September 10, 2009

Finding good costumes for couples is easier said than done.

I have to admit that I am one of those adult people who starts thinking of my next Halloween costume as soon as the previous year’s Halloween party is over. I am 37 years old and I love to dress up – albeit only once a year.

Every year my husband, Mike, and I host a Day of the Dead party wherein all of our adult friends are required to come in costume. We drink grownup beverages and eat tiny child-sized candies until late in the evening. I am always on the lookout for that perfect “couples” costume for Mike and me, but aside from the year that we were a
beer keg and a martini, we’ve tended to go solo. This year will be different. This year I am determined to find the perfect costume to illustrate our coupledom and I have decided to use this space to chronicle this search and thus share some of my finds with those of you who may possibly find yourself in the same predicament.

My first thoughts on the whole costume thing this year were to go in a creepy Gothic (but attractive) direction. I am not as young or as thin as I once was so I try to steer clear of the overtly sexual costumes, which is easier said than done considering every single costume site seems to want to dress every woman as a Playboy bunny (for which you can actually get the matching “Hugh Heffner” style costume for your partner, by the way) or the pirate version of the Playboy bunny.

For those who are not in the know, “Gothic” or “Goth” originally described a group of Eastern Germanic tribes from as early as the 2^nd century. Centuries later in France, during the 12^th century, Romanesque art would give birth to a new Medieval art movement referred to as Gothic art. Even later still in 18^th century England, the genre of Gothic fiction was “invented” by an author named Horace Walpole who married the era’s love for romance to a new found fascination with all things horrific. I can only surmise that our own century’s brooding fashion referred to simply as “Goth” comes from a combination of these factors. But, enough with the history lesson…

My search unearthed three great possible costume choices (the second and third of which will be in my next blog entry). The first, and possibly my favorite and one that I had actually considered last year (before I created my own “creepy doll” costume instead), is the Zombie Prom Queen and the Prom King Zombie. Zombies are not so much Gothic as creations of pop fiction and culture, but the depressing notion of dead prom kids and the makeup possibilities give them a Gothic edge. However, in direct contrast to the Gothic world’s ancient roots, it was not until 1968 with the introduction of George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” that zombies secured their place in our pop culture consciousness. At any rate, paired with a Goth Vampira Wig in black, the Zombie Prom Queen certainly has a Gothic appeal.

Although the prom zombies are very cute and reasonably priced, I have some slight reservations about our ability to carry them off as we edge towards 40. And I have read a review that the Prom Queen runs small… so I am nervous. So on I look…