Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice costume

This Halloween was not my typical Halloween. I couldn't decorate my house from top to bottom. I didn't throw or attend a party with my friends. I didn't even really prepare anything special for the occasion. It was quite depressing and discouraging not being able to celebrate my favorite season in a grand fashion, so I decided to at least dress up as a character I'd always wanted to portray: Beetlejuice!

I'm not gonna lie. I'd already started to put together the outfit since August, knowing that most of my clothes and stuff would be out of reach due to us moving away. I'd packed a black and white striped dress for the costume, but when I took it out and put it on last Tuesday (October 31st), I realized it didn't look quite right. The stripes were horizontal which, despite having that B&W striped look, didn't feel so Beetlejuice-y. I remembered packing my self-made B&W striped strapless dress (with vertical stripes), so I quickly searched for it on the package list and took it out of the correct box.

Doing my makeup was so much fun! This was the first time I ever did a full-face makeup, cheers on me! I used white base makeup paint to look paler, different tones of green and brown eyeshadows to depict Beetlejuice's decaying appearance, purple eyeshadows for his notable eye bags, and dark shadows every here and there. Recreating Beetlejuice's looks in a glam style turned out to be a killer idea, paired with a girly dress, a black leather jacket (from Stradivarius) and knee-high boots (from Splash Shoes). Of course, I couldn't leave out wearing a cool green wig to complement the look. I believe this costume was the best idea for a Halloween-saver. What do you guys think?

As a side note, I went for a walk on Halloween evening sporting my eccentric outfit. I think Beetlejuice is a very identifiable character because of his distinctive color scheme and rotting appearance. After all, didn't we all point at Robin Thicke in the VMA's for his "Beetlejuice suit"? But I don't think anyone recognized the character I was channeling! We need to turn on the juice and see what shakes loose and give Beetlejuice some more love!

Rumors have been going on since last year about an upcoming sequel for Beetlejuice, though nothing has been confirmed. Apparently, this past October Mike Vukadinovich was hired to rewrite the script for the film. Both Michael Keaton and Tim Burton have stated a couple of times that they would love to take part on a new Beetlejuice movie. Apart from the animated Beetlejuice series and the now defunct Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue at Universal Studios Orlando, both of which I love, this cult character has remained untouched. I would personally love to see this happen, especially if that means living new adventures with the old, endearing characters. 

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Hogwarts houses twin skirts

The first time my mom took me in a serious visit to our go-to fabric store, my target was finding one or two fabrics to rehearse my sewing skills. Back then I had started sewing using old pieces of fabric stashed in my mother's trunk, essentially making gathered skirts with a simple elastic waistband... probably one of the easiest clothing pieces to create. However, I was feeling like it was time to try out something more challenging.

Once in the store, we walked through every isle on each floor: on one hand she told me about different fabric names and uses, and on the other I inspected their colors, patterns and overall feel. Deep inside the third floor I spotted three colorful striped fabrics; a green/white, a burgundy/gold and a teal/gold. If you've been reading this blog lately, you probably already know that I am crazy about stripes. Many things went through my head in that moment. My first reaction was feeling the urge to purchase some of these fabrics and use them in my next project. Being a Potterhead, I also thought about the great resemblance between the first two with the house colors of Slytherin and Griffindor. Lastly, I imagined gathered skirts confectioned with these fabrics. 

Of course, I bought a meter and a half of the burgundy/gold and green/white and proudly took them home as my first two self-chosen and self-bought project fabrics. I opted out of getting some of the teal/gold because the color combination wasn't too convincing. In fact, on my next visit to the store the first two fabrics were completely gone, but there was plenty left of the teal/gold... even for the next two or three visits. I guess it wasn't so popular.

These two fit perfectly with my idea of trying out a different sewing method for gathered skirts, so I made a pattern to make two identical skirts with a wide waistband and a side opening. Both were made cutting the fabric length-wise, not from selvage to selvage. This guaranteed that the stripes were positioned vertically. I had zero experience sewing zippers into garments, so my method of choice to open and close the the skirt was a combination of three pairs of velcro pieces sewn along the left side and two pairs of hooks and eyes on the waistband to secure the fit. The waistband has a wide elastic underneath used as a base.

These twin skirts are super comfortable and have a lot of movement, and they're also wide enough to accommodate a petticoat underneath. The fabrics are glossy, a little stretchy and have quite a silky feel. Being shiny and smooth transforms them into garments that can be used formally combined with a nice top, or more casually with a fitted tee. In these pictures I paired them up with a black bowtie blouse (by Xiomi), a black cardigan (by Doll Me Up) and black lace wedges (by American Eagle) and a pair of small golden earrings. You might also notice my nails are painted to match the Slytherin skirt.

I originally named them "Slytherin Sweetheart Skirt" and "Griffindor Girly Skirt" respectively, but as a proud Slytherin myself, I have a slight weakness for the green/white. So all that is left is to wish one day I find similar fabric in blue/silver and yellow/black to complete my Hogwarts houses skirt collection.

 Keep coming back for more posts about fashion, tutorials and more! 

It's black, it's white striped dress

Going back to my basic instincts, whenever I go fabric-shopping I'm always on the look out for striped textiles, which seem to be somewhat uncommon to find. Luck has hit me a few times because I've found a number of striped fabrics that are exactly how I ideally picture them in my mind.

Some say it's inspired by Beetlejuice's outfit. Others think it looks Robin Thicke-ish. I even thought it looked a lot like Hot Topic's dress from their American Horror Story collection. But the truth is that I'm simply a sucker for striped fabrics, and I'd wanted to have a dress like this since a very long time ago. I actually own several black and white striped clothing pieces, counting a hoodie, two dresses, a pair of pants, a knit sweater, two shirts, a pair of stockings, etc, etc, etc.

With a simple strapless bodice and a gathered skirt, the dress has a simple but elegant construction. I don't usually pair dresses with belts, but the day I got these pictures taken I discovered the dress fit a little big on me. I think this brown belt goes particularly well with my dress and it balances it out. Needless to say, I have already adjusted the dress to fit me properly.

The black and white striped fabric gives the dress a dramatic and even burlesque look. I also have this same fabric in red and white, so expect to see a similar dress in those colors soon enough! For these pictures I paired my dress with a black knit choker, a borrowed brown belt, and my faithful black sandal heels by Qupid.

Come back later for more about fashion and crafts! 

Ssssstripe two!

As I said on my first outfit post, stripes are a recurring theme in my clothes. I simply cannot get enough of them.

In this case I'm wearing a scarlet red and green striped dress. When I made this dress I had already been sewing for a few months, so the project felt easier to complete. My aunt gave me the fabric, which she had bought many years ago to make a beach outfit for herself. I think the fabric gives a sensation of gypsy inspiration, due to its bright color mix and pattern choice.

I paired it with green heels with small bows (by Zabumba) and a rectangle-shaped stone necklace. The halter straps were made exactly to fit the width of the green stripes, and the complete ensemble was carefully matched to remain symmetrical. Here are some quick snaps back from when I sewed the dress.

 Stick around for more fashion posts and fun findings! 

Crazy about stripes

There are few times when I can resist striped clothing items. I have a clear weakness for them, and you will see that recurringly in my wardrobe. Since some time ago I've thought that I must have been a zebra in my past life, because I'm crazy about stripes.

This is a white and violet striped tee that I purchased at a very small shop near my home. I remember I'd been eyeing it for a couple of weeks, until one day it was gone from the display window. About a month later I was running some errands nearby and remembered about the shirt. I decided to pass by the shop and try my luck with the tee. Bingo!  They still had it; so I quickly tried it on and fell more in love with it. I obviously got it on the spot!

In the pictures I am pairing the tee (it is brandless -only says "made in Peru"-) with a black gathered skirt made by yours truly, black sunglasses, a heart-shaped necklace and black sandal wedges (by Vic Matie). The skirt is made of black stretch gabardine. Later on I will post a tutorial on how to make one like this.

 Stay tuned for more fashion posts!