Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved to play dress up. She used every excuse she could think of to dress as different characters. Years passed, and when the girl had become a woman, she discovered an entire day dedicated to just that – playing dress up. Not only could she become a different character for an entire day, but everyone around her would too! But soon, she discovered that one day wasn’t enough time. She’d agonize for months over choosing just one costume to wear for the special event. Until that special day when she realized, “why only choose one? Why not choose as many as I want and share them with everyone around me?”!
And thus began her month of masquerades, filled with colorful costumes and metamorphosing makeup, she journeyed through her closet to become the characters she dreamed of as a child. And she never looked back…
There is something to be said about the “classic” Halloween costumes. They bring us back to a time when Halloween was a chance to become your favorite storybook character, or scare your friends and laugh about it after. A chance to show off you hard work to you neighbors, and in exchange, receive a small token of their praise. It may be considered a faux pas to knock on your neighbor’s door and expect candy in exchange for getting dressed up as an adult. But we can still take the opportunity to become our favorite characters from childhood and share those memories with our friends. Such as the following “classic costumes”.
Little Red Riding Hood
Thanks to my sister-in-law, I was able to pull this classic Red Riding Hood look together! With her handmade velvet cloak and a custom made corset, this fairy tale outfit became a reality. I was even able to use my in-law’s summer camp for the photo shoot location. All that was missing was a wolf dressed as Grandma!
Pirate
I wore this costume for Halloween last year but never had the chance to share pictures of it. Thankfully, I was able to find the perfect location before the temperature dropped too much and take some great shots of it! I even created a map for this shoot by soaking a page in coffee grounds and burning the edges. It’s the little details that can help pull a costume together, like a couple of old moonshine bottles placed at the edge of the water.
Circus Clown
I’ve always thought that a circus clown makes a great classic Halloween costume. From the painted expressions to colorful or somber costumes, anyone can make this look unique to them. My look was a combination of ring-leader and circus clown, using classic striped patterns and a crazy red wig. I even threw on my red contacts for a more surreal vibe. I wore a jacket with large gold buttons for a few shots so the costume leaned toward Ring Leader, but without the grand top hat, it didn’t quite flow. But hey, you use what you have and make it work!
Woodland Witch
Always a classic, I think every little girl has dressed up as a witch for at least one Halloween! I put a lot of details into this look that people may not notice. From my subtle jewelry to the spellbook I created by soaking the pages in tea, band adorning the pleather bound book with a metal skull and various keys, this look was my favorite to create. I even hand painted potion bottles to complete the theme! The woodland-witch made my last costume. It was also done just in time to capture the leaves before they disappeared for the year.
Need more ideas?
This year on Month of Masquerades, we’ve done Shirt Costumes, Closet Costumes, and now Classic Costumes.
Are you feeling inspired for Halloween yet!?
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