A Day Dedicated to Hairdos
Throughout the years, hairstyles have come and gone – and often been reborn again. On April 30th of each year, every person with a hair on their head is invited to celebrate the uniquely human habit of arranging our fur into aesthetically pleasing styles. Even the follicularly challenged can participate; even being bald is a hairstyle. In this never-ending cycle of coifs, people usually remember the hairstyles that are really unique to the decade and sometimes even have such a strong emotional attachment to the ‘do that they are still sporting it about town today. Others who follow the trends a bit more may have the latest style during the week, but like to change into crazy costume wigs to have fun.
Some of the earliest hairstyles of antiquity include looks from the biblical era. Instead of waiting months for your hair to grow into long, Jesus-like locks, you can simply plop a costume wig atop your head a pair up with a bushy, faux beard. For women, one noted historical hairstyle is the Gibson Girl updo worn in the late 19th century. Here, the hair is pulled up loosely onto the crown of the head into a very poofy chignon which was yet sturdy enough to hold up one of the elaborate, plumed hats of the era – perfect for a womens costume for a historical reenactment.
Flappers from the 1920s were renowned for their short “bob” hairstyles sometimes with wavy pin curls; a fitting complement to a long strand of pearls and fringed dress for dancing the Charleston all night. In the 1950s, stiffly coiffed bouffant hair (the biggest and baddest was the “beehive”) for the ladies and slicked back pompadours for the bad boys were the coolest looks. Also, pigtails and pony tails worked well for the teenagers of a poodle-skirt-and-saddle-shoe ilk.
Near the end of the 60s and early 70s, the conservative flat tops and bouffants were replaced with much more free-spirited hairstyles. Men would now often have long hair or tall afros while women especially favored the a long flat style that was actually sometimes even ironed for straightness – think about how great this would look with you Halloween costume of Cher or Marsha Brady. By the end of the 70s, full and fluffy hair with carefree layers was all the rage thanks to the golden-girl, mega-watt smile look of Farrah Fawcett.
The 1980s was all about extremes from the buttoned-up prep to the look-at-me punk. There may be no hairstyle more memorable or shocking that the Mohawk, a style based on the Native American’s ritual of shaving the head except for a center strip that stood up. Punk rockers in the 80s were all about shock and would even use Elmer’s glue and spray paint to get their hair as spiky and tall and colorful as possible. If you’re going this route with your Halloween costume, it’s much easier to slip on a wig – especially if you want to be welcomed back at work on Monday!
The 1990s reminds us of the “Rachel” hairstyle from the popular “Friends” television show that nearly every woman has worn at some point. Other recent memorable hairstyles include dreadlocks, neon colored hightlights a la teeny-booper pop stars, and shaved heads for men and women alike. Celebrate Hairstyle Appreciation Day by breaking out of your normal mode and slipping into a costume wig for the day!
Home Run Costume for Babe Ruth Day
You may know him as the “Bambino”, the “Sultan of Swat” or simply the “Babe”, but his family knew him as George Herman Ruth, Jr. Known as the greatest player in baseball’s history, Babe Ruth is also arguably the first celebrity sports star whose fame spanned beyond a specific sport. In his honor, April 27th of each year is known as Babe Ruth Day. Even though he retired in 1936, fans of baseball still speak of the Babe’s prolific skills with awestruck admiration and have shared the legend with younger generations. It’s no wonder that any boy, from 2 to 102 years old, would love to dress up in a Halloween costume fashioned after this historic baseball hero.
Playing for the American Major League from 1914 to 1935, Babe started as a pitcher but eventually found his home in right field. If you’d like to dress up as the Babe, you’ve got a few choices for costume ideas based on his various team affiliations. While he joined the Boston Red Sox for the first 5 years of his career and retired after a brief stint with the Boston Braves, Babe Ruth is most well known for helping the New York Yankees win seven pennants and 4 World Series titles. Dress up in an old-time baseball costume that looks like it just stepped out of a dugout from another era. With a traditional white jersey and belted knickers featuring the nostalgic pin stripes looks just like something the Babe would wear. If you’ve got a fine eye for detail, make sure your jersey number is “3”, the same as Ruth’s number, a number that was eventually retired by the New York Yankees in 1948.
If you’re up on your Babe Ruth trivia, then you surely know that Ruth was the first player to smash 60 home runs in one season, held a long-standing record for lifetime total homeruns, and still holds records for slugging. There is no doubt he dominated the era of baseball, and of course everyone wants a piece of the Babe. One over-the-top example, the bat he used to hit his first home run for the Yankees. In 2006 it was sold at auction for a whopping $1.3 million dollars! If this is out of your price range, you can still have one of the best Halloween costumes ever with an authentic-looking wooden bat.
Make Waves with Jersey Shore
MTV’s surprisingly popular reality show, Jersey Shore, has made hanging out at the beach and club hopping in New Jersey seem glamorous. Okay, well not exactly glamorous, but it’s still very hard to flip the channel thanks to all the fist-pump dancing, street brawls, and hot-tub action these eight Guidos and Guidettes get into. This summer, the cast will be coming back for a second season of shenanigans and the rumor is someone may be preggers by the time it’s all over. Start planning your Jersey Shore inspired Halloween costume; you’ll need all the time for tanning, juicing and pumping your muscles in the gym!
Officially-licensed Jersey Shore costumes are not being rolled out as far as we know, but it’s not hard to put together your own version. Men can get the buff muscle look of “The Situation” or Ronnie and the other guys without taking ‘roids and hitting the gym. Instead, suit up in a muscle man costume complete with faux padded muscles or make your own by slipping a pair of cut-up women’s stockings that reach from wrist to just under the sleeve; stuff with a balloon or stuffing to get the desired look. And, you’ll want to use markers to draw on all sorts of tattoos. Pair this up with a pair of diamond stud earrings, a couple of gold chains and a hairstyle that defies gravity thanks to a jar of gel.
Girls who want to strut their stuff in a Jersey Shore Halloween costume need to focus on the perfect “pouf”. You can have hair like pint-sized party girl, Snookie, with a hair volumizing insert such as a BumpIt. In fact, it can add a good three inches to your height! Just tease half your hair up into a mini-bouffant and you’ll be ready to rock your 80s flair with a skin tight mini dress and high heels. Of course, once you get yourself a good tan, lots of caked make-up, some gold hoop earrings you’ll be the center of attention like any Jersey girl should be!
A Day for Doppleganging
Have a double, a twin, a mirror image, a doppelganger, a spitting image – who do you look like? Today, April 20th is officially Look-Alike Day and is the perfect opportunity to dress up as someone else. Dress up like a celebrity, sports star or musician whom you think you most resemble or just dress up in matchy-matchy style with your best friend. In fact, you don’t even have to particuarlly look like your “look-alike”, it’s just fun to copycat them on this silly day.
Have you ever had anyone come up to you and mistake you for someone else, ask for your autograph or say “you look just like a young so-and-so”? If you don’t know who to pick, just ask a friend or family member to give you some suggestions on who you bear a resemblance to. If they fall short of ideas, there are actually web sites devoted to helping you identify your celebrity look-alikes – try the “look alike meter” at MyHeritage.com or Facedouble.com. Once you decide who you resemble, or better yet – who resembles YOU, you can pick out the perfect outfit, makeup and accessories to play up the similarities.
Halloween costumes are a great place to start; you’ll find all the famous folks we’re all secretly longing to be. From Marilyn Monroe to Marilyn Manson and George Washington to George Clooney, you can put together a look-alike costume that is sure to make heads turn, jaws drop, and elicit whispers of awe and admiration. If you don’t think you look like another single soul on the planet, just grab a friend and dress up in a pair of the same exact costumes – the two of you can be whomever you please. Or, celebrate Look-Alike Day by suiting up as a set of famous twins; costume ideas include Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter. If you actually are an identical twin, perhaps you’d like to just skip Look Alike Day and play down the sameness!
If you absolutely adore being a look alike, why limit the transformation to just one day? Celebrity impersonators make a good living entertaining others at parties, grand openings, and other public events dressed as their chosen doppelganger. Some of the most popular celebrities to impersonate, dead or alive, include Elvis, Madonna, Cher, Michael Jackson, and sports starts and presidents. Plenty of Halloween costumes can be found to make a metamorphosis as one of these pop stars or politicians. If you bear a decent resemblance to your double, you can often get the look down pat with a wig and special make-up techniques.
Stand Out Wearing a “Where’s Waldo” Costume
Never go unnoticed again in a crowd of strangers. Instead you can bring a little now-you-see-him-now-you don’t nostalgia to your day. Think of how much fun it would be to dress up as Waldo from “Where’s Waldo” the next time you are hanging around shoulder-to-shoulder with several thousand of your closest friends. If you aren’t up on kid’s culture (although many grown-ups love him, too), Waldo is the star of a series of children’s books that feature him peeking out in a sea of illustrated activity.
Pages of a “Where’s Waldo” book are themed; for example, you could find Waldo in a circus setting where he is hiding behind an elephant while clowns and trapeze artists perform their tricks and the audience filled with families claps in delight. Whatever the “theme” of your event, wearing a Waldo costume will help you make a grand entrance. Going to a rock concert, hanging out on a crowded beach, running in a packed fun run? All these venues filled with lots of people and lots of visual sights are the perfect places to sport a Where’s Waldo costume.
A pre-packaged Waldo Halloween costume makes it easy to suit up as this recognizable character or you can easily make your own with a few key garments. If you only wear one thing, it must be the signature shirt of wide, horizontal red-and-white stripes. Wear the Halloween costume shirt or have grandmother knit a sweater version you can even just glue or staple red fabric strips onto a white sweatshirt (or white strips on a red sweatshirt).
The other components of a Waldo outfit include a pair of bright blue pants (substitute blue jeans if needed), a pom-pom topped stocking cap, brown shoes and messenger bag and walking stick. Waldo also wears a pair of black-rimmed glasses with a round shape, almost like Harry Potter’s eyeglasses. If you have friends that want to join you on your hide-and-seek adventure, they can dress up with other Halloween costume ideas from the book series including his dog woof and friend Wenda who both also wear red-and-white striped shirts!
The Tax Collector and Other Costumes for April 15th
Tax day, it’s not something we look forward to but it’s inevitable, like death, so they say. According to the Tax Foundation, it takes the average Joe 99 days to earn enough money to pay his annual tax obligations at the federal, state and local levels. Instead of getting depressed at the statistics, why not put a little character into the fated 15th of April by dressing up in a costume to protest the forced forking over of money to the government.
It all started back in a couple thousand years ago in the Roman Empire with the “publican”. No one today is surprised to learn that these early tax collectors were almost always described as being greedy SOBs who almost always took more than what they were entitled to. By the Jesus era, tax collectors were still being rightly stereotyped as avaricious and tightfisted officials, even though Jesus taught the parable of the remorseful tax collector being judged higher than the prideful Pharisee because the former recognized his sin with humility. Make your point that even this despised profession needs forgiveness by dressing in a biblical tax collector costume designed as a long robe trimmed in fine damask.
Another historical costume idea is to dress up as a protestor at the Boston Tea Party circa 1773; many of the actual dissenters who pitched the crates of tea into the harbor were disguised thinly as Mohawk Indians while others were in standard colonial-era garb. If you’d like to dress up as a modern-day money grabber, it isn’t hard to put together a drab outfit reminiscent of an employee of the Internal Revenue Service. Hit the resale shop for a pair of polyester trousers and a short-sleeved button down shirt; add some horn-rimmed glasses, an oversized calculator and an large prop money bag overflowing with play money. This reminds us of a joke. It’s Halloween and a man rings your doorbell. You answer, annoyed that he is seemingly wearing plain, drab clothes, and ask “who are you supposed to be?”. The man answers, “I’m an IRS Agent and I am here to take 28% of your candy, which he shoves into his briefcase, and then leaves!
Another way to put a little social-economic-political commentary into your day is to dress up as your not-so-favorite politician supporting all the coffer-lining money grabs in your city, state or country. Some of the most infamous politicians have realistic latex masks found in costume shops that you can simply pair with a dark suit. Speaking up and being an advocate for your own fair tax rights and creating a little stop-and-gawk attention at the same time is a great reason to dress up in these mens and womens costumes.
Crazy Costumes Keep Austin’s Cap10k Weird
Austin, Texas prides itself on not being normal; in fact, the town’s unofficial slogan is “Keep Austin Weird”. With hundreds of live music venues, outdoor festivals and eclectic events, there may be none more super-sized and strangely memorable than the annual Statesman Capitol 10,000 a 6.2 mile fun run through the heart of the city. As a rite of spring for the silly and the serious alike, this event showcases the freedom of individual expression that has made Austin so unique.
The next running of this "largest 10k in Texas" is tomorrow and 8,000 chip-timed runners along with thousands more fun runners and walkers are expected. Of course, there will be the speedy elite runners up at the front, but what makes the race even more fun to watch is the sea of regular Joes and Janes running in waves of crazy costumes. From larger-than-life armadillos and running Elvis’ to homemade renditions of the free-tail bats that so popularly live under the Congress Avenue Bridge, every type of outrageous costume imaginable will be spotted jogging down the streets.
In fact, local grocer HEB sponsors a costume contest to encourage folks to dress up with their best costume ideas. Zany headgear qualifies a runner entry into the Mad Hatter category; forget about visors and baseball caps and head out into the stratosphere with balloon sculptured toppers and way-beyond-basic bonnets. The Best HEB Dressed category encourages runners to dress up as the beloved store mascot, HEBuddy, or their favorite store-branded product, perhaps a big bottle of hot sauce or a juicy beef brisket. Finally for the tree-huggers (and there are plenty in Austin) there is a group category that looks for entries reflecting the green initiatives of the store and Austin in general.
When looking for costume ideas for running there are several factors to consider. The first is chaffing, because there literally isn’t anything worse than being “rubbed the wrong way” when running. Check out where the fabric of the costume meets the friction points on your body, especially the thighs, upper arms and chest. A layer of protective clothing in between or some good, old petroleum jelly should fix any problems. The heat is another factor to consider when choosing a costume for running; avoid overheating by wearing loose, lightweight fabrics and avoid face-paints that can drip down and sting the eyes.
Perseus Costumes – Handsome, Heroic and Sure to be Hot for Halloween
Released by Warner Brothers on April 2, 2010, Clash of the Titans tells the perilous tale of Perseus, the half-mortal son of the Greek God Zeus who embarks on a journey to fulfill his fate. For years, movies with mythological themes have been popular with action-seeking audiences, not only for the exciting storyline but for the elaborate costuming bringing the characters to life. In Clash of the Titans, Academy Award winning costume designer Lindy Hemming brings her finesses for detail to the elaborate clothing worn in this epic film.
Thanks to Clash of the Titians, Greek god, goddess and monster costumes are sure to see a revival for Halloween this year. The protagonist, Perseus, will be a favorite character to emulate due to his handsome and heroic efforts to stop the underworld and its minions from ruining the heavens and Earth alike – and of course, to get the girl of his dreams, Andromedia.
An old-school Perseus costume can be created with a basic Greek God costume consisting of a scarlet toga, sword and shaggy brown hair similar to the look actor Harry Hamlin brought to the character back in the 1981 film version of the myth. However, the Perseus costume in the recent movie remake has a much different style. Actor Sam Worthington sports an almost shaved head and wears a costume that more resembles the garments worn by Roman Gladiators, not Greek Gods.
Those looking to put together Clash of the Titan or Perseus Halloween costumes, a metal skirt topped with breastplate armor should be paired with a sword and oversized shield for the big screen silhouette. Metal and leather arm cuffs and sandals with shin guards complete the battle-ready look. While there are not currently licensed Clash of the Titan’s costumes on the market as of yet, a Gladiator costume similar to the costumes worn in the movie 300 will suffice. Oh, and the severed, snake-haired head of the evil Medusa will make a gruesome costume accessory!
A Bonanza of Famous Bunnies
When Easter rolls around, the bunny suddenly comes out of his burrow to become everyone’s favorite furry friend. Floppy-eared and adorably “ooh and ahh” cute, the rabbit has thumped, wiggled and snuffled its way into pop culture as the star of books, television, commercials and more. A list of favorite bunnies is shared to celebrate the spring season, although anyone worth their weight in whiskers and wiggly noses loves rabbits year-round,
Easter Bunny: Typically a not-so-cute adult in a rabbit mascot costume, the Easter Bunny rivals Santa in his ability to traverse the world overnight delivering treats to all the believing children. Wearing a pastel patchwork vest and pink bow tie, the Easter Bunny looks just as saccharine sweet as the jelly beans and chocolate eggs he hides.
Bugs Bunny: So many adults grew up watching cartoons featuring this wise-cracking rabbit, and now their children are fans too. Famous enough for his own catchphrase (“What’s up Doc”) and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, this animated bunny has really made it to the big time.
Energizer Bunny: A classic commercial campaign for Energizer Batteries, the Energizer Bunny keeps going, and going and going! The popularity of this pink fuzzy bunny that is known for his dark sunglasses and boom-boom-boom drum seems to never wear out.
Playboy Bunny: The Hef was hopping down the right trail when he decided to dress up the cocktail waitresses at his infamous Playboy Clubs in sexy bunny costumes. Wearing little else than a teeny-tiny corseted leotard and a pair of perky rabbit ears, the Playboy bunny costume has quenched the thirst of many a man and left an indelible (hourglass) impression in American history. One of the all-time popular sexy womens costumes around.
Honorable Mentions: Jessica Rabbit and Roger Rabbit; Peter Rabbit; siblings Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail; Br’er Rabbit, the Watership Down bunnies; Thumper from Bambi; White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland; the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog from Monty Python, and Wallace & Grommit’s Were-Rabbit.
Costumes for Pranksters and Pundits
It’s no joke, April Fool’s Day is a great excuse to dress up in a costume and have some fun. Mischief makers as far back as the 14th century enjoyed the commission of hoaxes and pranks along with dressing up in outrageous garments if the situation so called for it. References to foolishness going on during the first day of April have even been uncovered in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392) and today this celebration of the gullible is still going strong.
One of the most classic costumes you can pick for April Fools’ Day is a Court Jester from the middle ages. Sometimes called a fool, buffoon, clown, joculator, or sot, these hired jokesters of centuries ago, were charged with entertaining kings, queens and other European aristocracy. The jokes, puns and general entertainment of the jester necessitated a witty and whimsical get-up to match, hence the motley and mismatched garments often stereotyped to the jester. The typical jester costume typically featured a brightly colored, harlequin-patterned tunic along with tights and pointy or curl-toed slippers that jingled with bells. On the head, a distinctive jester hat (sometimes called a cockscomb hat), featured three floppy points to represent a donkey’s ears and tail.
If you want to get laughs on April Fools’ day as a modern-day jester, the circus clown is always an obvious yet slap-stick funny option. Create a big-top style diversion by wearing a polka-dot clown costume with exaggerated oversized shoes, a teeny tiny hat topping a rainbow colored wig. From the traditional clown like children’s entertainer Bozo to his subversive cousin, Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons, you can show up at work, school or home to make the day much, much more memorable.
Another one of our costume ideas for April Fools’ Day is none other than the fictional Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine fame – definitely a clown of sorts. The reason why this iconic cover boy should be celebrated on the first of April is because it is his birthday. Appearing on more than 500 issues and forever etched into pop culture, this character featured red-brown hair, freckles, missing tooth and radar-sized ears. You can put together your own Alfred E. Newman costume with one common style he sported, a bad plaid suit, string tie and howdy-doody haircut.
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