Tiffany & Co. Pouch Halloween Costume

I would say that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Throughout the year, I will be sporadically inspired by something that could be the perfect Halloween costume. And as the holiday gets closer, my creative juices really start flowing as I hone in on the one idea that feels uniquely me.

It is an exhilarating feeling trying to figure out how to take a thought in my head and bring it to life as a wearable object. Over the years, I have been a Facebook Fairy, a Harajuku Baby Doll and more recently Bruno Mars, each I remember my boyfriend being confused by the concept, but impressed by the outcome.

Well, this year my inspiration came early. At the Met’s Camp exhibit over the summer, I was completely smittened by a Vaquera outfit in the shape of a Tiffany & Co. pouch. I remember thinking it would be really fun to make my own version.

Sketch it out – initial drawings of the Tiffany & Co. pouch, which I will say are pretty close to what I made.

Looking for the perfect shade of blue

I visited a couple fabric stores in New York’s Garment District in search of fabric in the iconic Tiffany blue color. I was surprised to realize that the blue is more of a turquoise blue. I wanted to a fabric that would not wrinkle easily, have some structure, but still flowy – I found exactly that with a neoprene fabric in the perfect shade.

Same same, but different. For yarn, I went to Michael’s. You should have seen me at the store for a good hour trying to pick which one would most compliment the fabric I bought. The yarn colors did not match exactly so I would go back and forth, trying to figure out if it would be better if the yarn was darker or lighter than the fabric.

Once I got all the materials, I could start crafting. I cut two mirrored pieces for the pouch and pinned them together.

Make it work!

Because I do not have a sewing machine nor do I have space for one in my tiny Brooklyn apartment, I had no choice but to hand sew everything.

At times I was cursing because a 5 minute sewing machine job was becoming a 2 hour hand sewing job, but I just loved knowing that with each stitch I was getting closer to what I was imagining in my head. I think that is a important lesson for life – that small steps may feel insignificant but as they add up you are moving closer to the thing you want to achieve. So little by little just keep moving forward.

Next, the elastic band to create the gathered look when the ropes are pulled. I measured the appropriate length around my upper chest area and sewed both ends of the elastic band together. Note to self: make the band a bit tighter than you think is necessary. I almost boob-flashed everyone when my pouch nearly slipped off while dancing. ECK!

Another “make it work” part. I realized the elastic band would need to be stretched in order to properly sew onto the fabric. I had to get creative and figure out what I could use to keep the band tout and spotted my garden stool. Yes, it looks a little strange, but it worked out perfectly.

I thought a lot about the wording that would go on the pouch. The obvious choice was the Tiffany logo but I wanted to do something unexpected. I toyed with options like ‘Shine Bright & Co’ and ‘Rosie & Co.’

While brainstorming, I saw that Tiffany was in hot waters for an image of model FeiFei Sun that I believe the company was wrongly called out for. Then, the word ‘freedom’ came to mind. With all the shit going on in the world, in our communities and at our borders, it felt like the right word: freedom of expression, of the press, of religion, of a fair election/trial, of going to places without getting hurt or killed, freedom of just being your authentic self without judgment.⁣

OrGANIZED CHAOS

Using a printed guide, I cut felt into the shape of each letter, ampersand and period. Oh, how tedious this was.

I lined the edges with some fabric glue to prevent the letters from fraying. Once I was happy with the placement of the letters on the pouch, I secured them, making sure the glue did not peek out from the edges.

I have a distinct childhood memory of me trying to braid two strands of hair and feeling disappointed when the twist became undone because I did not have the proper technique. Thanks to my always handy YouTube I figured out how to make a yarn rope, the key being that you have to twist each strand in the same direction before you start twisting them over each other. I made two ropes and knotted them on both ends.

Snip Snip SNIP

After looping the ropes through the arm holes, I trimmed the ends so that they looked even and clean.

The finishing touches were my hairdo inspired by the glamorous fashion of the 1950s and Midge Maisel from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, some bling bling earrings, and a white bow as a nod to the iconic Tiffany gift box.

My costume came out even better than I could have hoped for. So simple, so charming, so me. Teehee – I wish I could wear it everyday. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, making a Halloween costume is such a creative outlet for me that allows me to be my most authentic self as a creative. This project did just that. Happy creating!

Bruno Mars Inspired Halloween Costume

I love Bruno Mars. I think he is an incredible talent with a powerhouse voice and effortless dance moves. And, oh how he makes me melt when he flashes his pearly whites. I will say, though, it is not lost on me that he has been accused of cultural appropriation and repurposing the sounds of past artists but I love how joyous and happy his songs make me feel.

So, for Halloween I decided that I wanted be the ‘24K Magic’ singer in his current embodiment, dressed in Versace baroque print shirts, dripping in gold chains, and topped with his signature white cap. I think my boyfriend was a bit skeptical about this costume idea but I was pretty confident that I could pull it off.

This is definitely one of my simpler Halloween costumes I have done compared to some of my past ones but it was still fun to comb the internet for a ‘silk’ shirt that looked like Versace without the Versace price tag and gold jewelry that would not make my skin turn green. And it would be my first time dressed as a man.

I got my shirt, sunglasses and gold chains from Amazon. My friend helped get me the iconic XXIV hat via Taobao, the Chinese Amazon where you are literally buy anything including cleaning services. I added my own gold rings, necklaces, and even a chain off of a Tory Burch bag. Threw on some black pants and white kicks and I was transformed into a “dangerous man with some money in my pocket…keep up.”

I almost forgot that I got a curly wig and was hoping to trim it and sew it to my cap but that was a big fail as it immediately became apparent that there was no way my already huge head and a wig would fit inside a cap without sliding off to reveal my wig cap.

I had so much fun photoshopping the below picture while imagining what it would have been like to be Bruno’s sidekick in this music video. But, who am I kidding? If I ever had the opportunity to be on the set of his music video I would be probably awkwardly standing in the corner completely starstruck and speechless. Sigh, a girl can still fantasize…

Bruno Mars & her Bruno Earth

I, of course, had to include my boyfriend in the fun so I made him a graphic t-shirt, ironing on gold heat transfers in the shape of the earth. So that he would be Bruno Earth to my Bruno Mars. Get it???

Yes, I know I am sooo lame. lol.

Bruno Rose Vs. Bruno Mars. Who wore it better?

October 2018 Update: I decided to splurge and get tickets to the Bruno Mars concert in Brooklyn. I knew I wanted to repurpose my costume for the show, but was a bit apprehensive about wearing it as I am a super shy person who does not like to attract attention. But, as they say ‘YOLO!’

I was probably the only person who dressed like a crazy super fan and once Bruno hit the stage I was so glad I did. I was on cloud nine singing my heart out and dancing like there was no tomorrow. The night went by too fast but I tried to savor every second of it and bask in the simple luxury of seeing one of my favorite singers live.

Facebook Fairy Halloween Costume

After much brainstorming and heartache, I came up with my Halloween costume idea that I knew was THE ONE. It was a bit of an “Eureka” moment when I thought of it and I cannot wait to show you my creative journey in bringing it to life. So you may be asking me what I was. Well, I was Facebook Fairy.

“Uh what?”

Yup, that is the typical response I got when I told people what I was planning to be. Just utter confusion and skepticism, but I REFUSED to be a sexy nurse, school girl, or a cheerleader. I was going to be . . . Facebook Fairy.

As with many things, it started with a sketch. I was very inspired by Katy Perry’s outrageous but always fun and whimsical costumes that have made her so iconic. I envisioned the top of the dress to be blue resembling the Facebook logo, while the skirt would be made up of the various Facebook icons.

I went to a recommended seamstress and found the perfect two shades of blue for the bodice. I asked for the skirt to be lined with tulle to give it a more of a ballerina feel.  After a couple fittings and alternations, the dress was ready to be taken home to add all the the embellishments.

Getting my wig on.

Me seen here in 'dress rehearsal.'

I combed through (no pun intended) literally ever wig shop in Hong Kong to find a blue wig that matched the Facebook blue. I did not realize how much of a challenge this would be. Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po, Central, you name it, I was there.

Getting desperate, I tried my luck and asked the lady who usually does my eyebrows if she knew of any wig shops. She, being a makeup artist and knowing many people in the beauty industry, suggested a very small wig shop that many of her hairstylist friends would go to.  Luck would finally be on my side.

Initial ideas were to have a “Like” button headpiece, but that would prove to be more difficult to execute and instead I came up with the idea of a “Like” wand.  After all, what fairy does not have a magic wand?  Floral oasis, being soft and lightweight, was the easiest way of creating this icon. I carved away until I had the perfect silhouette and then wrapped the hand shape with blue ribbon and two print-outs of the icon. To complete the wand, I simply inserted a ribbon-wrapped stick, made from an old calendar rod.

A sea of pearls

Pearl buttons were glued onto the bust of the dress to add a wonderful textural element to the otherwise flat dress.

I spent a lot of time on these icons. Some I were able to easily find the vector versions online while others I had to draw. I never spent so much time on Facebook not stalking an old crush, but rather studying the different icons on the various pages.

Before and After

Having no mannequin, I hung the dress on my living room's curtain rod to attach the icon print-outs. As Tim Gunn would say "Make it work!"

Like!

After adding a simple white headband, white flats with blue detailing, ribbon cuffs and some blue eye shadow and nail polish my look was complete. It could not have turned out better. And Facebook Fairy put her "Like" wand to good use, gracing well-dressed Halloween goers with her wand in approval.

Harajuku Lovers Baby Halloween Costume

It is true what they say about Halloween. It is a holiday children love because they can eat as much candy as they want, a holiday teenagers think they are too cool for, and a holiday that adults cultishly embrace. That was me. After many years of refusing to dress up for the occasion, something inside me decided that I would give the holiday a grown-up chance. But rather than buying a costume at the store, I decided I would get my DIY on and bring Gwen Stefani's Japanese-inspired Harajuku Lovers Baby to life. I'm not really sure why I decided to be her, maybe because she is so adorable or maybe because I just wanted to see if I could bring her fabulous hair to life.

During the time I was working on the costume, I carried this plastic doll everywhere I went, whipping her out in craft stores and fabric warehouses to make sure my purchases were as true to the original as possible.

I searched everywhere for a pink polka dotted dress. I came across a dress very similar in shape and silhouette to Baby's at a random boutique and decided to take it and add the dots myself as the October 31st deadline was fast approaching.

I'm seeing dots.

Once all the dotting was completed, beautiful scallop-edged lace was added to the bottom of the dress.

Smaller details like the dress's ribbon belt, bow and 'Baby' lettering and the headpiece's turquoise bows were easier completed. I would leave the most challenging but fun part for last, the headpiece.

I knew from the beginning that a curled updo would not have the same dramatic effect as Baby's Asian-inspired hair. After testing foam spheres without much success, I thought that ping pong balls would do the trick. They are light-weight but sturdy and lend themselves to be hot glue gunned and spray-painted.

Before and After

Totemo Kawaii! (Very Cute!)

The completed look. Of course, all my friends had to thoroughly inspect my hairdo. Usually, I don't let anyone touch my hair but this time I made an exception.

And of course, no Halloween celebration would be complete without some good-old pumpkin carving. I just made sure that my pumpkin perfectly coordinated with my outfit.