How’d you get so funky, King Tut? In case you’ve been living under a pyramid or something, King Tutankhamen was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who is now most known for the widely-visited museum displays of his belongings, the fact that he was a “boy king”, the mysterious circumstances of his death. Reigning over Egypt from age 9 to about 19 years old, many have speculated that he was murdered by a blow to the back of the head. Recently, scientists have concluded that he probably died of gangrene after breaking his leg, quite likely in a chariot accident.

Who could forget Steve Martin’s rendition, later performed on Saturday Night Live, of “King Tut”. Performed in an over-the-top style and SNL’s most expensive set up until that date, Martin’s homage to the boy king became an instant classic with comedy fans everywhere. If you feel like dancing by the Nile, dress up in a King Tut costume like Steve Martin with a wrapped, long skirt in a metallic Egyptian fabric that had a criss-cross collar across a bare chest. Add a headdress and step out of a sarcophagus, and you’ll feel anything but dead in this afterlife.

There are other Egyptian costumes found through Costume Machine that work well for a King Tut costume. For example, one such costume features a gauzy white tunic with intricate gold lame and turquoise belt, cuffs, collar and elaborate headpiece that is actually modeled after Tutankhamun’s death mask. For an authentic look, wear heavy eyeliner around your eyes and pointing out at the lids in the same manner of the reconstruction photo of King Tut. Who knows, maybe you could wear this “golden idol” look to the “Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibit as it travels from San Francisco to New York City in April 2010.