Halloween is coming!

Ever year I think no I’m not gonna dress up. Nope, I’m going to save money and be an adult. Of course I always dress up. My inner gay man must make an appearance. This year I may do the generic dark or fallen angel look. Dig out my Kevin Aucoin makeup books and paint on some really dark eyes and buy some fab black angel wings. Or I may go as a flapper since I have a bob and my body type (as I have been told) is perfect for being a flapper. I think that look is kinda un-sexy but my good friend Jen Zias relented that the era of the flapper was about freedom. The women took cut their long hair and took off their corsets. I guess they were sort of like glamorous, rich hippies. I can raise my glass to that.

My very first Halloween I dressed as a clown in appropriate Halloween colors, orange and black. I was probably one years old. My best costumre ever was the year I rented the Scarlet O’Hara curtain dress (minus the rod a la Carol Burnett) from Fantasy Headquarters, which is this amazing store here in Chi-town that is the size of a football field and has all things Halloween and Holidays. I’ve also been Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I have been a gypsy, a fairy, Peter Pan, Vampira, a Mermaid, Theda Bara, a 50’s style nurse, a Geisha where I cleverly wrapped my hair around old toilet paper rolls to create that traditional Geisha updo. In the third grade I was one of the Sand Creatures from Star Wars where my Mom actually rigged glow eyes from Radio Shack. Last year I was crushed when my Kill Bill costume got lost in the mail.

Notice how I almost always want to be someone pretty or exotic! It takes a real woman to wear a fright wig and warts. I suppose I have a few more Halloween costumes in me. I wouldn’t mind going back to Fantasy Headquarters and renting the Audrey Hepburn My Fair Lady dress. I'd even be happy with the more simple Breakfast at Tiffany’s ensemble. Cleopatra would be amazing too as would Wonder Woman or Cat Woman. I never got to be Snow White, I'm a bit old for that now. Medusa could be fun (but a pretty Medusa!). Or I could go as Carrie Bradshaw, get the blonde streaked wig, big flower, Carrie necklace, some hot pants (depending on weather)
a martini glass and a great bag. What a great excuse to buy shoes and bags!

Now that I’m a red head my options are fewer but then again there are always wigs. Then again didn’t Bat Girl have red hair? You know I take my part very serious—method acting serious. When I went as Dorothy I must of watched the Wizard of Oz a dozen times. I had to have the perfect costume down to the light blue socks—notice the socks are not really white but a very pale blue.

I have seen some great costumes in my 35 years. The cutest little kid costume was a three year old dressed as Shrek. I love those Shrek ears. The best gay male costume I can remember is a guy in the 80’s who went as Peg Bundy but he didn’t want to shave his beard so he was a bearded Peg Bundy. He carried a fake cigarette that had a battery operated light. His wig and red-sequined dress were fabulous and his attitude . . . even more fabulous.

It would be fun to be a sexier alter ego like Marilyn Monroe. I would need a lot of padding. A lot!