The costumes made by local designers for Dreaming In Color were impressive and entertaining, but some of the costumes worn by people in the crowd were just as cool! An event that once again proves how creative Austinites really are.
If you were wanting to see a typical fashion show, then you probably were disappointed with what took place last night at Dreaming In Color. Local designers brought glitz and fabulosity to ND at 501 Studios with their Vitamin Water inspired costumes. Instead of models working a runway, dancers and performers owned the stage by entertaining the crowd with sultry dance moves, tricks, and even some stripper pole acrobatics. While all the costumes and performances were bubbling with creativity, the $1,000 Vitamin Water prize was awarded to Angeliska Polacheck who designed a costume seemingly inspired by a Lisa Frank themed birthday party on drugs. While I thought that some of the other costumes were more interesting fashion wise, this night proved that you just cannot beat a unicorn on a stripper pole.
If you didn't go to Gagarazzi last weekend then you missed out on a great event and a great excuse to get decked out in a ridiculous and flamboyant costume. Luckily, this weekend provides another great excuse for fabulous camp!
Austin's monsters put their paws up and wore their best Gaga inspired outfits all in the support of Equality Texas last night. Austin's first ever Gagarazzi was a glittery gaga-licious night full of creativity, debauchery, and those in favor of equality for all.
Check out the awesome costumes that showed up at The Highball for Gagarazzi:
Get ready for the best excuse to not wear pants in public, to learn how to make a hair bow, to wear a dress made of meat, to dress up in drag (guys as girls or girls as guys would both work!), or to glue a bunch of stuffed animals together and wear it with pride. It's almost time for Gagarazzi! I expect there to be some awesomely weird outfits at the Highball on September 30th for this special Lady Gaga event benefitting Equality Texas.
What you can experience at Gagarazzi:
-Pre-show at 9pm with music videos, Gaga karaoke, and more
-Photobooth
-Costume Contest with prizes for Best Gaga, Most Creative, and Most Original
-Show at 10pm with performances by: The Jigglewatts, Dolls From The Crypt, Black Widow Burlesque, Austin City Showgirls, Oh Baby Burlesque, Stars & Garters and more
-Dance Party til 2am
-Gaga themed raffle prizes donated by local artists and businesses including a $50 gift card to Strut, a private party at Underwear worth $500, a gift certificate to Million Tattoos of $150 and more!
Tickets: $7 at the Door, $5 with costume (why would you NOT come in costume to this event?)
For some costume inspiration, check out this promo video Homespun Horror made for the event:
Halloween is this weekend and if you still haven't figured out what you are going to be, you are probably just going to try and throw something together at the last minute using stuff you already have at home. I have some advice on trying to create a cool costume from your normal everyday clothes.
First of all, keep it simple. You aren't going to be able to create that magnificent stage costume from your favorite Broadway musical in a few hours using what you have in your closet.
Second of all, focus on the broad aspects of what makes a costume look like a costume and don't get too stuck on the details. What silhouette does your character have? The basic shape is what is most recognizable when it comes to costumes.
Third, color. Colors are very recognizable and we associate certain colors with certain characters and things very easily. Use color to your advantage.
Here are the everyday pieces I used to create my costume. This is how I would normally wear them in outfits:
And here is the "Little Red Riding Hood" costume I created with them:
How did I figure this out? I first asked myself, "what makes little red riding hood look like little red riding hood?" Obviously a red hood is very important, but I didn't have a red cape with a hood. Luckily this red hoodie works just as well b/c it has the basic shape and color. If you have anything that is red that you can somehow use as a hood, such as a scarf or wrap, that would work too. The silhouette that we associate with Little Red Riding Hood is one that is a tight corset-ted waist with a fuller skirt. Find something in your closet that could recreate this shape. You could use a belt or a vest to create a corset like shape if you don't have a dress like the one I have. You can use any full skirt or dress you have to get that full shape, and if you have a petticoat then this will make it look a bit more dramatic and costume-like. For the top, you can use any white or cream blouse you have that has short sleeves or cap sleeves. The last component is the boots. Any boots you have will work, but the taller the better. After this is all put together, and if you have time, you can then start to focus on adding some small details. If you have a basket lying around you can carry that and use it as your purse. And makeup is a really good way to make a costume look more like a costume. Make your eye makeup more dramatic than usual, and for Little Red Riding Hood some deep red lips would be beautiful.
You can take the concepts I used for creating Little Red Riding Hood and apply them to your own costume idea. If you can't think of a costume idea out of nowhere, look at the clothes and accessories you have and let them inspire you. Don't get stuck! Time is wasting and you need a costume. Don't fret and don't get discouraged.
For more street-wear turned costume-wear looks, check out the window displays at SoLa in the triangle. The costumes you see in the windows were created entirely with everyday clothes that are for sale in the store. SoLa also has a great selection of colored and patterned tights, which can be very helpful for creating costumes.
Good luck creating your costume and Happy Halloween!
Posts
