Outfits from Outer Space #3: Halloween

Better late than never, right?

Leaving you to ponder this for too long is potentially dangerous, so here's a distracting compilation of all my Halloween 2013 costumes.

1. Pop Art

This was put together very last-minute for MCM Comic Con, inspired by Roy Lichtenstein's art. Mostly it just involved orange face paint and a LOT of eyeliner. Drawing on those dots took fucking forever.

A very confused Castiel discovers pop art.

2. 50s movie character

After reading this inspiring blogpost, I decided to go greyscale for Halloween and aimed for a 50s-inspired look.

Top - Collectif

Skirt - Coast

Behind the scenes:

Originally, we were meant to go as a greyscale couple, but he flipped out when I brought out the eyeliner and wouldn't let me paint the rest of his face..

3. Last-minute Cruella De Vil

I got invited to a Disney pub crawl in Shoreditch, and was too lazy to go home and change, so I concocted this with what little clothes I had at my boyfriend's... Fun fact: I've owned this faux fur jacket since I was 6 years old and my cousin's bridesmaid. It's served me well.

People kept complimenting me on my 'white face makeup'... I wasn't wearing any. Sob.

4. Creepy nondescript Tim Burton character

Inspired by Emma Pickles' makeup tutorial, I wore this for Voodoo Rock Night. 

Corset - Primark

Skirt - Topshop

Armwarmers - Claire's

Annoyingly, it turned out to be one of those cases where everything looked better during the makeup test than on the actual night.

My eyebrows just wouldn't disappear!

5. ...And a minion

...What did YOU dress up as on Halloween?

Hair from Beyond #2: Once Upon a Time's Ruby

Today, in Hair from Beyond... Storybrooke's favourite rebellious granddaughter.

"You dress like a drag queen at Fleet Week". 

Yes, Granny, I also feel like a drag queen at Fleet Week. So much makeup!

This one was actually a lot of fun. The makeup is a little heavy for me, but the 60s-style pigtails I suspect I'll be wearing again. Sorry for the low quality images, I didn't have my camera at hand!

Again, if you want a tutorial, feel free to let me know in the comments. Have a great day!

I'm looking for Ruby, all I see is Kat Dennings... what?!

Victorian Winter Ball

So lately the boyfriend and I have been taking 19th century folk & ballroom dancing classes at the Quadrille Club. It's ridiculously fun, and the healthy kind of exhausting, so what started off as a 'just for fun' trial ended up developing into a full blown hobby.
The Quadrille Club, ran by 19th century social dances specialist Ellis Rogers and his wife, meets once a month to run a day-long dancing workshop, and these lovely people throw an period ball in early winter.
This year's Victorian Ball (themed 1850-1900) happened last weekend, and words can't even begin to describe how much fun it was. I wish this was better advertised to people of my generation, because I know so many who would enjoy it if they took the initiative to try something different.

Anyway, back to the ball. Although a light dinner was included, the focus was placed entirely on the dancing, which happens to be a lot more tiring than it sounds. Especially when one is wearing a corset under their heavy period gown, crinoline and petticoats, and may or may not have had one too many glasses of wine between dances. I am assured that 'the men's clothing are just as restrictive', but somehow I remain doubtful.

A Victorian profile

I was going to make my dress, but I couldn't finish it in time for the ball and ended up hiring this one instead. I don't want to give it back (T_T)

On the night, I styled it with a black 1870s-style ribbon tied around my neck, white and blue net gloves (thrifted), and a hairstyle copied straight from an 1877 fashion plate.

In a beautiful turn-of-the-century gown

An Early Victorian gentleman in white tie, and an Edwardian lady

Hair from Beyond #1: Sansa's Wedding Hair

Hello hello people! Lately I've started a new project, in which I've set myself the challenge of recreating my favourite hairstyles from the big (and small) screen. I'll be sharing them all here in a new series of posts: Hair from Beyond....

I absolutely love the hairstyles in Game of Thrones. They go such a long way characterizing and highlighting the changes that these characters go through, it's incredibly efficient. For a while now I've been meaning to recreate Sansa's wedding updo, but my hair is too thin to really come anywhere close to the desired effect.
Finally last night a friend gave in and agreed to let me use her head as a canvas...

My friend has incredibly thick, smooth hair with zero grip whatsoever, which normally can't even hold a single braid... This took an entire can of hairspray, but taming the beast was oh-so satisfactory.

In a way, it's very Amidala-esque...
Unfortunately I had no beads on me.

If you'd like me to make a tutorial on how to recreate this, let me know in the comments!