(I'm sure high waisted velour school jumpers were fashionable back then...I wonder if this was about the same time my mother discovered sewing with stretch fabrics!)
The photo on the right (above) was a high school social, the theme was 'Nursery Rhymes'. Dad helped me construct a paper maiche Humpty dumpty- it involved chicken wire and lots of newspaper. After it was created, we realised it was too big to fit in the car so he took me into town (we lived on a farm) with the costume in the trailer! The social (school dance/disco) was at the local town hall and whoever was on the door went 'whoa' and had to open up the double doors so I could fit through.
Others characters I remember being are Jake the Peg (this involved a purple dressing gown and a broom with a stuffed sock over it) and Pippi Longstocking.
And more recently I was a bee from the bee movie for my girlfriends 'movie' themed 40th...
To date, I've been a bit disappointed that my children don't seen to have that 'dress up' gene. On the odd occasion there have been dress up days, I have asked my daughter what she'd like to go as (with a 'I'll make you any costume you want!)- she has generally responded with 'a girl'!
Imagine my delight when my Year 7 boy came home recently and said 'we have to dress up as something starting with M and I want to go as a magician'...followed by 'could you make me a black cape with a shiny red inside?'
Why yes, I could, and I have been just waiting to be asked.
So, I consulted the big guns- a book I loved to pore over as a child...yep, Enid Gilchrist- it's obviously been well loved!
The result was a cape that my boy thought was 'awesome'. I also stayed up far too late making the top hat- next time I plan to share the 'making'! Mr Apple got involved my coming up with the wand (tomato stake, with liquid paper on the tip!)
When he got home, he reported that most of the other kids said that were "Me" and just had an out of uniform day. I asked if he thought next time he would dress up he thought no, he wouldn't bother!
He did proceed to stay in his outfit for several hours, I take heart in that!
Oh, God, that paper mache egg is awesome! Hilarious!My girl doesnt do much dressing up either, she wants to go to Book Week this year as Bindi Irwin (unfortunately she's an author too!) So i'm hoping to buy khaki stuff...not much fun to make it!
ReplyDeleteLOVE it! Love the cape, the hats, the lot.
ReplyDeleteAm half way through a dinosaur for school assembly tomorrow ... and secretly LOVING it.
I don't often wear them myself but I love kids in dress-ups!
Well done and now you have a cape to swan around in when everyone is out!
I love all your costumes .... You might have guessed I love a costume too!! when I was teaching there were always costumes being requested only sometimes they came in multiples of 26!!!! Still I loved doing all that!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great costume, well done! That hat of yours is really something else :) And if you're anywhere near the age that I am (37) then yes, the velour was high fashion ;)
ReplyDeleteI love that egg, LOL! The cape and hat looked awesome! I reckon all his classmates were jealous!
ReplyDeletelove that egg! and the cape and hat are awesome too! I reckon his classmates were jealous!
ReplyDeleteYour costumes as a kid were amazing - that egg is incredible.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad my girls love to dress up - sometimes taking the look into street wear!! The onesies are very 'in'. Love that cape - looks fabulous - but sad that no-one else got into the spirit or it.