day is actually a tribute to Milne’s own birthday in 1882.
Inspiration for the Winnie the Pooh stories came from an actual bear that lived in the London Zoo. This bear, named Winnie, was popular with many including A.A. Milne’s own son, Christopher Robin, who loved to go visit. When Christopher Robin took to renaming his own teddy bear Winnie (formerly named Edward), his father started writing about the adventures of Winnie the Pooh in the 100-Acres Woods (actually their own country home in Sussex). The rest is history!
If you are a fan of these childhood stories (that adults love as well) you can celebrate the special day by dressing up in a Winnie the Pooh costume. You can find full body, mascot-like Winnie the Pooh costumes for adults as well as adorable baby costumes and childrens costumes that feature the signature yellow fur and red t-shirt worn by this famous bear. Everyone knows that Pooh loves honey and usually has a rumbly in his tumbly just when thinking about it. Oh, bother! For a tasty accessory for your Winnie the Pooh costume, add a honey pot to carry about. If you are planning a big shindig for Winne the Pooh Day, you’ll also find oodles of Winnie the Pooh paper products such as plates, napkins cups and more. Invite your friends to join you dressed as the other endearing characters of the 100-Acre woods and have a very special day at your own house on Pooh corner.
It’s Elementary: Sherlock Holmes Costumes a Hit!
In another box-office hit this holiday season, the recreation of Sherlock Holmes kept audiences entertained with the deducting intelligence of this British sleuth. Portrayed by actor Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson take part in a “battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England”. Can’t tell you anymore without spoiling the plot, but you can be sure than no clue is left unturned in this mysterious movie set in 19th century London.
It’s seems elementary that this year, Sherlock Holmes costumes are going to be a smart choice for dress up events. You idea for the perfect Halloween 2010 costume is already solved! Typically, a caped coat in plaid wool and a double-billed hat has been associated with the character of Sherlock Holmes, but in the recent film he wears a Victorian-era black frock coat over a damask vest and dark trousers. Instead of the stereotypical sleuth hat, he’s seen in a standard black bowler hat common for the day. Add a pair of spats for your shoes and a signature pipe (who knows what he was smoking in there) are all fitting accessories for a Sherlock Holmes costume. His sidekick Watson basically worn similar drab, wool men’s suits from the 19th century that featured high-paper collars and he was sometimes seen carrying a black walking cane.
Women who want to dress up as Irene Adler to match their own personal Sherlock Holmes can don the elaborate gowns worn in the late 1800s – full, petticoated, and bustled in the back. Nipped-in and corseted waists, leg-of-mutton sleeves, high neck detailing and elaborate hats are all also part of the women’s Victorian costume look. Hair is usually piled high on the head in ringlets to accommodate the weight of the Victorian hat and the complexion is usually kept away from the sun, very fair and delicate.
Official Dress Up Your Pet Day
Sure, kids love to dress up in costumes almost any day they can. Adults have also been known to slip into a costume and change personalities on special occasions. But what about the pets, the dogs, the cats and other loyal family friends? Pets want to dress up in costumes too and that is why every year on January 14th, Dress Up Your Pet Day is celebrated.
This may sound wacky, but we’re not pulling the holiday out of thin air. Dress Up Your Pet Day is officially on the books as a sanctioned day to deck out your animals in all sorts of costumes. Help your pet celebrate in style by picking out a special new pet costume to make his day the most festive ever. Just remember these tips when selecting a new pet costume for your animal.
Personality: Don’t just dress him up in any old outfit, really think about what makes your pet tick and emphasize those qualities. Does your pooch have a little bit of a rock and roll personality, dress him up in an Elvis pet costume – it will be “puppy love” at first sight. Or, is your pet more, er, high maintenance? A princess outfit complete with a tulle skirt and tiara should speak to her inner diva. Cats, aloof as they are, might be willing to put up with a sparkly collar if in the mood.
Weather: If it’s unseasonably warm outside, don’t dress pup up in a heavy sweater. But, since it is mid-January, it’s pretty safe to say that getting too hot won’t be a problem. If it’s raining or snowing outside, keep the comfort of your dog in mind by celebrating Dress Up Your Pet Day with little galoshes or snow shoes and a scarf.
Comfort: When choosing a comfortable pet costume for your dog or cat (or any other pet you can wrangle into a costume) keep in mind their physical needs as well as their mental. By all means choose the Hot Dog costume that keeps your runner dog’s legs footloose and free, but don’t embarrass him amongst his friends if you can tell he doesn’t like the outfit.
Training: Actually, your dog might not be embarrassed to wear his pet costume, he just may not be used to it. If you have a week’s training time, you can teach your dog (we can’t speak for cats) to acclimate to don clothing. First, bring the costume near the dog, let him sniff and reward with a “good dog” and a treat. Next day, drape the costume over the dog (without wearing) and reward in the same way. Keep slowly moving forward with the process until your dog is happily wearing the pet costume and enjoying the praise from you.
Amazing Avatar Costumes
One of the most memorable things I did over holiday break was take the kids to go see Avatar in 3D. In case you have been living under some sort of earth rock, you’ve surely heard the buzz about this epic tale taking place on the planet Pandora. Masterminded by James Cameron, this spectacle of a film is breaking barriers not only in computer-generated graphics but in box office revenues as well (surpassing the 1 billion mark is what I’ve heard).
Even though fantasy, science-fiction genre movies aren’t really “my thing”, I instantly was won over by the amazing landscape and beautiful blue, larger-than-life inhabitants of this make-believe planet. As I sat through the 3-hour film (which I really didn’t want to end), I knew at once this film was going to launch many “must-have” costumes for Halloween 2010. While the machine versus nature plot has been seen in varying forms before and the love story between the human and the Pandorian was predictable, it was the sheer sight of the amazing scenery and the empathy for the computer animated characters that will make this movie go down in history.
While there aren’t any Avatar costumes for this film out on the market yet (movie just release December 18th), you <i>so</i> know they will be ready this summer in time for Halloween 2010. If you just can’t wait to dress up like Jake Sulley in his Pandorian avatar body or like the native beauty, Neytiri, you can use blue face paints and detailing on your face and wear blue tights and an a blue compression-style workout shirt for the Avatar costume base. Add a blue tail on the back for swishing about and a wig of long braids (remember how they used their hair to make the “bond” with their birds and other animals?). You could also add some pointed elf ears to your Avatar costume which you have painted blue to match.
Elvis’ Birthday is Today!
Elvis Presley, the undisputed King of Rock and Roll, would have been 75 years old today on January 8, 2010. All over the country, year-long celebrations are kicking off including museum exhibits, impersonator concert tours, an Elvis Cruise departing from Florida, all day movie marathons featuring favorites such as Blue Hawaii, Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas and more. I plan to celebrate this historic day gobbling up artery-clogging delicacies at my favorite Elvis-loving restaurant. Potato-chip crusted chicken and fried Twinkies washed down with a Blue Hawaii cocktail will be served up in honor of this music icon renowned for his interesting tastes in food.
Whether you’re heading to Graceland or throwing a bash in your own backyard, show up at your party dress up in fine style wearing an Elvis costume that will make you want to get your hips “all shook up”. You can find Elvis costumes from all the memorable moments of his life; just choose a decade and get going. Early Elvis shocked with his new style of music and rockabilly style, rolled up dungarees, a black pompadour wig and a pair of blue suede shoes work well. Elvis put such a “dangerous” spin on this look that dressing like him in rolled jeans was pretty much banned in all high schools until the 60s!
Later on Elvis got into the glitz with the help of many famous costume designers out of Nashville. Wrap up the 50s era with a replica of the famous gold lame suit that he wore while performing in Chicago or the movie-inspired Jailhouse Rock Elvis costume that features the black-and-white prisoner shirt and black jacket. Probably one of the most recognizable Elvis costumes is his signature “thunderbird” white jumpsuit worn in the early 70s featuring a jeweled and gold-studded shirt, bell bottom pants, red sequined scarf, detachable cape and white belt with glittery gold eagle crest. Snarl your lip, put on some gold-rimmed glasses and some groovy mutton-chop sideburns to complete the look ladies swooned for and men wanted to emulate.
Get Phystical in 80s Costumes
What is the deal about the New Year and getting in shape, it seems that “losing weight” or “working out” are at the top of almost everyone’s resolution list. This is evidenced by the popularity of fun runs at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, stores sweeping the shelves of holiday goodies and replacing stock with rice cakes and diet tonics, and such a mob scene at the gyms around town that it’s a workout just rushing to get a treadmill before the next person does.
I was thinking that you could really make a great statement at your next outing to exercise by showing up dressed in 1980s workout wear. Just think about it; a 80s costume made up of workout wear a la Olivia Newton John – aerobic exercise class rules! You can get Physical in a pair of neon pink tights, a retro spandex leotard and a sassy little headband wrapped around a big head of permed hair. Oh, and don’t forget the legwarmers.
Now, it’s not like Olivia had the market on 1980s exercise style, there were several other “movers and shakers” who left their mark on this memorable fashion statement. Who could forget Jane Fonda’s ubiquitous workout tapes that you could pop into your VCR or Beta and start working up a sweat? While she sported a variety of exercise looks, Jane’s signature style seemed to be a horizontal striped two-color striped leotard (with the new “high cut” legs” worn with a matching belt, spandex tights and leg warmers.
What a Feeling it would be to dress up in an 80s costume based on the hit dance movie Flashdance. Actress Jennifer Beals gave new meaning to the phrase “ripping it up” as she spun around on the dance floor in her tattered and torn sweatshirts. To get the Flashdance costume look, just take an old cheap sweatshirt and cut off the arms, waistband and head opening to create a big scooped neck that you let fall off your shoulder. Pair with a permed brunette wig, footless tights and a pair of red heels and you’ll be ready to show your moves
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