Halloween Costumes

[Diamondback]

I don't know, Hadley, it looks rather "quick 'n' dirty Flapper-on-a-budget" to me... but then again, neither 1920s nor Civilian are within my area of expertise.

 

[Torpedo]

I think we have an obvious cutural difference here between the UK and the USA: over here Hallowe'en costumes are almost always directly horror film related whereas I'm guessing on the other side of the Atlantic you have all sorts of costumes.

I must say, it is the same here in Spain, where, BTW, Halloween is an imported holiday. We have the traditional All Saints Day, of religious connotation, which entails some culinary traditions, but that's about it. In recent years the US tradition has been increasingly adopted, but costumes are limited to horror subjects, too: zombies, vampires, witches, etc.

Of course, we do have a proper costumes festivity, the Carnivals, around february (it is a religious related holiday, also, hence it depends on the religious calendar, and the actual dates vary), where all sorts of costumes are worn, parades are held, etc.

 

[Marcus]

I'm a movie costume type:

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

That Princess Bride look is recognizable anywhere in the civilized world.

 

[tylerevansokay]

Pretty sure I'm going to be a hep gorilla.

 

[Edward]

As this year on Halloween itself (and the night before, for that matter) I will be performing with my Rocky Horror Picture Show shadowcast, I'll be wearing several variants on this over the two nights:

11th October is World Zombie Day, so I shall be attending the London shamble. I have a couple of different zombie costumes hanging in the wrdrobe, such as this one from Zombie Prom last April:

A couple of past Halloween Costumes:

2006 - Jack Skellington

2007 - Edward Scissorhands

2008 - Baseball Furies gang member

 

[Edward]

more...

Also 2008 - an alternative zombie costume, with an earlier version of the make-up before I got the zombie contacts:

I have a bunch of other costumes I have put together for other occasions, which might also come out at Halloween, if there are any other events to which I am headed - some of these are more vintage than others!

 

[Feraud]

Those are great Edward!
:eusa_clap

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Well, in years past, I've been a Star Wars Mandalorian...

A pirate captain....

A WW2 soldier....

An enforcer/torpedo...

A Blues Brother....

...and a few others that I have no photos of.....

This year, I'm going as Professor Snape....

I'm in the process of building it now....
Rob

 

[Undertow]

I think we have an obvious cutural difference here between the UK and the USA: over here Hallowe'en costumes are almost always directly horror film related whereas I'm guessing on the other side of the Atlantic you have all sorts of costumes.

I've been interested in this difference for some time, although I've done little research into it.

So would other UK loungers agree that Halloween "fancy dress" or "costumes" are primarily horror film/genre specific?

In the US, I would go as far as to say we are very much Hollywood oriented, all genres included. Although, we do have many instances when costumes are geared towards sex; e.g. revealing nurse outfits, cop outfits, etc, usually for women. Every once in a while there will be that nut he dresses up as some object, or what have you.

 

[get_atomized]

LOVE the Frank n Furter costume Edward, you really pull it off! AND a Warriors costume! So many great costume options to choose from that movie (I like the rollerskating gang personally). You have too many good ideas.

 

[MisterCairo]

Last year I had my dad here. He was Red Green and I was Harold.

We may do it again. It went over pretty well.

Keep your stick on the ice.....

 

[Geronimo]

I think I'll go as the Man Who Wasn't There.

 

[Lorrel Mae]

Professor Snape...

I would LOVE to see that!! He's dreamy!

Sandi

 

[Edward]

Those are great Edward!
:eusa_clap

Thanks!

LOVE the Frank n Furter costume Edward, you really pull it off! AND a Warriors costume! So many great costume options to choose from that movie (I like the rollerskating gang personally). You have too many good ideas.

Thanks! Yeah, The Warriors is fab... eventually, once I have a big screen at home I want to have a themed party with folks coming from as many of the gangs as possible.... Baseball Furies were always my favourites. That they never speak somehow added menace.... Ironically, the Warriors themselves are probably the hardest to do. There used to be commercial repros of their colour 'vests', but the Hell's Angels had those stopped on grounds of trade mark infringement, as they looked pretty close to Angels' colours. Easy rnough to fake it, but I wouldn't want to be tanglin' with an Agnel due to a misunderstanding over that!

I've been interested in this difference for some time, although I've done little research into it.

So would other UK loungers agree that Halloween "fancy dress" or "costumes" are primarily horror film/genre specific?

In the US, I would go as far as to say we are very much Hollywood oriented, all genres included. Although, we do have many instances when costumes are geared towards sex; e.g. revealing nurse outfits, cop outfits, etc, usually for women. Every once in a while there will be that nut he dresses up as some object, or what have you.

I think what it comes down to is that in the UK there is still a stronger connection for many folks to the original concept of Halloween. The festival's roots lie in pre-Christian Ireland, with Samhain, the Celtic day of the dead. That night, which marked the end of the pagan year, was the night in which evil spirits were said to return and roam among the living. The Jack O'Lantern's original purpose was to ward them off. Growing up in Ireland in the 70s, 80s and into the 90s, I grew up with Halloween (though it did tend to go in and out of fashion in god-fearing, Christian homes likes ours lol ). Here in England, it seems to me that Guy Fawkes (who was framed!) and bonfire night were the bigger tradition.... Halloween here now exists in two forms - the old tradition which was brought over with Irish immigrants over the years, and the repackaged, commercialised version that is being sold back this way from the US. While I think it's still a different experience here than in the US (especially in Ireland, where it really is part of the folks tradition), I can see changes coming in from US influence which I find a real shame. Don't get me wrong, this is not anti-US sentiment on my part, but it irks me when I see even sometimes in Ireland people using pumpkins for their Jack O'Lanterns, which is very much a recent phenomenon, as in the last ten to fifteen years in Northern Ireland. The original Jack O'Lanterns - and the ones of my youth were always turnips. Pumpkins came in when the Irish emigrated to the US and found a local substitute for their traditional turnips. Now that the estival has been commcericialise and sold back, this deviation from the tradition is what is often perceived as the norm now.

Details like that aside, Halloween in Ireland and the UK is still very much themed around ghosts and ghouls, and you will usually find some form of the sinister, tragic, evil or otherwise negative (see: BaseBall Furies! ) in the costumes worn by folks. I do imagine that will slowly change, though, assuming Hollywood maintains the cultural influence it has enjoyed over the past generation.

Interesting points you raise.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...+dress+like+Dracula+and+James+Bond/article.do



New fodder for Edward Costumes?

 

[Edward]

lol I suspect most of those will be either well beyond my budget, or too small (you know how tiny these actor types are) - or both! lol

hostsoldier, the Star Wars bounty hunter look is very impressive (is that one of the Fett family?). nice look! I used to want a suit of Stormtrooper armour, but then Greedo shot first and it all died for me.....

 

[Girl Friday]

Halloween 2007

 

[Girl Friday]

and last year, I was supposed to be a Blackula...no one got it. [huh]

 

[Girl Friday]

and my favorite