d'Artagnan and Milady, Age 24

And with that, the Halloween Hoopla sketches are all done! The Three Musketeers themed costumes were fun to do (even with those last few days of craziness). Hmm I guess I better get ready now for the next holiday!

But it is Halloween related.

Liara T'soni, Age 23

Annnd here’s the standard plug for how I made the headpiece – and you can make one too!

The Night and a Musketeer, Age 22

My husband and I traveled around Europe for our honeymoon, and when Halloween came by, we were in France. The night before my favorite holiday, we were in Carcassonne and desperate to make costumes to wear the next day (when we would be in La Rochelle). We badly needed a musketeer costume (because we were in France!) and despite Halloween not really being celebrated in France, by chance there was a small costume shop in town. The shop keepers were extremely nice and helpful – to the point that when they didn’t carry an item we needed (ie. tape aka “Scotch”) they escorted us to a retailer that did. So with tape, glue and blue and white crepe paper, we fashioned together some costumes. We bought a white mask, black hat and a small plastic sword and added a paper tabard and paper stars, to create “The Night” and a “Musketeer.”

The next day, when we were in La Rochelle, we got a lot of looks after we dressed up (and after James proceeded to act like a Musketeer within walls and towers) but it was a lot of fun. I think everyone knew that we were having a blast.

Captain Adama Picard and The Red Death, Age 21

I think it’s better than the coloured version.

…I know, I know, the bottle isn’t shaded in. But I just wasn’t feeling it. My costume revolved around a wicked two-part skull mask that I bought, and James was a combo of Jean-Luc Picard and Bill Adama (during his mustache phase).

Zelda and Link, Age 20

More experimentation. Why glowing eyes? Why not? For our costumes, James wore a wig and I…well, we tried dying/bleaching my hair blonde. It wasn’t the most successful thing, but no-one really noticed it (mainly because I always wore a hat, and continued to do so after the bleaching mishap).

Ghostbuster and Princess Leia, Age 19

Some drawing and colouring experimentation led to this image of myself as Princess Leia (Episode IV) and my then-boyfriend (now-husband) James as Dr. Peter Venkman from Ghostbusters (though he looks closer to Spengler. But he wanted to be Venkman).

I must add that James and I made his Ghostbuster costume on a very, very tight time schedule and budget. On Halloween I dragged um convinced him brought him to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show at a theatre – he ended up winning a costume contest there!

Also, that was my real hair.

Death, Age 17

My mom made me another (bigger, and even more detailed) skeleton suit (and cape), whilst my dad made a scythe. Accented with glow-in-the-dark paint of course, making my grim reaper even more grim (or disco-fabulous).

Next couple of these sketches will be more experimentative.

Night...Ball...Lady...Person..., Age 14

High-school is often the time where people go through many awkward stages. I had already started my awkward stage back in grade 3, and had long ago decided that I wasn’t going to try to be “cool.” But even still, Halloween during my first few years at high school confused me. My trick’r'treatin’ years were done (my height made candy-givers suspect of my age), I’m not a party gal, and I wasn’t impressed with the costume scene at the school’s Halloween dances. I wore this…stuff…in grade 9, to a friend’s party, I think, then sadly hid away from Halloween for a few years, not showing my true love for the holiday until my last high school year when I finally went to class in full costume, and relished handing out candy to little kids (and scaring the odd one).

...It's a Wig

My costume consisted of a shift (undershirt), bumroll (to give me that early 17th century silhouette), three petticotes (aka skirts), a reed-boned bodice complete with a stomacher (that had a wooden busk in it, thanks to a generous friend of my parents-in-law), organza cuffs, collar and sash, fleur-de-lis necklace and earrings, poison ring, black gloves, black fan, black mask and black shoes with gold rosette bows. The cuffs, collar, sash, third petticote, bodice and mask had a gold lace trim. I wore a black cloak, but didn’t have at the time of this photo. I would love to revisit the pattern and make another costume – one that is a bit more fitted, and that wouldn’t be as rushed. Methinks I’d make a Constance outfit (better to match my d’Artagnan…that, and I wouldn’t have to wear that hot wig!).