I am working at the library on Halloween, and I would like to wear a small amount of costume. I don’t want to be fully dressed in a costume, and I probably don’t want anything wig/hat-like, because I walk around very briskly for several hours and I get hot even in short sleeves; but I would like some little marker of the holiday to show, however incorrectly, that I am Game. I have pumpkin earrings I can wear, but I want more than that. I want a costumette.
I first considered something that immediately breaks my exact stated preference to avoid a wig/hat, but that is because I HAVE this wig (in pink and in blue) and it is SURPRISINGLY CUTE FOR THE PRICE and it looks pretty cute on me and I have so few occasions to wear it:
(image from Amazon.com)
With a festive pumpkin headband, perhaps.
Or a book-themed Halloween t-shirt? But that is not really a costume; that’s more like the pumpkin earrings.
(image from Amazon.com)
I always wear glasses and I usually wear my hair up; adding an RBG dissent collar is all it would take for an RBG costumette. But we are not supposed to do anything religious or political at work.
(image from Amazon.com)
I like the idea of an entire costume in a headband:
(image from Amazon.com)
This is like, “Yes, I am costumed, I am a deer”—but with three seconds of effort.
Oh, wow, what is THIS?
(image from Amazon.com)
I don’t think that’s really a costume, though, or even a costumette.
I think a butterfly costumette would be perfect: wings on my back, plus antennae headband. But I’m having trouble finding wings that just go on my back, rather than the kind that also attach to my hands for graceful butterfly flapping. I see the only-on-the-back kind for little kids, but I’m not sure how that would look on an adult, or if it would fit at all.
I have a simple cheap cape I bought on clearance last year just in case anyone needed one for a costume this year. I could just wear the cape.
I love the idea of your butterfly headband with a blue wig.
Wig+butterfly headband+cape and NOW you are a kindly Forest Book Witch here to flutter pages and discuss Leaves of Grass, as one does. ;)
I don’t know how crafty you are, but in that type of situation I would probably just wear regular, but all black, clothes and make (reasonably solid) paper or cardboard “bones” that I would then pin on (someone more crafty than I am could sew them on, but that’s waaaaay out of my willing-to-participate league these days) to create a skeleton. I suspect this is too small for an actual human size, but might be good as a template that could be scaled up quite easily… https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Human-Skeleton-out-of-Paper
Rosie the Riveter is a super easy costume ette and is easily recognizable. Hair in a swirly bun thing, red bandana, denim shirt, red lipstick, done.
I teach third grade and also wear a “costumette” to school on Halloween. I have a black t-shirt with skeleton bones on it, I wear skull earrings and a light-up necklace of pumpkins. Halloween, but not a costume. I think a headband would be a good idea fir you- one with a tiny witch hat would go with your cape.
Those headbands are so cute, but they’re very often painful. I would probably go the route of a fascinator if there is something you can find that would be cute pinned in your hair. But for myself I’m just wearing black pants and a squash colored shirt to work that day. My niece once dressed as Mary Poppins for work in a doctor’s office: white high necked blouse, longer black skirt, rosy cheeks and a small straw hat. But with your hair up it might be enough. It helps to periodically utter, Spit spot!
…wait, is every Lady not being a BEE this Halloween?!?!!??
(You can be secretly political and still stick it to the patriarchy in your costumette!)
OMG. YES.
I really like a wee headband with a witch’s hat on it or a gold and black striped shirt. I like to barely acknowledge it but seem, as you said, game.
Mouse ears, pin a (felt) cookie to your shirt. Classic children’s book reference!
Halloween fascinators! Little hats with bats or cobwebs!
Yesterday I saw a teenager wearing a fox ear headband with a clip on fox tail, with an orangeish shirt. So perfect.
A tutu should always be part of the costumette discussion!
I was at a party last night where a woman was a flower (her baby was a bee and hubs had a shirt that said beekeeper but I saw her first, outside of the group, and loved the understated flower.) It was brown or black pants, green shirt and a headband. I was looking for a picture but cant find one similar. Basically, it was a thickish headband (not those 1/4” plastic ones but 1/2” might do) with a bunch of rainbow, triangle shapes stuck to it (felt) to resemble half a daisy. Of you google, you get a bunch of full face things but this was just a few across the headband. Maybe like 7 or 8. A couple of inches each.
I also think blue wig, butterfly headband would be awesome and festive
Ooh, I have a similar issue of wanting to wear a costume but it’s going to be extremely hot here on Thursday. I was thinking flamingo: pink tshirt, pink leggings, pink cap with black and white felt eyes and beak, maybe a pink tutu depending how I felt on the day. But now I’m thinking a Halloween themed headband or fascinator might be more weather appropriate.
I’m going to be Edna Mode. It’s really my usual look, plus a black wig much like your pink one and round glasses (and a long cigarette holder). I’ll be at the customer site. We will see if they are amused.
I love all your ideas. Please report back!
Favorite part: “”This is like, “Yes, I am costumed, I am a deer””
I really like the butterfly headband. May I suggest a facinator headband or hat. I saw plenty of really snazzy ones on Amazon that would be great for Halloween.
I have always hated dressing up for Halloween-even as a child! Now that I work as a substitute teacher-I do have a Halloween headband, and a necklace of light up pumpkins. To be honest, I don’t even like the headband, it gives me a headache! Yet-I do love Halloween!!
I found several face decal sets (i.e. stickers) last year at Michaels. They were super easy – stick them on your face, add a headband and BAM! Costumette. Things like this: https://www.spirithalloween.com/thumbnail/accessories/makeup/tattoos-body-jewels/pc/1921/c/2190/2198.uts
One year in university, I went as “fall”. I wore a brown maxi dress and twisted/pinned around it a garland of fake leaves I got from Micheals or somewhere. I think I wore something in a headband (maybe more leaves?) but I can’t remember. Simple and comfortable. Hope you’ll post a pic of what you choose in the end. :)
I was looking for a costumette also and came across some pretty make-up-like deer stickers for the face and an antler head band. My husband is a hunter so I thought, perfect, he can wear a camouflage t-shirt and BAM! Couples Costumette!
I showed my husband, very enthusiastically, and he deadpanned that only male deer have antlers. Wah wah wah, oh well. I’m doing it anyway. :)
When I worked at a school library, I dressed as Super Librarian one Halloween. I just donned a cape and fastened the “discard” stamp to my waist with…string? Something. That was my super power. I could discard you.
The kids enjoyed being discarded, I must say.
I have a pair of stripey witchy tights that i like to wear to work on Halloween with a black skirt (I’m an accountant). Reminds people of the day but not too out there. I have some gorgeous black shoes with big black buckles (thrift store find) that go with the tights, but unfortunately they pinch my feet something fierce, so 10 minutes into each time I wear those, I regret it.
Do you have coworker friends? We dressed up as the 3 blind mice a couple of years ago. It was pretty simple outfit (all black, mouse ears and simple make up, with black sunglasses). We only held the cane for pictures and even when we weren’t together, we still could just be a “mouse.”
https://ibb.co/HG3VVBR
A friend of mine dressed as Flo the Progressive Insurance lady this weekend; teased her hair up and put on a headband, red lipstick, white pants and shirt, white apron on which she’d ironed on the Progressive logo. It was cute, comfy, and simple.