DIY: Clothing

This week’s blog post is a roundup of all the clothing I’ve DIYed from the past two October Outfits projects.

To be honest, I’ve been intentionally avoiding major sewing projects as much as possible because I don’t always have the patience for them. I have some ideas for future pieces though!

Lieutenant Starck from Event Horizon

A closeup of an army green jumpsuit with a couple military looking patches handstitched on it.
Handsewed patches on the jumpsuit.

May Dove Canady from May

A closeup of a black shirt that has been pinned with patches made of red felt and black lace safety pinned on it.
Red felt and black lace to create the patches on May’s shirt. They were hand-sewn on the shirt after this picture.

Magenta from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

A piece of white lace folded up and safety pinned together to look like a headpiece for a maid.
Pinned together some white lace for the maid’s headpiece. If it wasn’t just for a photoshoot, I would have sewn it instead.

Regina George from Mean Girls

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Regina George from Mean Girls next to the movie character. Both are wearing a white tank top with holes cut out to reveal a bright purple bra underneath.
I cut a couple of holes into this white tank top.

Baby Firefly from The Devil’s Rejects

Janice Ian from Mean Girls

All of these pieces were created for my October Outfits projects. The patches have already been removed from the jumpsuit. The white lace has been unpinned. I have yet to alter May’s shirt, but I haven’t worn it again either. The Rubbish shirt will be put up for sale. Baby Firefly’s jeans are going into regular rotation though!

A collage of six images. Five of them are side-by-side comparisons of a person dressing up like a movie character. Those are (from bottom up and to the right clockwise) Baby Firefly from The Devil's Rejects, Lieutenant Starck from Event Horizon, May Dove Canady from May, Janis Ian from Means Girls, and Magenta from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The final image is the current logo for Thrifty Subversion.

Catch me back here next week for another post.

In the meantime, check out my Make This Clothing board on Pinterest.

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DIY: Crafts

This week’s blog post is a roundup of all the crafts I’ve DIYed from the past two October Outfits projects.

I am obsessed with upcycling as I’ve spent my entire life trying to create something better from what I’ve got.

Heather Donahue from The Blair Witch Project

A flat lay of four handmade stick figures like the ones from the movie The Blair Witch Project.
Created some stick figures from branches in my yard and hemp or kitchen twine.

Carrie White from Carrie

A side-by-side comparison of Carrie White from the movie Carrie in her prom outfit holding a bouquet of flowers next to a person dressed up like her with a bundle of white snakeroot in place of flowers.
Dried White Snakeroot and a pink ribbon became my prom bouquet.

Gretchen Wieners, Cady Heron, and Regina George from Mean Girls

A closeup of a pink photo album altered to look like the Burn Book from the movie Mean Girls.
A pink photo album I have owned for decades with the Burn Book font letters and lips taped to the front.

Grace Stewart from The Others

A closeup of keys and key charms connected to a silver bangle bracelet to look like the keyring from the movie The Others.
Some keys and key charms on a bangle bracelet are a keyring.

Sally Owens & Gillian Owens from Practical Magic

A closeup of a white envelope sealed with a bee-shaped stamp on golden wax.
A random note inside an envelope with a bee-shaped golden wax stamp to close the letter.

The GraveRobber from Repo! The Genetic Opera

A small glass vial with black cap filled with blue liquid to look like a vial of Zydrate from the movie Repo! The Genetic Opera.
Blue curacao inside a vial that previously held medicine for my cat to be a vial of Zydrate.

Stokely Mitchell from The Faculty

A closeup of a blue ballpoint pen with the inside part of the pen removed and replaced with baking powder to look like a dose of the drug Scat from the movie The Faculty.
A blue pen with actual pen insides removed and replaced with baking powder to be a dose of a drug called scat.

The Other Mother from Coraline

Two large black buttons shown front and back. On the back, there is tape folded over to use to adhere them over someone's closed eyelids to look like The Other Mother from Coraline.
Buttons from my sewing stash with some tape to adhere temporarily to my eyes for the photo shoot.

A small pair of black buttons taped into a square white jewelry box with cotton pad to stand in for the button eyes offered to Coraline Jones in the movie Coraline.
Smaller buttons from my sewing stash are taped into a jewelry box to be the ones that The Other Mother offers Coraline.

The Mayor from The Nightmare Before Christmas

A flat lay of items used to create an orange paper ribbon that says MAYOR on it for the character The Mayor from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The items used to create the Mayor ribbon.

Maleficent

A two photo collage of a tiki torch, brown packing paper, tennis ball, and brown yarn in a flat lay and then those items combined to create Maleficent's staff as a person dressed up as that character holds it.
Whipped together this staff from a tiki torch, tennis ball, yarn, and some packing paper.

Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas from Promising Young Woman

A side-by-side comparison of Cassie's tally journal from the movie Promising Young Woman and a recreation in a two photo collage with the words Promising Young Woman and Cassie on the edges with pink lips in a pattern on a white background.
Created some pages from Cassie’s journal in one of my own with blue, black, and red pens to make the tally marks.

All of these crafts were created specifically for my October Outfits projects. Although, some of these props are just items that already existed altered to fit my purposes. Most of them I pulled together last minute because that’s just how it always ends up. 😇

A twelve photo collage of items that were DIYed for cosplay projects. Top row Left to Right: Orange paper Mayor ribbon, a journal filled with tally marks, a vial filled with blue liquid, white snakeroot hung upside down to dry. Middle row Left to Right: Burn Book, four stick people figures made from branches, a pair of small black buttons inside a white jewelry box, the top of Maleficent's staff made from a tiki torch, tennis ball, and yarn. Bottom row Left to Right: A wax stamped letter, a keyring, a pair of large black buttons shown front and back with the back showing tape on them, a closeup of a blue pen with the inside pen parts removed and replaced with baking powder.

Catch me back here next week for another post.

In the meantime, check out my Make This Craft board on Pinterest.

DIY: Jewelry

This week’s blog post is a roundup of all the jewelry I’ve DIYed from the past two October Outfits projects.

In full disclosure, I used to make a lot of (and sell a little) jewelry. I still have a ton of supplies, and I hope to incorporate it back into my life sooner rather than later.

Lieutenant Starck from Event Horizon

A person dressed up as Lieutenant Starck from Event Horizon. The emphasis is on the ball chain necklace with vertical rectangular charm meant to look like dog tags.
Added a backward Bee Mine charm to a ball chain necklace to stand in for dog tags.

Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body

A person dressed up as Jennifer Check from Jennifer's Body. The emphasis is on the silver chain necklace with silver heart charm.
This necklace I made previously. It used to have my cat Puck’s tag attached to it too.

Allison from Hocus Pocus

A person dressed up as Allison from Hocus Pocus. The emphasis is on the pearl drop earrings and pearl necklace with round silver locket attached.
I added a locket to a pre-existing pearl necklace and altered clip-on pearl earrings to have pierced ear hooks.

Carrie White from Carrie

A flat lay of four items on a blanket. From top left clockwise: large pink flower bracelet, thick pink ribbon curled up into a circle, a pink feather with spotted smaller feather on top combined as part of an earring without the ear hook, and a pearly white flower brooch.
Combined part of a feather earring with a flower brooch to stand in for a corsage pinned to the dress.

Little Rock from Zombieland: Double Tap

A person dressed up as Little Rock from Zombieland: Double Tap. The emphasis is on the earrings which are simple silver skull and crossbones charms on silver fish hook style earing findings.
Skull + Crossbones Charm Earrings

Ginger Fitzgerald from Ginger Snaps

A person dressed as Ginger Fitzgerald from Ginger Snaps. The emphasis is on the necklace which is a brass bird skull pendant with a few faux bone beads on a black leather cord.
Brass Bird Skull Necklace with Faux Bone Beads on Leather Cord.

Dracula’s Bride from Bram Stoker’s Dracula

A four photo collage. The images from top left clockwise: Multiple strands of pearls attached to each other with a rhinestone flower brooch, and a folded up bit of silver mesh lace. A closeup of the back of the brooch with the two other items nearby. The silver mesh lace connected with bobby pins after being wrapped around a wig. The beehive wig on a mannequin head with the other items spread out on a bedspread.
The headpiece is made from a brooch, pearl necklace strands, and metal mesh lace.

Helen Lyle from Candyman

A person dressed up as Helen Lyle from Candyman. The emphasis is on the bumblebee earrings.
Earrings previously made from Good Luck Minis Bumble Bees and some shell beads.

Stokely Mitchell from The Faculty

A thick section of silver chain turned into a necklace with a silver carabiner.
Chain and Carabiner Combo Necklace

Karen Smith from Mean Girls

A person dressed up as Karen Smith from Mean Girls. The emphasis is on a pair of long black leather earrings with aqua wire wrapped around them.
The longest earrings I currently own I made from leather scraps and wire.

Gillian Owens from Practical Magic

A closeup of a antiqued bronze chain necklace with a tiger's eye bead as the pendant and a pair of earrings with tiger's eye beads and amber colored beads hanging off the necklace.
Instead of shelling out for a Tiger’s Eye and Quartz necklace, I just made myself an entire necklace + earrings set.

Angela Dodson from Constantine

A person dressed up as Angela Dodson from Constantine. The emphasis is on the silver chain with a small silver coin charm and a silver cross charm added on it.
A little silver coin charm and a silver cross charm put together on a silver chain.

Some of these were created prior to any of my movie character costume ideas. Others were made specifically for the October Outfits. Three-quarters of them are still in my personal collection currently.

A collage of a pale person dressed up as a variety of movie characters showing the DIY jewelry pieces. The top tow Left to Right: Karen Smith, Lieutenant Starck, Gillian Owens, and Allison. The bottom row Left to Right: Ginger Fitzgerald, Angela Dodson, Little Rock, and Jennifer Check. There is a watermark that says @ThriftySubversion in the middle of the collage.

Catch me back here next week for another post.

In the meantime, check out my Make This Jewelry board on Pinterest.

Necklace Wall

Instead of writing the post I had planned to write today, I decided to organize the bulk of my necklaces.

Three tie racks followed by an accordion peg rack hanging on a wall. All of them are filled with necklaces. Underneath the necklaces, boots are lined up in pairs on top of two dressers.
Before

I’ve been using some tie racks and a diamond accordion peg rack to store the majority of my necklaces hanging on a wall in my bedroom. All the wall racks have been secondhand scores.

Hundreds of necklaces lined up on a bed. They have been sorted by color and metal type.
Necklaces

The bulk of my collection was inherited from both my grandmothers, my mother, and my spouse’s grandmother via my mother-in-law. The rest were gifts, pieces I’ve made, or baubles I’ve acquired over the years.

The top of two dressers being used a tool bench. There is a drill, hammer, tape measure, level, towel, and a variety of screws, anchors, and drill bits.
Where the boots were in the first pic.

Early on, I made the decision to move all the boots, so I wouldn’t have to deal with sheetrock dust getting on them. It was a double bonus because then I could use the top of the dressers for my tool bench.

An accordion peg rack with gold necklaces hanging on it followed by three empty tie racks followed by another (empty) accordion peg rack hanging on a wall. Underneath the necklaces are two dressers that are mostly cleared off except for a pair of boots and a mannequin head with a wig on it.
I forgot to take a pic of them all empty, but I wasn’t going to take down the necklaces on the filled first rack just for a photo.

My spouse suggested I draw out a rough sketch before starting, and it was a very helpful recommendation! It turned out perfectly to put 2″ of space between each rack.

An accordion peg rack with gold necklaces hanging on it followed by three tie racks with brown, white & black, and colorful necklaces respectively, followed by another accordion peg rack filled with silver and short circular necklaces hanging on a wall. Underneath the necklaces are two dressers that are cleared off.
Look at that spacing.

The second diamond accordion peg rack (on the left) was something I got for free on the side of the road last summer. It has been thoroughly disinfected, washed, and dried in the months in between then and now.

A before and after collage with the before photo on top of the after pic on bottom. The before/top photo: Three tie racks followed by an accordion peg rack hanging on a wall. All of them are filled with necklaces. Underneath the necklaces, boots are lined up in pairs on top of two dressers. The bottom/ after photo: An accordion peg rack with gold necklaces hanging on it followed by three tie racks with brown, white & black, and colorful necklaces respectively, followed by another accordion peg rack filled with silver and short circular necklaces hanging on a wall. Underneath the necklaces, boots are lined up in pairs on top of two dressers.
My brain loves the symmetry of the racks now.

I’m happy with how this jewelry wall turned out, and I’m looking forward to wearing all these cherished necklaces in the future!

Catch me back here next week for another post.

In the meantime, check out the Organization Inspiration board on Pinterest.

RUBBISH Shirt

CW: Death (in the first paragraph)

At the end of 2021, my mom’s spouse abruptly died. It was really tragic and spontaneous. Fortunately, my sibling and I were able to fly out to be with her after it happened. While we were there, I helped my mom go through her entire house top-to-bottom. We purged items that were no longer needed and organized the ones that remained. When we were going through clothes, I asked if I could have this black tee that was a few sizes larger than what I usually wear, cropped, and stained with bleach spots. My mom looked at me like I was crazy due to this ask, but I knew in that moment that I would turn this shirt into the RUBBISH shirt that Janis Ian wears in Mean Girls. RIP to Timothy. Thanks for the shirt! I’m thinking about posting it up in my eBay store so this can live on with another person too.

❤️‍🩹

A 4X black t-shirt that has been cropped a bit at the bottom with bleach spots on the front laid flat on a table.
The shirt as I obtained it.

I’m kind of a lazy DIYer where I skip steps that others might think are necessary…like ironing this shirt. But I’m also pretty detail-oriented with other steps like trying to ensure the letters were straight and evenly spaced.

A 4X black t-shirt that has been cropped a bit at the bottom with bleach spots on the front laid flat on a table. The short sleeves have been tucked underneath and a fabric tape measure is laid out across it widthwise.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to cut the sleeves off or not, so I just tucked them under right away.

I tried to square up the shirt at an even number to help create a grid to chalk out the spacing for the letters.

A 4X black t-shirt that has been cropped a bit at the bottom with bleach spots on the front laid flat on a table. The short sleeves have been tucked underneath and a fabric tape measure is laid out across it widthwise. A yard stick is also across it widthwise with vertical chalk lines between the two. A ruler and a piece of tailor chalk are on the shirt too.
The items I used to mark out the space between the letters.

Originally, I was trying to print a letter template off the internet, but I couldn’t figure out the right sizing for my shirt. I gave up and decided to wing it with some rulers, measuring tape, and tailor’s chalk.

A 4X black t-shirt that has been cropped a bit at the bottom with bleach spots on the front laid flat on a table. The short sleeves have been tucked underneath and a fabric tape measure is laid out across it widthwise towards the top. There is a grid drawn out in white tailor's chalk.
I kind of intentionally made them different sizes so there wouldn’t be a weird gap around the letter I.

I’m glad I remembered to place this up high on the chest instead of centering it on the shirt.

A 4X black t-shirt that has been cropped a bit at the bottom with bleach spots on the front laid flat on a table. The short sleeves have been tucked underneath and a fabric tape measure is laid out across it widthwise towards the top. There is a grid drawn out in white tailor's chalk and the word RUBBISH drawn within the grid. A ruler and white tailor's chalk triangle are on the shirt too.
I was really uncertain about the letter Bs when I saw this stage.

While I would have liked a more stencil-style look for this recreation, I just freehanded it in what I hoped would be a readable font.

A 4X black t-shirt that has been cropped a bit at the bottom with bleach spots on the front laid flat on a table. The short sleeves have been tucked underneath and a fabric tape measure is laid out across it widthwise towards the top. There is a grid drawn out in white tailor's chalk and the word RUBBISH painted in yellow within the grid. A long handled flat paint brush, small glass container with yellow paint in it, and bottle of yellow paint are on the shirt too.
Those Bs turned out ok though!

I used some “Daffodil” yellow multi-surface acrylic paint and a paintbrush I acquired at my last day job. I painted multiple coats until I was happy with it. Then, once the paint was completely dry, I washed and dried the shirt to remove the chalk lines.

An outfit for Janis Ian of Mean Girls comprised of a long sleeve gray shirt with a black shirt with the word RUBBISH in yellow, a knee-length black skirt, black & white striped tights on a dress form mannequin with purple chucks on the ground in front of it.
The outfit for Janis Ian from Mean Girls.

I feel good about how this shirt turned out, and I think it read well for the photo shoot. I ultimately kept the sleeves tucked inside instead of cutting them, so now the next owner can decide whether to keep them or cut them.

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in a long sleeve gray shirt under a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers holding a pencil next to Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian from the movie. Words say Mean Girls and Janis Ian.

See more of this shirt in the Mean Girls: Janis Ian post.

Catch me back here next week for another post.

In the meantime, check out Mean Girls Vibes board on Pinterest.

Baby Firefly Jeans

When choosing characters to recreate for my October Outfits project, I noticed that Baby Firefly’s outfit in The Devil’s Rejects is pretty similar to Erin Hardesty’s outfit from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I didn’t want to do two posts of a white tank top, blue jeans, and a cowboy hat without at least attempting to distress the jeans for Baby Firefly. There are more film-accurate recreations for sale, but I’m not trying to own anything with a confederate flag on it, even if I’m dressing up as a character who does. I ultimately took a pair of stained jeans that I had dedicated to using for painting and yard work activities to alter for this look.

A pair of light wash faded blue jeans with dirt and white paint stains on the legs.
The jeans in their already stained state prior to alteration.

I took a piece of scrap wood that would fit inside the pant leg to ensure my cuts didn’t go through to both sides of the pants. Once the wood piece was inside, I used a box cutter-style knife with a razor blade to make some horizontal slices up and down the legs in the front. I tried to vary the lengths and space out the placement.

A pair of light wash faded blue jeans with dirt and white paint stains on the legs and a few visible slashes cut into one leg horizontally.
Some of the slices are visible on the top of the right leg as looking down at it.

Since this was the first time I have attempted to distress anything, I was more conservative with my cuts and placement than I would be now after finishing this project and seeing the result of this work. I spent time pulling out individual vertical threads to make some of the holes and rips larger with some horizontal threads staying in place.

A pair of light wash faded blue jeans with dirt and white paint stains on the legs with hand distressed holes sliced horizontally in the front.
Because these jeans had elastic in them to make them stretchy, the fraying near the cuts turned out differently than a more “denim” pair would.

In between the cutting and the bleaching, I washed and dried these jeans. For the bleaching process, I used this tutorial as a guide.

An open cookie tin filled with rubber bands next to a pair of blue jeans that had been twisted and pulled and tied with rubber bands.
I knew my hoarded rubber band collection would come in handy someday!

I pulled out my stash of rubber bands and while I watched a movie, I pulled different parts of the jeans into different-sized lumps and bumps while putting rubber bands around them to hold them in place. This is similar to a tie-dye technique.

A flat lay of items to be used to bleach jeans. On a wooden floor, there is a silver fork, some vinyl gloves, a glass measuring cup, a plastic popcorn bucket, a bottle of bleach, and a pair of jeans tied up with rubber bands.
After the jeans were tied up, I gathered the supplies to bleach them.

In the gross metal tub sink in the creepy part of my basement, I filled an empty plastic popcorn bucket with the tied-up jeans and then two parts water to one part bleach. I used the fork to push all the parts under the liquid and then put the glass measuring cup on top to hold it down for the process.

I let it sit for an hour.

Once the hour was up, I removed all the rubber bands and then rinsed the jeans before putting them through the washer and dryer by themselves.

A pair of blue jeans that have been distressed and bleached spread out on a metal tub sink to show how they turned out after the tie-dye bleaching DIY process.
The jeans prior to going through the wash.

I really like how these jeans turned out, and the previous dirt and paint stains aren’t really visible with all the bleach spots and distressed holes now.

The outfit for Baby Firefly from The Devil’s Rejects.

In retrospect, I would have gone harder on the holes and made the distressed bits more of a destroyed vibe for Baby Firefly, but these are probably more wearable as day-to-day pants as they are now.

See more of these jeans in The Devil’s Rejects: Vera-Ellen “Baby” Firefly post.

What do you think of how this process turned out? Is it something you would try? If you do, please let me know how it turns out!

Catch me back here next week for another post.

In the meantime, check out The Devil’s Rejects: Baby Firefly Vibes board on Pinterest.

October Outfits 2022

This is a recap of all the Movie Character Outfits I recreated in 2022. As this is the second year I completed this project, I can see the improvement in using a more standardized template in the posts, capturing an accurate pose, and editing the images into scenes. Hopefully, you enjoyed this series as much (or more!) than the last one.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Dracula’s Bride

The Evil Dead: Ashley “Ash” J. Williams

Mean Girls: Cady Heron

Heathers: Heather Chandler

The Witch: Thomasin

Candyman: Helen Lyle

The Others: Grace Stewart

Practical Magic: Sally Owens

Hard Candy: Hayley Stark

Heathers: Heather Duke

Queen of the Damned: Jesse Reeves

Repo! The Genetic Opera: GraveRobber

Resident Evil: Alice

The Faculty: Stokely Mitchell

Heathers: Heather McNamara

Mean Girls: Karen Smith

Coraline: The Other Mother

It Follows: Jamie “Jay” Height

Practical Magic: Gillian Owens

Cruella: Estella Miller

Mean Girls: Regina George

Heathers: Veronica Sawyer

Cruella: Cruella de Vil

The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Mayor

Coraline: Coraline Jones

Mean Girls: Gretchen Wieners

The Devil’s Rejects: Vera-Ellen “Baby” Firefly

Constantine: Angela Dodson

Maleficent

Promising Young Woman: Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas

Mean Girls: Janis Ian

Mean Girls: Damian Leigh

I’m always curious if people have favorites or if anything in these posts has inspired you. Feel free to leave a comment if you want to share your thoughts or if you have suggestions for future characters who you would like to see. ✨

Check out the October Outfits 2021 post here.

Find more inspiration at Thrifty Subversion on Pinterest.

A six photo collage of a pale person dressed up as movie characters. Top row from left to right: Ash from Evil Dead, Stokely from The Faculty, and GraveRobber from Repo! The Genetic Opera. Bottom row from left to right: The Mayor from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Cassie from Promising Young Woman, and Thomasin from The Witch.
A six photo collage of a pale person dressed up as movie characters. Top row from left to right: Maleficent, Alice from Resident Evil, Jesse from Queen of the Damned, Helen Lyle from Candyman, Bride of Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Baby Firefly from Devil's Rejects.

Mean Girls: Janis Ian

I think prior to this project I would have chosen Janis Ian as my favorite character from Mean Girls, but I’ll never think of her the same way since I read this piece on how she is the meanest girl of all.

A long sleeve gray shirt with a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights on a dress form with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers on the floor in front of it.

Outfit #1: Gray Long Sleeve Shirt

Black Tee with the word Rubbish in Yellow and Bleach Stains on it. I will post more about this later!

Black Larry Levine Wavy Midi Skirt

Black and White Striped Tights that I ripped one knee open pulling on a thread right before this photo shoot. But, on the upside of things, that made it more authentic since Janis is actually wearing knee-high socks with bare knees in that outfit.

Shoes: Purple and Silver Glitter Converse All-Star Sneakers

A long sleeve brown button up, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights on a dress form with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers on the floor in front of it.

Outfit #2: Same as Outfit #1 with Chocolate Brown Apt. 9 Collared Button-up Shirt that I borrowed from my partner, but I might have just acquired forever after realizing he has not worn it since when it was…

Previously seen on Eleanor Vance from The Haunting.

A person dressed as Janis Ian from Mean Girls. They are facing away from the camera and the emphasis is on the dark hair clipped up.

Hair: Natural Black Beehive Wig

Previously seen on Dracula’s Bride from Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

I held the long ends up with two claw hair clips, put two glittery barrettes in the front to hold the bangs to the side, and added some twisty up-do gems in the beehive bit since I couldn’t find my baby butterfly clips. (I hope I didn’t get rid of them!) Sure, this wig is a bit large for Janis’ do, but it still tracks because even in the movie there are jokes about her wearing a wig.

A selfie of a person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in heavy black eye makeup, with a nose ring, and lots of hair accessories.

Makeup:

Eyes: Blackest Black Glimmerstick from Avon

Carbon Black NYX Super Fat Eye Marker

Very Black Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara

Lips: Kate Moss Collection 104 Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick

A selfie of a person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in heavy black eye makeup, with a nose ring, and lots of hair accessories.

Accessories: Fake Nose Ring

Silver Hoop Earrings I’ve worn off and on since High School in my second and third ear piercings.

Gray Abstract Paint Earrings made by my friend.

A close-up of a red framed marquee easel chalkboard with three things written in white chalk, "- Aaron Samuels - "Hot" Body - Army of Skanks

Prop 1: Red Framed Chalkboard Easel with White Chalk (not pictured). I bought this on sale with the intention of using it for in-person shows where I sell my homemade jewelry, but now I don’t really do that anymore.

A flat lay of a small slip of white paper, a number 2 pencil, a wooden back scratcher, and a rolled poster.

Prop 2: Small Piece of White Paper, Number 2 Pencil, Rolled Poster, and Wooden Back Scratcher (used as a pointer) that they handed out for free promos at the State Fair one year.

A side-by-side comparison of a selfie of a person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in heavy black eye makeup, with a nose ring, and lots of hair accessories next to Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian from the movie. Words say Mean Girls and Janis Ian.

A person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in a long sleeve brown button-up shirt over a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers edited into a scene in a classroom at school.
There’s a new girl named Cady at school. I introduce myself and my friend Damian who I refer to as “too gay to function.”

A person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in a long sleeve gray shirt with a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers edited into a scene in the bathroom at school.
Cady says that Regina George wants to be friends with her and that she seems sweet. I tell her, “Regina George is not sweet! She’s a scum-sucking road whore, she ruined my life!”

A person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in a long sleeve gray shirt with a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers edited into a scene in Cady's bedroom.
I convince Cady that it would be fun to mess up Regina George’s life. So she pretends to be friends with Regina, and then she would come to my house after and we laugh about all the dumb stuff Regina said. And we gave these candy bar things to Regina that would make her gain weight, and then we turned her best friends against her. And then… Oh yeah, Cady – you know my friend Cady? She made out with her boyfriend, and we convinced him to break up with her. Oh, God, and we gave her foot cream instead of face wash.

A person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in a long sleeve gray shirt with a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers edited into a scene outside Cady's house in Damian's car.
But then I find out that Cady blew off my Art Show to host a party at her house, and she didn’t invite me or Damian. When we ride up to find it in full swing, I ask, “Did you have an awesome time? Did you drink awesome shooters, listen to awesome music, and just soak up each other’s awesomeness?” Then, I throw my drawing from the art show at her and say, “Here, you can have this, it won a prize.”

A person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in a long sleeve brown shirt over a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers edited into a scene in the gym during the apology assembly.
After the school riot, when we’re bonding during assembly, I get onstage to speak my truth and apologize. “God! I am so sorry Regina. Really, I don’t know why I did this. I guess it’s probably because I’ve got a big lesbian crush on you! Suck on that! AY-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI!”

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in a long sleeve gray shirt under a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers holding a pencil next to Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian from the movie. Words say Mean Girls and Janis Ian.

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed up as Janis Ian from Mean Girls in a long sleeve brown button-up shirt over a black tee over it with the word RUBBISH in yellow letters, a black midi skirt, and black & white tights with purple and silver glitter converse all star sneakers holding a slip of paper next to Lizzy Caplan as Janis Ian from the movie. Words say Mean Girls and Janis Ian.

By now, I’ve shown you how to dress up as:

Cady Heron

Karen Smith

Regina George

Gretchen Wieners

and Janis Ian

but if you still can’t pull a look together for a last-minute costume this Halloween Monday…

Grab a blue hoodie, a pair of aviator sunglasses, and make some sort of sign to be

Damian Leigh.

A person dressed as Damian Leigh from Mean Girls in a blue hoodie pulled tightly around their face with aviator sunglasses and a sign that reads She Doesn't Even Go Here!

Catch me back here very soon for another post.

In the meantime, check out the Mean Girls Vibes board on Pinterest.

Promising Young Woman: Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas

I was very tempted to buy this full costume to be Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas from Promising Young Woman. Besides the fact that this price is a great deal to get all these items together (after I priced them individually too), I’ve had a nurse’s costume on my list for a while, and there is no doubt that I would rock that pastel wig again! However, in the spirit of this assignment (that I can gave myself) to use as much as I could from what I already owned prior to buying anything new, I decided to do a different Cassie outfit. Initially, I was only planning for the outfit with pants, but after rewatching the movie, I ended up pulling two more looks together for a total of three ‘fits for this character. #Overachiever

A button up white shirt with black blazer and black skirt on a dress form. Black pumps are on the floor in front.

Outfit #1: A[X]IST Modern Fit White Button-up Collared Long Sleeve Shirt

Previously seen on The Mayor from The Nightmare Before ChristmasHeather Chandler, and Heather Duke from Heathers

Black DJ Summers Vintage Blazer

Black Maurices Pencil Skirt

Shoes:  Black Vince Camuto Leather Kitten Heel Pumps

Previously seen on Regina George from Mean Girls

The back of someone dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman. The emphasis is on how the long blonde wig is clipped up with a claw.

Hair #1: Ombre Blonde Long Curly Wig I wanted to put it up into a bun, but because this is a wig, it was obvious when I started styling it. As such, I just clipped up the majority in a claw and tried to twist the ends into some sort of baby bun to provide a similar vibe.

Previously seen as Baby Firefly from The Devil’s Rejects, Regina George from Mean Girls,  Allison from Tucker and Dale vs EvilJay Height from It Follows, and Heather Chandler from Heathers

A selfie of a person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman. They wear mascara, a little lipstick, and half of a jagged heart gold best friend necklace. Their blonde hair is pulled back.

Makeup #1:

Eyes: Very Black Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara

Lips: Ringleader ColourPop Ultra Blotted Lip Liquid Lipstick

A selfie of a person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman. They wear mascara, a little lipstick, and half of a jagged heart gold best friend necklace. Their hand is in the image to show off their pastel rainbow manicure. Their blonde hair is pulled back.

Nails: If you only get one detail to nail this character, it should be Cassie’s nails. There is a great write-up about it here. They are a pastel rainbow manicure. I wish I had more of a peach color for my pointer fingers, and in retrospect, I might have done a light pink instead of the orange. I have a better green too, but they all look the same in the bottles. All polishes are from the brand Zoya.

Layla (Pink)

Jancyn (Orange)

Pippa (Yellow)

Josie (Green)

Dory (Blue)

A close-up of a black Kenneth Cole Reaction shoulder bag.

Accessories #1: Black Kenneth Cole Reaction Shoulder Bag I got this from my mother on my most recent trip out to visit. I carried all my stuff around her house in it. I love it.

A black lace strapless dress with handkerchief hem on a dress form with a silver purse. Silver glitter heels are in front on the ground.

I’m more of a silver person than a gold one, so I just changed up this look to match my metal tone.

Outfit #2: Black Lace Exquz Strapless Dress with Handkerchief Hem

Previously seen as a skirt on Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice.

Shoes: Silver Glitter CL by Laundry Pointed Toe Heels

A person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman. They are facing away from the camera and the emphasis is on the wavy blonde hair ponytail.

Hair #2: Loose Curl TNAT/27613 Bobbi Boss Tress Up Ponytail I got this ponytail hairpiece and another in a darker color as part of that auction wig lot. They were still in the original packaging with the plastic bit attached. I don’t know that I would have ventured out of wigs into ponytail territory if they hadn’t come with other things I was more interested in (namely a blue wig for Coraline), but now that I’ve tried this one, it might become part of my regular wear.

A selfie of a person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman. They wear mascara, black eyeliner, lip gloss, silver hoop earrings, and a black choker necklace. Their hair is up in a high pony with curls coming down.

Makeup #2:

Eyes: Very Black Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara

iMethod Black Liquid Eyeliner

Lips: Ringleader ColourPop Ultra Blotted Lip Liquid Lipstick

Share a Smile Wet n Wild Care Bears Shimmer Lip Gloss

A close-up of a pair of large silver hoop earrings, a pair of large silver twist bangles, and a black crochet zig zag choker necklace.

Accessories #2: Large Silver Hoop Earrings that came as a free gift with a wig.

Two Silver Twist Avon Stretch Bangle Bracelets are from my G-ma.

Black Crochet Zig Zag Choker Necklace came as part of a set.

I think my Party Grrrl™️ license is expired (if not revoked) because I am ashamed to admit that I do not own any silver arm cuffs currently. I will hang my head in shame until this is remedied.

A silver clasp purse with long silver chain.

Accessories #2: Silver Sequined Avon Mark Clasp Purse with Chain Strap I have owned this for many years.

A white tee covered by a gray blazer with black pants on a dress form. In front, on the ground are a pair of black pumps.

Outfit #3: White A New Day Scoop Neck Tee Shirt

Gray with Black Leather Trim Graff Suit Jacket This is part of a set I bought at a thrift store that came with the jacket, pants, and long skirt that match. An amazing find in my size!

Black Who What Wear Cigarette Pants with Back Zipper Enclosure

Shoes:  Black Vince Camuto Leather Kitten Heel Pumps

Previously seen on Regina George from Mean Girls

A person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman. They are facing away from the camera and the emphasis is on the wavy blonde hair wig.

Hair #3: Medium Wavy Blonde Wig with Bangs

Previously seen as Heather McNamara from Heathers and Grace Stewart from The Others

A selfie of a person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman. They wear mascara, a little lipstick, and half of a jagged heart gold best friend necklace. They wear a blonde wavy wig with bangs.

Makeup #3:

Eyes: Very Black Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara

Lips: Ringleader ColourPop Ultra Blotted Lip Liquid Lipstick

A close-up of a half jagged heart BEST necklace next to a silver faced watch with skinny black strap.

Accessories #3: Half of a Vintage Best Friends Necklace I got for $8 (for the full heart set of both Best and Friends) on eBay.

Silver Face Slim Black Strap Diamond Brand Wristwatch

A black tire iron curved to help loosen lug nuts.

Prop 1: Tire Iron from inside my partner’s vehicle.

Two small notebooks, a handful of black, blue, and red pens, and a rainbow scrunchie laid out on the wooden floor.

Prop 2: Two small notebooks. One full; one empty before tally marks.

Blue, Black, and Red pens. I have a shortage of black pens in my house because I apparently used them all up.

Rainbow Striped Hair Scrunchie from my G-ma.

A side-by-side comparison of the hands with pink thumbnails of a person dressed as Cassie from Promising Young Woman holding a notebook with red, black, and blue tally marks on the page and a black pen with rainbow scrunchie around that hand next to a photo of Cassie's hands in the same pose from the movie. Words say Cassie and Promising Young Woman.

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman in a gray blazer, white tee, black pants, and black pumps standing and holding a tire iron in their right hand next to a photo of Carey Mulligan as Cassie from the movie in the same outfit and pose. Words say Promising Young Woman and Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas.

A person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman in a black blazer, white button up, black skirt, and black pumps edited into a scene with her parents.
I’m around 30 years old, and I’ve been living back home with my parents after abruptly dropping out of med school when I was at the top of my class.

a person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman with mascara, black eyeliner, lip gloss, silver hoop earrings, black strapless dress, silver purse, and a black choker necklace. Their hair is up in a high pony with curls coming down and are edited into a scene at the bar.
Sometimes I go out at night to see what kind of gentlemen there are in town.

A person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman in a gray blazer, white tee, black pants, and black pumps edited into a scene at the coffee shop.
For my day job, I work at a coffee shop. One day, Ryan, one of my former classmates, comes in, and we start hanging out.

A person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman in a gray blazer, white tee, black pants, and black pumps edited into a scene with the Dean.
Being around Ryan brings back a lot of memories from med school, but this memory lane fills me with road rage.

A person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman in a gray blazer, white tee, black pants, and black pumps edited into a scene at the bachelor party.
I’m forced to come up with more creative endeavors to deal with the future when I cross paths with a lot of the old gang from the past.

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman with mascara, black eyeliner, lip gloss, silver hoop earrings, and a black choker necklace. Their hair is up in a high pony with curls coming down and are next to a photo of Carey Mulligan as Cassie from the movie in the same outfit and pose. Words say Promising Young Woman and Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas.

A side-by-side comparison of the left hand of a person dressed as Cassie from Promising Young Woman spread out over a notebook with red, black, and blue tally marks on the page next to a photo of Cassie's hand in the same pose from the movie. Words say Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas and Promising Young Woman.

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Cassie Thomas from Promising Young Woman in a black blazer, white button up, black skirt, and black pumps looking wasted sitting at a bar with their purse on the floor next to a photo of Carey Mulligan as Cassie from the movie in the same outfit and pose. Words say Promising Young Woman and Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas.

Catch me back here tomorrow for another post.

In the meantime, check out the Promising Young Woman: Cassie Thomas Vibes board on Pinterest.

Maleficent

Maleficent is the first villain I ever loved. Sleeping Beauty was a movie I watched repeatedly as a child, and Maleficent’s color palette (black, purple, lime green, and a pop of hot pink) might be my all-time favorite. I love her entire aesthetic.

While I appreciate that she got further screentime with Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, I’m not super into the backstory where her heart was broken by a man who betrayed her trust (it’s BEEN DONE) and she ended up loving Sleeping Beauty/Aurora like she was her own child. Like if one of my ex’s had a kid with someone else and I spent all my time watching that child, that would be stalking, not some wonderful Fairy Godmother relationship. When I root for villains, I’d prefer they not be child stalkers. Curse a MFer all you want, but don’t waste your time watching them and loving them. lol

This is probably the most costumey outfit that I’ve done. But sometimes instead of buying something new or repurposing things you already have, you could ask your mom (or friend or whoever) if you can borrow the awesome costume they wore a different year. My mother was Maleficent for a couple of different Halloweens, and I asked her earlier this year if she was going to be her again this season or if I could use the outfit. Of the items she sent me, I only ended up using the headpiece for this look. However, there are some simple tutorials on how to DIY horns that I would have turned to if I didn’t already have a sweet set.

A black high-low keyhole dress on a dress form. A pair of knee-high fur-lined boots with chain detail are in front on the ground.

Outfit: Black Voodoo Vixen High-Low Keyhole Dress I believe I inherited this from a friend. Am I going to let the fact that I can’t button the top button of the chest bit stop me from wearing this fabulous dress? Hell no! I just tucked that bit into my strapless bra and kept it moving.

Shoes: Black Faux Fur Lined Knee-High Boots that originally came with round laces wrapped around them, but I altered them years ago with some chain instead. (*Note to self: Take some links out to pull them tighter now that the chains have settled.)

A black high-low keyhole dress with a thick black corset belt and black cape are on a dress form. A pair of knee-high fur-lined boots with chain detail are in front on the ground.

Outfit #2: Last minute, I pulled out this black (unbranded, possibly homemade) cape (that I think was my sibling’s at one point in time), but if I had thought it through, I would have stitched up the edges and at least ironed it. 😬

A person dressed up as Maleficent in all black with horns on their head. In one photo they are in a dress; in the second, they also have a black cape. Both are facing away from the camera with the emphasis on the horns.

Hair: Because this specific set of horns is a complete headpiece that straps underneath the chin, I just braided my hair into two braids and clipped them up on my head to hide underneath. The high neckline of the dress and the collar of the cape really helped ensure that no hair was showing.

A selfie of a person dressed up as Maleficent with a horned headpiece, lots of makeup, and a high collared black dress.

Makeup: I kinda used this tutorial, but just did what I could with what I had.

Face: Tone Adjusting e.l.f. Face Primer

Porcelain e.l.f. Flawless Finish Foundation

Fair Beige Wet n Wild Mega Last Incognito Concealer

FIC-004# Fall in Color Contour Makeup Stick

When the Nude Strikes Wet n Wild Megaglo Highlight Makeup Stick

Eyes: Gin White Eyeshadow from The Equalizer Volume 1 Sample Beauty Palette

Ginger Eyeshadow from the AVON For The Love of Makeup Artist Palette

Toast Eyeshadow from the AVON For The Love of Makeup Artist Palette

Black Perfect Wings Eyeliner Stamp and Liner

Very Black Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof Mascara

Lips: Kitten Heels Bright Red NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick with some Bloodstone NYX Glitter Goals Liquid Lipstick on top in the middle.

A black high-low keyhole dress with a thick black corset belt are on a dress form. A pair of knee-high fur-lined boots with chain detail are in front on the ground.

Accessories: Black Game of Life Oversized Akira Corset Belt which is one of my favorite pieces right now. I want to wear it with everything.

A closeup of two costume jewelry rings. The one on the left is a large green oval on an adjustable silver band. The one on the right is a rhinestone bird head silver ring with blue eyes.

Accessories: Green Adjustable Large Costume Ring and Rhinestone Bird Head Ring

A close up of a black bird hand puppet.

Prop 1: A hand puppet that I inherited from someone. Unsure if it is supposed to be a Crow or a Raven, but it is definitely a corvid. This is my Diablo/Diaval. I had it clipped to my sleeve for a few photos, but when it didn’t stay on my shoulder, I just put it on my hand for some photos too.

A two photo collage. The image on the left is some brown yarn, a yellow tennis ball, a tiki torch, and some brown packing paper. On the right. those items have been combined to create Maleficent's staff.

Prop 2: So one or two nights before I was planning to do this photo shoot, I realized freaked out that I didn’t have a staff for Maleficent. I almost talked myself out of doing her entirely because I didn’t want to recreate someone so dear to me without such a crucial prop. In my brainstorming on how I could whip something together, I pulled a tiki torch out of my garage. I initially wanted a greener ball on top, but I couldn’t find one in my house. Then, my partner suggested a tennis ball. Depending on what version of Maleficent you are rocking, her staff has been represented in various shades of green and some even go as light as yellow especially when it is glowing. I was considering using some of my hemp to wrap up the staff, but once I saw that I had brown yarn, everything came together. I used some brown packing paper from one of my recent deliveries to put in the top bit of the torch part to keep the ball high enough to show instead of falling deeper down. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.

A three photo side-by-side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Maleficent next to Angelina Jolie as the character and the animated Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Words say Maleficent underneath the three pics.

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Maleficent next to Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. They both have their arms outstretched. Words say Maleficent and Maleficent.

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Maleficent next to Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. They both hold a hand over their staff. Words say Maleficent and Maleficent.

A person dressed as Maleficent in a horned headpiece, lots of makeup, and all black outfit with a black bird and a staff edited into an image with the castle.
“I must say, I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation.”

A person dressed as Maleficent in a horned headpiece, lots of makeup, and all black outfit edited into an image with large vines and green fire.
“The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. *But*… before the sun sets on her 16th birthday, she shall prick her finger – on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and fall into a sleep like death! A sleep from which she will never awaken! The princess *can* be woken from her death sleep, but only by…True Love’s Kiss! This curse will last till the end of time! No power on Earth can change it!”

A person dressed as Maleficent in a horned headpiece, lots of makeup, and all black outfit  holds a staff and is edited into an image with large vines growing everywhere.
“Pitchforks? Humans are hilarious.”

A person dressed as Maleficent in a horned headpiece, lots of makeup, and all black outfit with a black bird and staff edited into a scene in the fairy forest called The Moors.
“Hmm. It’s so ugly, you could almost feel sorry for it.”

A person dressed as Maleficent in a horned headpiece, lots of makeup, and all black outfit edited into a night scene in a forest with aurora borealis lights.
“Aurora, there is an evil in this world, hatred, and betrayal. And I cannot keep you from it.”

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Maleficent next to the animated Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. They both hold a staff in their right hand with their left hand over their chest. Words say Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty.

A side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Maleficent next to Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. They both hold a finger to their lips like shhhh. Words say Maleficent and Maleficent.

A three photo side-by-side-by-side comparison of a person dressed as Maleficent next to Angelina Jolie as the character and the animated Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Words say Maleficent in the upper righthand corner of the three pics.

Catch me back here tomorrow for another post.

In the meantime, check out the Maleficent Vibes board on Pinterest.

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