Halloween costume woes
When I was growing up, my Grandma Hutchins would make us the most amazing costumes. She was a skilled seastress and could even make her own patters when needed. Some of my favorites included 1st grade Robin Hood (Errol Flynn-style with a peacock feather in my hat), 5th grade Pierrot (let's just say Comedia dell'arte didn't go over so big in Kane, but I LOVED it).
I wish I could sew if only so that I could make Myles fantastic costumes. However, if I were to learn to sew with any proficiency, it would just be one more step toward that very slippery slope where I am wearing nothing but my own home-made jumpers and turning my garage into a classroom.
So Tuesday Myles and I went to the locally-owned Toy Store hoping to find a great costume. I had a feeling it was going to be difficult to find a cool, creative costume for a boy when everywhere I turned around all I saw was TAFFETA and TULLE. Floor to ceiling!
There were fairy and princess and fairy princess costumes for all sizes of child in all colors. Why be just a lady bug, when you can be a lady bug fairy? Why be a flower when you can be a flower princess? TAFFETA AND TULLE. Floor to ceiling. Do little girls dress up as anything else, by the way?
I don't care how progressive minded I am/supposed to be. My son isn't going to wear Tulle on Halloween. Not yet, anyway :-)
So I searched the store for boys costumes, since they had the princess gear floor to ceiling and hanging from the ceiling and draped over other toy displays. Crispian had suggested Myles could go as a Bumble Bee for Halloween, and I thought that was a good idea--but do you think I could find a gender neutral bumble bee? No, a Bumble Bee fairy princess! But no Bumble Bee.
I saw a lot of Power Rangers and Batmans, some StarWars, too. But they all looked so----cheap and manufactured, especially compared to the fairy gear all around me. But then I narrowed it to two--Thomas the Tank Engine (very cheap looking, but I thought Myles would get into it) or a very cool Itsy Bitsy Spider (store-bought, but almost looked like one my Grandma would have made). Myles actually chose the spider.
So he wore his costume Tuesday night to the library party (he was so excited that he barely ate dinner). And he will wear it at least 2wice more coming up--maybe for the Bloomfield parade (like so many Pittsburgh events, folks tailgate this--a children's Halloween parade--whooohoooo) and for Trick or Treating. He looks absolutely adorable in the costume and I will get pictures up sometime soon. Problem solved.
But then I thought I might like to dress up, too, at least on Monday when we go back to the library for another Halloween party (yes, we are library junkies). I am not into dressing up for Halloween. When I lived in Kane after college, my friend Missy used to force me to dress up for Halloween. It was soooo important to her and she always happened to have an extra costume. But I was thinking, it might be fun just this once to dress up, and since Myles is a spider, maybe I could go as Little Miss Muffet.
You see where this is going?
Go ahead, Google "Miss Muffet Adult costume". Even tell it to take sexy out of the search.
NO ONE MAKES AN ADULT STORYBOOK COSTUME THAT ISN'T SLUTTY.
I wish I could sew if only so that I could make Myles fantastic costumes. However, if I were to learn to sew with any proficiency, it would just be one more step toward that very slippery slope where I am wearing nothing but my own home-made jumpers and turning my garage into a classroom.
So Tuesday Myles and I went to the locally-owned Toy Store hoping to find a great costume. I had a feeling it was going to be difficult to find a cool, creative costume for a boy when everywhere I turned around all I saw was TAFFETA and TULLE. Floor to ceiling!
There were fairy and princess and fairy princess costumes for all sizes of child in all colors. Why be just a lady bug, when you can be a lady bug fairy? Why be a flower when you can be a flower princess? TAFFETA AND TULLE. Floor to ceiling. Do little girls dress up as anything else, by the way?
I don't care how progressive minded I am/supposed to be. My son isn't going to wear Tulle on Halloween. Not yet, anyway :-)
So I searched the store for boys costumes, since they had the princess gear floor to ceiling and hanging from the ceiling and draped over other toy displays. Crispian had suggested Myles could go as a Bumble Bee for Halloween, and I thought that was a good idea--but do you think I could find a gender neutral bumble bee? No, a Bumble Bee fairy princess! But no Bumble Bee.
I saw a lot of Power Rangers and Batmans, some StarWars, too. But they all looked so----cheap and manufactured, especially compared to the fairy gear all around me. But then I narrowed it to two--Thomas the Tank Engine (very cheap looking, but I thought Myles would get into it) or a very cool Itsy Bitsy Spider (store-bought, but almost looked like one my Grandma would have made). Myles actually chose the spider.
So he wore his costume Tuesday night to the library party (he was so excited that he barely ate dinner). And he will wear it at least 2wice more coming up--maybe for the Bloomfield parade (like so many Pittsburgh events, folks tailgate this--a children's Halloween parade--whooohoooo) and for Trick or Treating. He looks absolutely adorable in the costume and I will get pictures up sometime soon. Problem solved.
But then I thought I might like to dress up, too, at least on Monday when we go back to the library for another Halloween party (yes, we are library junkies). I am not into dressing up for Halloween. When I lived in Kane after college, my friend Missy used to force me to dress up for Halloween. It was soooo important to her and she always happened to have an extra costume. But I was thinking, it might be fun just this once to dress up, and since Myles is a spider, maybe I could go as Little Miss Muffet.
You see where this is going?
Go ahead, Google "Miss Muffet Adult costume". Even tell it to take sexy out of the search.
NO ONE MAKES AN ADULT STORYBOOK COSTUME THAT ISN'T SLUTTY.
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