Costumes! Costumes! Costumes!

2010…2011…2012…

And yet another countdown.  This time to the end of 2011 or the beginning of 2012, whichever you prefer.

We’ll talk about the cleaning and storage of Santa in a few days; but in the meantime, we have another masked ball to go to on December 31.  

Gone are the heydays of the Night Clubs and Supper Clubs and their  formality of wearing tie and tails, top hat and cane, black and white, formal dressware.

Although much more informal in this new century, there are still a few costumed parties.  But it might be a little more difficult to dress in costume than at Halloween, where anything is fair game.

For New Years Eve starters, there are the robed Father Times, and diapered Baby New Year costumes.  A long white wig and beard, similar to Santas might be in order, but the scythe might be a bit dangerous to the other party goer’s.

What happened in 2011 (events and celebrities as in who died and who did what) might be starting points for your costume; and politicians are always fair game.

Costume above is avaliable at Buycostumes.com, whose ad is in right column.

Or maybe, just wear the glitz and glittered shiny cardboard hat, and have a blowtickler (aka snake blowout) handy to make a little noise at midnight.  

Have fun, because in the next few days is the beginning of a new year.

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For the Newbie Santa….A Few Last Minute Tips…

Your suit is ready. Your belt, boot tops, glasses and gloves are lined up, and show time is very soon.

Some children love to sit on Santa’s lap and chatter about how good they’ve been and what they want for Christmas.  Then there are those children, who love Santa from across the room or at a distance, but want nothing to do with him at a close up range. 

Don’t take it personally.  It’s not you.  It’s your persona.

And what to do about those little guys who want to tug on your beard to see if it’s real or those looking for clues as to who you really are.  From my experience, I never really let them get an angle on me where they could try to tug a beard, or look for any telltales signs that might provide them with a clue that you are not really Santa.  I sit them on my lap facing a little bit away from me, and a little more towards the audience (family, parents, whatever).  They then have to turn their face a little to the rear to see me, but their body is angled away from me so as to prevent those grabs and deeper glances. If you are a newbie, and concerned about the forthcoming interaction, your questions are probably less about the suit, and more about THE conversation.  And conversing with a 4 year old is always interesting to say the least. 

After plopping the child on my lap, I ask the usual questions such as ‘Were you a good little girl or boy?’, and ‘What would you like Santa to bring you?’ and offer a little advice on a few of their shortcomings (as provided by Mom or Dad). I might speak of my home at the North Pole or about Mrs. Santa or the Elves or the reindeer.  My needing to feed my reindeer or needing to see other children was always my exit line.

As to how to field the children’s questions?  Out of the mouths of babes come the least expected questions.  Either answer the question with a simple answer, or dazzle them with your intellect (G).  Basically brother, you’re on your own on this one.

How long should you hold the child?  Sometimes it seems like an eternity, and I’ve never been timed, but I would guess the average child is on my lap for only a couple of minutes.

Lastly, beware the Santa challenged child, though, for they might dampen thy suit.

Hmmm, maybe a backup pair of pants just in case.

Technorati Tags: Christmas Costumes, costumes, miss santa, mrs. santa, Santa Beard and Wig, santa costume, santa costumes, santa outfits

We nearly forgot..

We nearly forgot the elf costumes, or elves as they would be in plural.  Elf costumes would probably not be used at a home party because most home parties only feature Santa.  However if your local church, or union or office is sponsoring a Christmas party, it may come replete with a cast of characters such as Mrs. Santa, Santa Belles, a reindeer or two and a snowman.   Elves (sounds like Elvis, doesn’t it?) might be in abundance as well. 

Photo courtesy of Buycostumes.com. whose ad appears in the right column.

Of all the costumes, the Elf is the easiest and by far the most comfortable.  With a little imagination, you might be able to construct one at home; as all it requires is a pair of tights (well, you might not have tights at home), a tunic, hat, cord, and something to cover the shoes.  

OK, maybe this post is a little late for this year, but you might consider this for your various parties next year. Make a note.

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Santa Belles, Miss Santas

They were called Santa Belles, and now sometimes called Miss Santa’s; but either way they were are the young ladies who assist Santa in handing out the Christmas gifts.  Short, sexy, cute outfits that young girls wear as they are assisting Santa in handing out gifts.   

The key was that the Santa Belles wore dresses that were knee length, maybe an inch or so higher or an inch or so lower.  This was the optimum length so as to not offend anyone, long enough for modesty, and yet short enough so as to catch the eye of Dad. Or Grandad.  Or Great Granddad.

Always red in color, and made of various fabrics; but always trimmed in the same white plush that trimmed Santa’s outfit.  Around the neckline, and cuffs, and often times around the hem of the skirt. 

Photo courtesy of Buycostumes.com. whose ad appears in the right column.

Our Santa Belle outfits (when I had a shop) had white boottops to match the trimming, and either white or red tights so as to not show any flesh, but still have appeal.

Perhaps a white plush fur beret, or maybe a white plush barrette, or maybe an entirely different kind of hat or cap topped off the outfit.

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Mrs. Santa

Does anyone ever give a second thought to Mrs. Santa?  After all, she and Santa have been married these many years, but no one knows her first name.  Edith, Margaret, Lucille?  Who knows.

Has anyone ever seen her?

Costme above is avalable at Buycostumes.com.  Ad is in right column. Just click on it.

As a matter of fact, I have.  She’s a bit younger than Santa and has a very pretty, round face with glowing red cheeks and a huge smile.  

Unlike a few characterizations of her where she looks like Santa’s grandaughter, all dolled up with a short skirt; Mrs. Santa dresses appropriately for her age and standing.

She, like Santa, always wears red.  Mrs. Santa’s dress is floor length and has full length sleeves trimmed in white fur around the cuffs and collar.  She might wear sneakers for all I know, as her shoes are never seen.

 Her hair is white and upswept into a little knot at the top, sometimes with a little curl coming down over her left ear, not unlike a Colonial ladies hairstyle. But then again, she was around during that period of history too.

Here comes Mrs. Santa Claus.  Here comes Mrs. Santa Claus.  Right down Mrs. Santa Claus’s lane…..as goes the song.

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Santa Masks

Although we’ve focused on Santa costumes and Santa beards and wigs over the past few weeks, but today we discuss Santa masks.

We never carried Santa masks when we had a brick and mortar business although the qualities of some of the masks were absolutely great.

As great as they were, they were expressionless, unless of course you consider one permanent expression as an expression.  Even the youngest of children will recognize that a mask is not a face, even though they may not even know what a mask is.

Little of Santa’s face is seen behind a wig and beard, but his eyes are fully visible (not partially blocked off by the latex mask).  The wrinkle in his brow, or the glimpse of his lips add to the ‘realism’.  Masks simply don’t convey the same message.

If you can’t fool the child one year, you may have lost him him/her for the next several.

Once I said, if you have limited funds, buy the best wig and beard you can afford, and the least expensive suit.  

Likewise, if you have limited funds, buy the least expensive wig and beard; and don’t waste a dime on a Santa mask, no matter how good the Santa mask may seem.

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Can Your Santa Be Too Large?  And if you decide to super size, where can you find Santa costumes that large?

The Santa above can be purchased at Buycostumes.com.  See ad in right column

Has anyone considered what a 6’7″, 400# Santa looks like to a small child?  If a person that size looks huge to me, he must look like the giant in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’  to a toddler.  Santa can be frightening enough to some children even without the size factor.

More attention should be paid to the personality of your Santa and how he interacts with children, rather than finding the largest person available.

Editors note:  In my past life, we (costume rentals) were able to fit Santa’s over 500#, but the present sizing may not follow most sizing standards.  I would recommend checking with your local full  service costume shop who might be able to help you.  Check for one in you area by clicking on this site:

costumers.org

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A Christmas Carol, etal.

It is nearing Christmas and you are planning on attending  ‘ A Christmas Carol’, or maybe the ‘Nutcracker’ at your local high school or community theatre, or even on a large stage in your downtown.  Maybe you will simply view one of both of these productions on your small screen (TV). 

Marley and Scrooge photos courtesy of buycostumes.com. whose ad appears in the right column. 

Charles Dickens didn’t need costumes because the ‘costumes of today’ were the clothing of Dicken’s day. 

But these live productions and many others require costumes to support their productions.  Where do they come from?  Obviously they have been constructed at some time or another and have been held in storage of one type or another for a year, or many years.

The easy way out is for your community theatre group to borrow the costumes from another group, or their local college if they are available.  They might even have their own sewing wizards who construct the costumes themselves.  Hmmm…then they could either rent them or loan them out the following year. Lastly, they might rent them out from their local costume company. 

So as you enjoy your evening at out at the theatre, and take in the storyline and acting; take a minute to look at the costuming which puts it all together.

HATS

Just a little sidebar on period hats, especially men’s hats.  It’s possible to sew many garments, but period hats, ala Dicken’s, are nearly impossible.  If you need to buy a hat (and they are pricey), feel free to contact us and we will help you in any way we can.

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