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.
Our Santa Belle outfits (when I had a shop) had white boot tops 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.
What about the final touches for your Santa Claus costume, and what do 5 years olds look for when they are sitting on Santa’s lap? Hopefully they will not recognize your ring or watch or glasses or shoes; but those little problems can be covered.
Paraphrase from the William Shakespeare line, ‘the play’s the thing’.
Santa beards and wigs range from the department store Santa who might have spent several months in growing his own, to something you’d be ashamed to wear to an adult office Christmas party.
If it doesn’t fool a four-year-old, then it’s a bad Santa wig and beard set. It may look fake to you, but it’s got to look good to a child.
Discounting the quality of hair, Santa wigs are Santa wigs; and about the only difference in them might be bangs or no bangs, and perhaps in the hair styling itself. We used a ‘marcell’ style creating a wavy look similar to the ladies hairstyles of the 1920’s. The beard, too, was ‘marcelled’.
Most Santa sets have an accompanying beard and attached mustache; but sometimes the mustache is a separate piece that needs to be attached with spirit gum. Lose the mustache though, and replacing it to match the beard might be a challenge.
The wig (hair) might be affixed to a cloth headpiece, or the hair might be embedded into a headpiece made of netting. The netting allows more air flow and might be more comfortable, but both work if they fit properly.
Beards (hair) are similar but use only a chin strap (cloth or netting) to attach the hair to. The cloth needs to be washable, without the possibility of shrinking. Flannel or any shrinkable chin straps or wig bases would be a poor choice.
Oh. The hair itself, you ask? There are human hair wig & beard sets on the market, as well as yak hair (made from the hair of a yak) and as long as the fit is good they are usually a smart purchase. The fit might be dependent upon where they were manufactured. A Chinese large head size might be comparable to an American small head size. And with the proliferation of defective Asian products these past few years, caveat emptor in general.
Synthetic sets (nylon, Orlon, etc.) are available as well, and some are good and some are not so good. It’s always best to try on the products if that is an option.
Then there are those wig and beard sets that look like cotton. Some are mohair, and some are also synthetic. One they become soiled, they are not washable nor cleanable. These are the type that usually accompanies a new Santa suit. My primary objection to them is they won’t pass the ‘four-year-old’ test.
The ability to wash, clean, and restyle the wig on an ongoing, year-to-year basis is another consideration. The hair might look good, but if the skull cap (base) loses its shape in a washing, you will be buying another set next year.
Don’t…Don’t…Don’t…throw wigs and beards into a washing machine or dryer. Never! Never! Never!
The care and cleaning of a Santa beard and wig set will be a subject for another day.
Thanksgiving…A day of rest, relaxation, and overindulgence, and the last day before our annual Christmas surge of Santa suit rentals and sales, and Santa wigs and beards sales and all the other Christmas costumes and accessories.
Thanksgiving…The day before all the office, church, school, organization, and association Christmas parties begin prepping for the first 2 or three weeks of December. The Snowmen are clean, the Reindeer are groomed. The Toy Soldiers are lined up in a row. Elf suits galore, as are Santa Belles and Mrs. Santa’s. A Nutcracker or two. Not to forget the array of Christmas Carol characters, Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. We have white eyebrows and glasses and makeup for rosy red lips and cheeks for Santa; and gloves, and even padding, too. You forgot the Santa bells (not the Santa Belles) to ring out when Santa arrives? We have them as well.
But for Thursday, today, a couple of we Pilgrims and a scattering of Native American friends will be breaking bread, followed by an afternoon of college and professional football. Hmmm….I don’t remember football games in ’21………..1621, that is.
What do you look for when you are buying a new Santa suit, and what is included in most Santa suit kits? Appearance is critical, but you need ALL the component parts as well, and sometimes the wig and beard is not included.I bought a new Santa Suit today. And here is a video of the Santa suit and the component parts that were included.
But it might be time to start thinking about your new SANTA COSTUME. The old one is getting frayed at the edges and it’s obviously seen way too many chimneys. Hmmm…is that a crumb? And what about that stain? Are they the remains of a cookie and spilled milk from a Christmas past?
All new Santa outfits should include a jacket, pants, and a hat; as well as a belt and boot tops (fake boots ala boot covers). A wig and beard may or may not be included with the costume.
Santa costumes are available at our AMAZON COSTUME STORE (click tab below banner)
The cost of the suits will vary considerably due to the quality of the fabric and trimming. If a wig and beard are included, that too will be a factor. Cloth suits are usually quite inexpensive, and of course, the plush suits are quite pricey, comparatively speaking. The quality of the white trim around the collar, down the front and on the bottom of the sleeves will also help dictate the price.
You’re on a budget, you say? As a lifetime professional costumer, I suggest that you buy the absolute best quality Santa beard and wig that you can afford, and the least priced suit; if money is an issue. A good Santa wig and beard will enhance a lesser quality suit; while a cheap wig and beard will substantially diminish the appearance of a good suit. You can always upgrade the suit in a number of ways at a later time.
Children will be looking at the hair and beard, not the suit; if they are looking at all.What are the attributes of a good Santa outfit and Santa beard and wig? Stay tuned, boys and girls.
More to Follow!!
Note that Santa suits usually DO NOT include the wig and beard nor other accessories like glasses, gloves, etc. These suits are in the middle of the price scale….while others are higher and still others are less.
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Posted by admin | Category:Halloween makeup
Halloween Makeup To Creep You Out
In case you don’t live in Southern California, every year it is the goal of Knott’s Scary Farm Haunt to scare the pants off you! Like, literally. And if you have been and survived, then you know how freaky and realistic the monsters are, thanks to the talented makeup artists like Denise. She’s personally been a part of Knott’s Halloween Haunt for 24 years. She started as talent (Fortune Telling ) in her first years, then moved on as Talent Captain for mazes and was a street monster in Ghost Town for 8 years. If anyone knows scary, it’s her!
Colored Contacts. This is what I look like with Fairy Princess Eyes, courtesy of EyesBright in the UK. Changing your eye color like you change your lipstick isn’t exactly a thing yet, but it probably will be. The first thing I wondered when I put these contacts in was “do I need more makeup?” but I wanted to compare them to my everyday look, so that’s what you get here. The effect is pretty cool, though it’s more of a night look for full color changes, since the colored part of the lenses have to be opaque (and my pupils aren’t all that dilated during the day).
How much can makeup really transform you? That was the question we posed a few weeks ago when we saw Russian hair and makeup artist Vadim Andreev do some ridiculously amazing things to some ordinary women. In light of the fact that Halloween is now just around the corner, let’s turn our attention to both makeup artists as well as regular folks who have used their “magic” to change into spooky and stunning beings. These talented people didn’t hold back, as they busted out the “big guns” to make us squirm in terror.
The other day someone asked me what she could be for Halloween that wasn’t slutty. “I have a party to go to, and kids will be there,” she said. “But every costume I see is slutty I even saw a slutty pizza costume!” I told her to wait for this post. The Smurfette makeup look provides maximum impact and not nearly as much effort as you’d think. It’s also about as far from slutty as you can get. Our very own Lindy Segal was game enough to be our oh-so-blue model. Here’s how to copy it.
Designing Halloween makeup looks for friends and family is one of my favorite things to do,” says Baker, who has taken home Oscars for designing the looks of the creatures in seven films, including “An American Werewolf in London,” “Harry and the Hendersons,” “Men In Black,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Wolfman.” He’s long wanted to design his own makeup kit for Halloween after seeing what’s sold in stores during the season. “Most of the stuff you buy features a design on the package that’s impossible to re-create,” he says. “Even Rick Baker can’t do that makeup with that product.”
MAC Cosmetics gave Baker the chance to give consumers something better this year, by creating a collection that can be used to reproduce three looks – a zombie, the Bride of Frankenstein and a spider queen from the Day of the Dead (see the designs and Baker apply the makeup below). The products include powders, eye liners and pencils, chromacakes, paintsticks and acrylic paints. Pricing varies from $15 to $44 per item. The collection is available through the end of the month at MAC stores. Baker had initially hoped to produce an elaborate kit with a how-to-DVD showing the step-by-step application process, and products MAC hadn’t offered before.
