The Season of the Witch

Maybe it's just all the new supernatural tv shows this Fall, but I'm really into the idea of taking it back a few years (or centuries) and dressing up like a witch for Halloween. 

I'm going to try to avoid the silliness of Hocus Pocus, and the goth-cliché of The Craft and go with something a little more glamourous. I'm thinking long dark skirts, some choice jewelry, sky-high stilettos, and of course a classic pointed hat. Too bad neither of the dogs is well behaved enough to masquerade as my familiar for the evening...

Though, clearly the witchy attitude is the most important part of the equation. 

Bitch is the new black, afterall!

images from Tumblr

The Queen's Players

As much as I love any film based on Shakespeare, I must admit that Shakespeare in Love is my favourite. It may not be a “serious” film, but it has so many redeeming points that I can’t help  but love it. It incorporates quite a bit of Shakespeare’s plays into the film (there are off-quotes from many of his plays), and the star-studded cast delivers a witty and clever performance. Ben Affleck as the actor Ned Alleyn, and Rupert Everett as Christopher Marlowe are my favourites, even though they don’t play large roles. Of course Dame Judi Dench makes a brilliant Queen Elizabeth; I don’t think anyone else has quite the same pithy “Englishness” as she does that makes the part so perfect.

One of the best parts of the film though, is one which is often over-looked by the audience, but is one that I can’t help but notice in this film. The costumes! It’s no surprise why Sandy Powell won the Oscar for Best Costume Design for her work on the film. I’m no expert on historical costuming, but the outfits do seem relatively accurate. I’m going to assume that there was a bit of exaggeration done with the materials (a poor acting company most likely wouldn’t have been able to afford such gorgeous costumes without huge amounts of money from their sponsor), but the cuts of the garments is reminiscent of what I’ve seen of accurate Renaissance clothing.

It was surprisingly difficult to find decent pictures of the costumes on the internet (the film isn’t new), but I found a few that I feel show some of the clever costuming, and I’ve included the trailer (ugh it’s so campy) since it has some decent shots from the film. Don’t be deterred with how clichéd the trailer is, go and watch the movie. It is brilliant, and you won’t be disappointed!

He's such a brooder :p Loving the loose-fit shirt though!
Photo from here.

How gorgeous is this jacket? Definitely my favourite piece from the entire film.
Photo from here.

Brocaide ballgowns are impractical, but gorgeously sumptuous.
Possibly another trend to go along with fall's velvet trend?
Interesting cut on the leather jacket;
definitely a throwback to Renaissance styling, but modernized with leather material!
Photo from here.

Queen Elizabeth was a trend-setter for sure! History's Lady Gaga? Maybe!
Photo from here. 

I am a princess, damnit!

Most of us who grew up during the 1990s were subject to an overabundance of Disney movies. Along with unrealistic expectations in relationships these movies also inspired many of us, including this blog-mistress, to want to be a princess of real life. Yet there aren’t that many real life princes, and those that are available are incredibly hard to get to. So instead we have to settle for dressing like princesses in everyday life.

When most girls turn 19 (or another “special” birthday) the tradition has become to adorn them with tiaras during the festivities. If they do not take charge of this themselves they are often subjected to dollar store crowns meant for children (and which often come adorned with Disney princess pictures), but those of us who are lucky enough to have good friends get to wear rhinestoned tiaras that actually look nice. Being the control freak that I am, when I turned 20 I insisted that I buy my own tiara so that it would be one which I actually wanted to wear. Of all my ridiculous purchases in the name of fashion my tiara has become something that I am rather proud to own J

Two and a half years later I’m still wearing the tiara, but for an entirely different purpose. As one of the Halloween Costume Consultants at work it’s my responsibility to dress up, and inspire other people to be creative with their own costumes. While all of my costumes are creative and adorable, my princess attire garners me more compliments than any other get up. Whether I pair it with one of my own poufy princess dresses, or the “baroness” costume from work there are “oohs” and “ahhs” aplenty. There is no age limit to who can dress up as a princess for Halloween; we see children, teenagers, and even some moms requesting princess dresses!  Unfortunately dressing up as a princess seems to be a complicated idea for most people, as we don’t carry pre-made princess costumes for adults. There are two easy solutions to this connundrum: find a poufy party dress or find an old prom dress. Either of these are easy to find for relatively inexpensive prices, and then all you need to do is add a tiara and some sparkly jewelry! Most novelty jewelrey stores carry a variety of tiaras and crowns, with Claire’s, Icing’s, and Ardene’s having the best styles. Now all you need is a prince to make the costume picture perfect!

What I’ve found when wearing my tiara in public is that I get two very opposite reactions. Most people are extremely complimentary, and treat me like the princess I am, but some people have the nerve to scoff and be derrogatory. My only response to those people is: “Off with their heads!”