The Occasional Woman — Get Ready for Halloween

Dear Readers,

We have finally arrived at what is either the zenith or the nadir of summer, and that means only one thing — time to start on your Halloween costume! And no, holes in a white sheet doesn’t count! Halloween is the one day (in most of the country, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and New Orleans excepted) where you, yes YOU, can be anyone OR any gender you feel best expresses your deepest desires, wildest fantasies, and whatever else you can afford.

But how to accomplish this feat of masquery? Sure, you can go to a large, impersonal costume shop, and be aided by pimply and eye-rolling youth who could give a rat’s ass about your visions of glory. You could thrift something vaguely your size, put a belt on it and  hope for the best.

I’d like to throw my jauntily-perched hat in the ring of costume providers! I have been designing, making, sewing and altering costumes for most of my damn life, and worked at many well-known area theaters doing just this for the last 16 years, and I want to make your costume! To that end, I am including photos of a nice lady whom we will call Sophie. We call her that because it is her name.

Mary Marvel

Sophie came to me many years ago, and wanted a costume. We talked for quite a while about what she wanted — and this girl was PREPARED! She wanted to be a comic book character known as Mary Marvel — and so she was! Although she did buy the boots, I made the rest — and she WORKED IT. Red and gold Spandex, with a detachable cape — it was a lot of fun. And she even gave me a Mary Marvel statuette as a present!

The next one was the St Pauli Girl, also great fun. Soph herself got the beer pitchers, but I made to top, the waist-cincher (oh how she loved it!) the skirt and the fluffy white petticoat I had made one for an old boss of mine, who wanted to go to a party in drag — or . . . did he?

One year Sophie was seriously slavering over a gorgeous Flamenco dress. Did I make her one? Ya darn whistlin’ betcha! I made one we both loved so much that I hated to see it leave! She twirled her way through Henri David’s Ball in that one too, and looked terrific.

A movie had come out with a really glamorous and EEEEEvil queen — I think it was Angelina Jolie as this regal baddy, and we went to JoMar Fabric et al. and picked out some devilishly lovely fabric, and poof! A gown was created; a friend of mine who does props made a life-like metal breast piece, and thar she went.

Well, we were both broke the next Halloween, and Sophie had a kinda cheap-ass Vampira costume, but 1) it was skimpy and ill-fitting and 2) I couldn’t let her go out looking like that. So, it took a few days, but I was able to add and alter it so she looked great!

Click the first photo below for a larger slideshow. Use the >> on the bottom right of the photo to navigate through the costumes. When done click on the last photo to shift focus back to this page.

Sophie has been a client AND good friend of mine for some years now, and together we have cooked up some really fun and sumptuous costumes for Halloween. How can you get in on the fun and creativity? Look around, and search your psyche for a heroine, a villain, a STAR, an historical figure or some look that calls out to your soul and then give me a call! Come with any pictures, drawings, statues or likenesses you can acquire, and let’s build you a fantasy to call your own. But please do this as soon as you can-I still have to start MY costume! You can reach me at 610-955-4372.

Still sweaty but always thinking costumes,

Lorraine

Tags: costumes, crossdressing, featured, halloween

Category: Transgender Fashion, Transgender Fun & Entertainment