When new, ready-made costumes didn’t match the vision he had in mind, Gabe and I went vintage to create a custom costume.
Creepy Band Jacket Clown Costume
In Gabe’s final years of trick-or-treating, he had some definite ideas of how he wanted to get into character.
No problem, right? After all, I’m in the costume business, and there’s a pile of costume catalogs in the office. Surely, he can find something to wear?
Yeah, not so fast.
A few days of scouring the catalogs and slogging through Google resulted in three inspiration images and one firm specification. The costume requires a band jacket.
The few band jackets in our costume stash were too large and not in the preferred color scheme. So off to eBay we go. There we got lucky and found the perfect jacket in the perfect color combo in the perfect size. But then, so did a few other people who kept us on pins and needles until the clock ran out. In the end, we won the bid, and we are the proud owners of a vintage band jacket. Yea!
Now, just a few easy-to-find pieces with some staples from the closet, and our Creepy Band Jacket Clown costume is ready for the center ring at the dark carnival.
Gabe’s costume is built around a vintage band jacket that we found on eBay. A prosthetic clown face mask, a lightly distressed mini top hat, jeans, and some combat style boots complete the ensemble.
In a simplified version of our clown costume, we pair the vintage band jacket with a handmade, ruffle collar constructed from tulle.
Clockwise from upper left. 1. Vintage Band Jacket found on eBay 2. New Foam Clown Prosthetic 3. DIY Tulle Ruffle Collar by Making Make Believe (or craft your own) 4. New Mini Top Hat by Leg Avenue
The band jacket clown is one of my favorite costumes for Gabe because he created it himself, and I got to help him bring his vision to life.
So, what do you think about our Band Jacket Clown? Would you wear this combo? Let me know, yea or nay, and tag me on Instagram or Facebook when you post your creepy clown creation.
Oh, and there’s a little more to this story. Check out The Last Trick-Or-Treat to read all about it.
