Season of Spook Look Book

October is not only the spookiest time of year, but also the time to whip out as many costumes, cosplays, and themed looks as possible! This year we pulled together a handful of looks entirely from items we already had, and also tried our hands at D.I.Y. for our final look.

Hogwarts Professors

Originally for this look I wanted to incorporate a lot of tweed but it was too plain and lacked the magical and mystical elements expected of Hogwarts teachers. Jeordy gave me this waistcoat which really embodies an older style of Merlin-like magic with astrological signs, which I decided to make the central focus of the costume. Building on the waistcoat I wanted to create a look that was a little more Guilderoy Lockhart, so quite formal but with a magical flair. I chose lighter trousers paired with my Grandfather's 1930s tailcoat.

I also made a Slytherin lapel pin out of clay and painted it green to represent my Hogwarts house. I added a pocket watch chain and of course held my custom made wand which I've had since childhood. These were all items I already owned or created myself and combined them to create this wizarding look.

It took me a while to put this look together. I knew I wanted it to be as whimsical and historicist as possible. I wanted to show my Hufflepuff pride without being too overtly biased (I am a professor to all houses after all), and I wanted to convey the type of professor I am: firm, kind, and a little sassy. I settled on a black and baby blue dirndl, and paired it with a baby blue dress which had the perfect neckline and sleeves.

I knew accessories maketh the witch, so I carefully curated a selection of details. The leather belt served two purposes: it cinched in my waist, and it allowed me to carry a potion of choice on my person with ease. I purchased the potion receptacle and my hand-carved wand about 10 years ago at the SoCal Renaissance faire. Naturally, I had to wear my subtle golden badger pin to represent my former house.

I styled my hair into a high, messy Gibson-girl inspired bun. I think we've all had a teacher that rocked this hairstyle! To finish off my accessories I chose my vintage 1940s aluminium glasses, a pair of sapphire earrings, and a dangly star ear cuff.

Anne Shirley-Cuthbert of Green Gables

It was a dream come true to dress up as Anne Shirley-Cuthbert! I have loved Anne of Green Gables passionately since I first read it a few years ago. I relate so strongly to Anne's precocious yet innocent personality, and I think much can be taken from her outlook on life. I knew it was only appropriate to photograph Anne out in nature, and fortunately the leaves had begun to fall. I wore a vintage dress which has a high collar and long sleeves (sadly without puffs) which easily passed as 1890s. Little girls in the Victorian Era often wore dresses that did not reach the ground, so even the length was perfect. I also wore a white retro apron, to imitate a pinafore.

I like to think my costume is set a few months after Anne's unfortunate hair accident, thus her hair is only just long enough to be put in braids again. I kept my makeup very light and fresh, to make me look a little younger and brighter. I finished the look with a straw hat, aptly decorated with freshly fallen leaves.

Nineteenth Century Pirate

I wanted to create a pirate look that was a little different and lended itself to my love of East Asian cultures while using items I already owned. I wore a traditional Chinese button knot shirt under a blue robe. I borrowed a jacket from Jeordy, as well as an orange scarf and brooch for my turban.

I liked the look but I think the accessories made it. Firstly, I had my pirate essentials of a pistol and a sword. The pistol was given to me and used to belong to a pub known as The Musket, the sword is a carved African jungle knife that belonged to my Father. I wrapped scarves of different textures around my waist as sashes, and tied money bags and pocket watches to them. Finally I wore as many rings as I could find in the house and painted historically accurate Chinese Pirating tattoos on my hands, including a dragon.

Rocky Horror Picture Show's Magenta

Magenta essentially wears a slutty French maid outfit, so I threw together the closest thing I had. The dress is thrifted and when paired with the vintage apron, gives strong French maid vibes. The little ruffle in my hair is vintage, and while I'm not sure, I believe it is a garter. The fishnet tights added a grungier element, and the black boots add more of a vintage flair to Magenta's iconic look. I went heavy on the eyes, and used a dark red lipstick to complete the outfit.

Macabre Masquerade

For this masquerade look I went for classic 1930s white tie, to give a very formal Phantom of the Opera meets Gomez Adams level of spookiness. I wore my Grandfather's 1930s tailcoat, which has been worn more this Halloween season than it has in the past 70 years, vintage trousers and shirt with my Grandfathers 1930s white tie waistcoat. I topped the outfit off with my Vintage Venetian mask I purchased on a trip in Venice.

For my masquerade look I wanted to channel a woman that is dangerous and mysterious, two things I am not. I leaned into elegance, donning a backless, floor-length Ralph Lauren gown with a train. It has black velvet cutaways which add a beautiful texture to the dress, so I added a contrasting texture with satin opera gloves. The dress has a high collar and very low back; I emphasised this by wearing a strand of pearls backwards, and styling my hair high on my head. I matched the pearl necklace with pearl drop earrings, and tied in the 'masquerade' element with a vintage-inspired carnival mask. The final touches were a blood red lip, a bouquet of dried peonies, and an expression that could kill.

Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl

This was my final and main Halloween look reserved and created for our Halloween party. Since first watching it as a child I loved The Incredibles movie, but it was only later when I rewatched it that I actually realised the film is set in the late 50s/early 60s and therefore ties in so perfectly with my love of retro-futurism and 60s aesthetic.

I have never been one for buying costumes so I really wanted to create as much of the outfit as I could myself. This was probably the most effort I have ever put in to creating a costume. Because I don't sew, the first thing I did was buy two items of sportswear, a top and athletic leggings. Together this cost me about £25. I then bought a can of spray paint which was £5 a can. Jeordy helped me sketch out the design I wanted in chalk before adding masking tape while I wore the garments to keep them stretched. I then began painting. This was kind of an ordeal as I ran out of paint and struggled to find the correct shade anywhere. This is why a few different shades of blue can be seen on the outfit. I also painted rubber gloves that we had at home to finish the look. Once painted and dried I hand painted the finer details like the I symbol and tidied up the edges with black. Lastly I had Jeordy paint a mask on my face and the look was complete.

The end result was by no means perfect and a little rough around the edges. The entire costume was a little crispier than I had intended and in hindsight I probably should have used fabric rather than paint for the design but overall I'm happy with how the costume turned out and it was really rewarding to have mostly created it myself.

Like James, I only recently realised how retro The Incredibles is. After watching it a few months ago, James and I knew we wanted to recreate the looks of young Elastigirl and Mr. Incredible. Elastigirl was especially exciting for me, as she is incredibly sassy and powerful, and we share wide hips. Knowing this made me feel less insecure about having my curves on display.

I usually construct costumes from items I already have, but I needed to buy essentially all of the pieces for this look to do it justice. I therefore wanted to ensure that all the pieces of the ensemble could be re-worn or reused. I purchased a grey sleeveless bodysuit from Boohoo for £5. Elastigirl's is white, but I am more likely to wear grey casually. The red opera gloves were about £2 on eBay, and are sure to be used again. The boots are actually 'wet look' stockings I got on eBay for about £15. I wore them over a pair of heels I already had, cutting a hole for the heel to create the look of a thigh-high boot for a fraction of the price. The finishing details were a piece of ribbon tied around my waist for a belt, red face-paint for the mask, and the E insignia on the bust. For the E I cut the shape I wanted from a piece of white cotton we already had, drew on the design in pencil, and had James paint it. Once dried, I sewed it by hand onto the bodysuit. This required a little trial and error, but turned out very well in my opinion! Overall I spent approximately £30, including shipping.

Overall I was extremely pleased with how my costume turned out. I did feel a little self conscious with so much of my hips and butt on display, but it also felt empowering to rock my natural body unapologetically.

We hope you enjoyed this Halloween Look Book, and that we've inspired you to look for your next costume within your own wardrobe, instead of a costume shop!