Favorite costumes ever

Colleen is traveling and not on the Internets quite so constantly as usual, but has thoughtfully prepared ahead and has some blog posts on deck. This is one of them. NYC-area blog buddies and other pals, the blog nerd and friend gathering will now be Friday night, location TBA.


I'd like to tell you about one or two of my best Halloweens ever, but parts of most of the best Halloweens aren't for general audiences--For awhile there, each Halloween was getting increasingly more debaucherous and legendary. But instead, I'll do a little show and tell about my favorite costumes.

In high school, I went as a guidette. This was late 80s/early 90s central Jersey, aka, the heart of Guido Country during the Guido Renaissance. I made a Z.Cavaricci label for my one diapery-cut, peg-legged pair of pants and tried to do my hair all big, though it always refused to go as big as I wanted. Real guidos didn't really notice because I wasn't in classes with too many of them, from what I recall, but in Spanish class we all had to stand up and announce what we were dressed as, and there probably were a few guids in that one. I didn't get my ass beat, though.

In college I went as Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas (I was a little obsessed). Here I am with Gene Simmons doing our best Sears catalog poses. I wish now that I'd gone much heavier on the eye makeup; this was before I had false eyelashes. We went to a super fun party in a big old house, and I met a Jack Skellington! Fate! But somehow the dude I ended up dating from that party was dressed as a vampire and had frizzy long hair. I was way cuter than he was, WTF.


In 1999 or so I went with Amanda as Patsy and Edina from AbFab. I was Patsy, with a blonde beehive wig, miniskirt suit and stilettos, and carried a vodka bottle. As the night wore on, we only got more in character. The most fun part was when we'd theatrically fall down, then hang out on the ground for a bit. I would totally do this costume again.

In about 2000 or so I went as Vicki the robot from Small Wonder, and Amanda and I went to NYC's Halloween parade. Here we are being robotic (note the control panel in my back), but in retrospect, I wish that I'd cut the apron a lot shorter. That was one of the nights I can't tell you about.




What I can tell you is that giant towering drag queens in elaborate costumes pulled us into their party, and nobody got my costume, but they all adored Amanda's Cyndi Lauper costume. I felt decidedly not fabulous, and also robbed of the accolades my costume deserved. It was still an awesome night, though, and those queens live on fondly in my heart. (You're going to want to enlarge that photo.)




About three years ago, I went as a bad Valium mom from the '60s. I wore a fall and all vintage costume components and transformed my slide heeled mules into fuzzy marabou slippers. My props were a martini glass, a cigarette dangling from my mouth, and a bottle of pills in my muumuu-robe pocket. I can't tell you about that night, either. I attempted to wear that green polyester robe in the house recently and it was fervently vetoed by the bf.




Two years ago I went as the leg lamp from A Christmas Story. My roommate Hannah did an amazing job sewing up the lampshade. Some bum in the subway yelled, "You ain' THAT pregnan'!" (Thankfully, I wasn't at all pregnan'.) I flirted with some flirty williamsjerk who looked like the 70s but was not in costume (Hannah dubbed him "Bread" like the band), even though our respective eras didn't match and I don't think he knew what I was dressed as (nor for that matter do I imagine he was very quick on the uptake), until his model girlfriend arrived, then I was vexed. Ha HA! I do not miss being single and looking to mingle.


Last year, I went as Joan Crawford for the second time (drawing on the eyebrows and lips make the look) and carried wire hangers, but that's more of a backup costume, really. This year I think I'll just go as a majorly awesome writer working on her first book and handing out candy to kids from a house for the first time. (I know, they're not all winners.)

Now if only I could find the photos of my cat Gypsy's best costume ever, when she went against her will as Gypsy-Bot 5000. College kids can be so cruel.