New Jeanland

I am fascinated with DIY shows now. I think a good portion of my interest is watching people with the courage to take a sledgehammer to the walls of their houses and who start digging large holes in their backyard to create a swimming lagoon. In the middle of the episode, they blithely start trying to decide what sort of plum color would best go with the bedspread and the oak furniture. By the end, I usually don’t agree with everything that they have done, but it looks better than when they started.

Even if I do not jump into home renovations with reckless abandon, I do tend to work my own sort of magic with Halloween costumes for myself and my children. It’s a form of creative reconstruction. We can be whatever the budget and our imaginations will allow.

Last year, I made three sets of costumes out of bedsheets. I hand sewed the Hogwarts wizard robes and put the patches on two of them. I even sent my husband out to buy scarves (I do not knit) that would complete the outfits.

This year, I suggested to one of the children that they dress up like Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. While I did not go the route of sewing the various parts, it was equally fun to start looking for things that would fit the ambience without breaking the bank. I’m particularly proud of finding a top hat, cape and gloves from a magician’s costume, repurposing his dress clothes for the base, and finding a single artificial rose (that I hope lasts until Halloween considering the use it is getting).

I already had put together a costume for Halloween. And then Chaia got involved. “But you could be the Wicked Lady!” she exclaimed.

“No, no, I’ve already got a costume coming,” I replied. I had spent at least an hour-and-a-half pricing dresses, measuring myself against size charts that proudly proclaimed me to be a size XXXL, finding the correct (black) wig, and otherwise looking for masks suitable for Venice.

But then, I felt it. The same spirit that possesses those DIY experts on television. I went to my closet and said, “All right. What does the Wicked Lady look like?” I started rummaging through my clothes, repurposing them. I found my red D’Orsay heels that would be perfect for a picture. I experimented with using a red cloak from a past Halloween as the arm shrug.

I would like to say that I found everything that I needed. But like in those DIY projects, eventually problems arose. The cloak wasn’t long enough, and I didn’t want to cut it. I wanted a red for sleeves, not the pink that I was thinking might do in a pinch.

So, I bought a red blouse and a pair of black cuff bracelets, I picked out a necklace that would be closer to her choker collar. I found a red veil for the arm shrug. I bought a pink wig that had potential to be styled – even though I’ve never styled a wig before and have a feeling that I will need to devote some time to figuring it out.

And I came to terms with the things that I couldn’t change. Would I like a black sleeveless dress instead of the navy one? Sure. Am I going to pay good money for it when it’s not absolutely necessary to the plot. No. Much like the times when I’ve seen cost overruns on the home improvement shows, I decided what I was willing to live with and what I absolutely had to fix to catch the attitude of the character.

Will it be successful? If it is measured by looking just like an anime character, no. I am not the same size, nor the same shape. The dress is a different color and has no slits. The wig isn’t going to be just right. I’m going to have to wear ballet flats if I even get to go out with him to visit the neighbors.

But if that is measured by my satisfaction in a job well-attempted and the admiration of a tiny Tuxedo Mask, then I have a good feeling that the answer is yes.

And now, if you will excuse me, I have to try to figure out how to put space buns into a wig with ponytails in it.