The Best Halloween Costume Ever

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and due to circumstances beyond my control (hurricanes, they don’t really have it in Australia, etc.) it’s been several years since I was able to go all out. Also, my idea of a Halloween-themed wedding was vetoed.

I was determined to go Halloween or go bust this year. And this year would be the year I made the Fallen Angel costume… for myself.

The first time I made the Fallen Angel costume, it was for a friend in college. She was performing at a costumed music recital that evening, and she wanted something special. So she provided the clothes and makeup, and I made the wings and halo. And when we put it on her and tied the blood-red ribbons in her hair, the effect was incredible. She looked amazing, beautiful.

The second time I made the Fallen Angel costume, it was for another friend from college. She was a single girl living in New York City, and wanted something to kick up her black corset and fishnet ensemble. I’d developed my technique by then (it’s all about the black organza) and her wings were simply amazing.

It’s many years later now, and my best friend lives in town, so we could make the Fallen Angel costume together. See, because that’s the thing about it. It has to be a costume for someone else at least. It’s the tradition.

And this is how you do it:

1. Take two wire hangers.

2. Bend them into a rough teardrop shape, with the “hanger” part on one side.

3. Wrap the hanger with black pipe cleaners.

4. Create a latticework of pipe cleaners across the framework of the wrapped hanger.

5. Next, the feathers! You’re going to need about 1.5-2 yards of material all together. I like to use a mix of different kinds of materials, a bit of lace, some organza, some other shimmery or sparkly stuff, and some opaque material for filler. All black of course.

6. Cut the material into a double-feather shape with a bit of a strap between. It should be somewhere between 8-12 inches long.

7. Tie the feathers onto the lattice work and frame so that the feathery bits hang down on either side. Make sure the different materials are spaced out. Towards the bottom and “outside” of the wings (the side opposite the hanger part), make sure the feathers are somewhat longer to make the correct “folded wing” shape.

8. After the wings are covered, wrap the two “hanger parts” together with pipe cleaners. You may have to wrap some pipe cleaners around the inside as well to keep it all secure.

9. Now, the halo. Take embroidery thread in the “tarnished silver” color and braid six strands together, loosely. Tie the ends together. (Loose bits just make it look more “frayed.”)

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about assembly.