Looking a Bit Forward

Seeing as how I can't sleep no matter how exhausted I am, I figured I might as well do something to keep my mind off the fact that the green goop in my lungs is keeping me from breathing. (Have I mentioned how I hate being sick?)

In my more energetic moments this weekend (which have sadly left me), I began construction on my Halloween costume. (Well, actually I began it last week, but I had only completed one little piece.) I think the description I'm going with is Victorian Masquerade.

The basic line up will consist of: chemise, corset, skirt, overskirt, stockings, boots, possibly spats, and, of course, a mask. There will also be accessories, like the collar shown below. In order to keep down costs, most of this stuff will be made out of crap that I already own but never wear.

Case in point, this chemise and collar were once a whole button-up shirt that has been sitting in my closet since January. But, with a little creative scissoring and some shirring (don't feel bad if you have no idea what I'm talking about here because I had to look up that term), I have a frilly top and a cute choker.

[Of course, I can't actually take any of the credit for this idea because I found it on ThreadBanger. They had a video tutorial on Steampunk attire (again, I had to look that up) that was very inspiring.]

And the corset (which you might be able to see a little better here) is something I wore for my wedding before it became a permanent fixture in my bureau. Thankfully, I had to take it in quite a bit to make it fit (woo-hoo!), and it still needs some sort of fabric covering. I have some pretty champagne jacquard that might look nice.

What I'm going to do about the skirts, I haven't quite decided. I think I have to spend some time scavenging the GoodWill outlet here in Boston. I tend to find good, cheap costume fodder there. Hopefully I'll be able to scrounge up some boots there, too.

I am also toying with the idea of a bustle (also to be found on the ThreadBanger video). I began playing around with the wire I got, but it will be awhile before I feel confident enough to post any pics.

The hardest part, tho, will be the mask, namely because it's the front piece and it will never look the way I intend it to look. The problem with working without a budget is that things can end up looking cheap. Hopefully, I've accumulated enough decorative junk in my lifetime that I can come up with something pretty cool.

I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.