To costume or not to costume? That is the question.
As a Halloween party hostess, I could count on having at least a few people on the guestlist ask this question every year. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to play along. It was more of a lack of confidence in how to costume.
I would answer the “Are costumes really required?” question by offering access to our costume stash while promising that others would be in costume too. Yet, for some, a costume consisted of just a few accessory pieces.
Such as it was every year with our friends the Crofts (name changed to protect the costume-reluctant). Without fail, Mrs. Croft would ask the question and inform me that, “We’re just not that into dressing up.” And, every year, they would come to the party wearing just a hint of a costume.
That is, until one of our last parties – The Witches Ball.
The party had been going on for a while, and we were about to award the best costume prizes. As I was getting ready to make the announcement, the Crofts showed up. To my surprise, Mr. Croft stood fully decked out from head to toe in a form-fitting, lycra, Superman costume. I think my jaw hit the floor.
He walked away with the best male costume that year.
Today I want to give you a bit of inspiration that you can use to craft a costume that is easy to wear and can be minimalist or all in.
Recently, I decided to do a series of costumes based around DIY and store-bought ponchos. I began the search for a pattern and was happy to discover that Simplicity was way ahead of me with S9169. Not needing to reinvent the wheel, I went with View A of this pattern for our poncho clown costume.
First, a quick dive into the fabric stash yielded these two vintage 1996 stars and stripes fabrics.
I used these to craft a Reversible Ruffle Clown Collar and DIY Clown Hat.
At JoAnn’s, I picked up a navy blue flannel with white stars for the poncho.
Do you see a theme building here?
I followed the Simplicity pattern per the instructions. This is a relatively simple sew. (I did add a lining but I won’t go into detail on that as it’s a personal preference and not necessary.)
With the poncho complete – now it’s time for the fun part! Grab some yarn, queue the Netflix, and craft up some pom-poms. Thirty-eight pom-poms, to be exact.
To make quick and easy work of this, I used the Clover Pom Maker. (I have several pom makers, but this brand is by far my favorite and the one I always recommend.)
For this costume I used I Love This Chunky yarn in Red Velvet, I Love This Chunky yarn in Sand Frost, and Bernat Softee Chunky yarn in Navy Night.
To attach your poms, simply sew onto your poncho with matching thread. Super simple.
Now, let’s put it all together. Slip on the poncho, tie on the collar and top it off with the hat. Add some daisy dukes or jeans and, for that extra something-something, a pair of vintage roller skates – complete with pom-poms, of course!
Want to be a little extra? Break out the makeup? Cute clown? Creepy clown? How about a patriotic face paint for your clown or a red, white and blue, star-spangled-banner wig?
Feeling a bit minimalist? Wear just the poncho and hat and you’re good to go!
Craft your poncho clown costume with whatever pieces you like to get a look you’re comfortable with.
Not everyone wants to go all out when it comes to costuming. We have always encouraged our guests to do as much or as little as they feel comfortable. We’ve had everything from a “This is my costume” t-shirt to Ace Frehley, sporting spot-on replica platform boots.
So, this post is dedicated to those who want to do a little, but not too much. At least, not until you are ready to be a superhero.
