Halloweens of yesteryear: 2008

They're all going to laugh at y... oh wait, never mind. Wrong prom.

Oh, Halloween 2008. While I like the results from my costume from 2008, the logic behind it is a little sad. I was telling Ricky why I picked this costume this morning, and he thought it was a little heartbreaking.

Early readers of HPFS will remember that at the beginning of that month, my boyfriend Justin broke up with me out of the blue. I now realize that it was for the best and lead me to Ricky, but at the time it was quite unexpected and very hard. It was also hard because all of my core group of friends were in happy and healthy relationships and spending a lot of time with them. My roommate was dealing with stresses at work in a very unhealthy way (she stopped eating) and much energy was being spent trying to help her out. I didn't really like my job. All of this leads to me not feeling in the brightest of spirits, very lonely, and even somewhat unattractive.

When it came time for the Halloween party, I decided that I wanted to feel very pretty. No blood, no being a dude, just pretty. So I thought... when is the one time when a girl is young and they feel the prettiest and most special in their young lives? Prom.

2008: Prom Queen

This is the only year as of recently that I didn't do a specific character, just more of an idea. This was also my most expensive costume to date, but I've worn the pieces several times since, so I'm okay with this. I found a really pretty green cocktail dress at a consigment shop (even though Prom dresses are usually longer, I decided to go for a cocktail dress to increase my chances of wearing it again and also increase my mobility for the night) and some vintage and sparkly jewelry. It all went together, to give the look that I planned this part of the outfit well before being crowned queen.

Next, I went to the Liberty Tree Mall (aka sketchy mall) to get materials for a boutenierre and a crown. Claire's jewelry and accessories was up first. I hadn't been there since my own prom (2002) so it was a bit of a time warp to be back. I was also BY FAR the oldest person there. I found a sparkly tiara that had combs in it -- key, since I wanted it to sit in my hair all night -- for a decent price.

Then I went to AC Moore and got ribbon and some fake flowers for my boutonniere. I based the look and colors on what my own boutonniere looked like in high school, as I wore a green dress to prom. The morning of the Halloween party, I spent some time shaping flowers and glue gunning together the piece. I also used a hair elastic to keep it tight on my wrist, as the ribbon itself was making it kind of flimsy.

My boutonniere! Some soft pink roses and baby's breath.

I made up my face a lot (lots of sparkles and green eyeshadow) and gave myself poofy hair. This made my hair look prom-y, but also gave the tiara something to sit on. Getting ready was quite easy, and it was nice to make myself look extra pretty for Halloween.

Gotta have a prom photo taken if you're prom queen!

I like the results. This probably isn't my favorite costume, because it's not a character and I think the inspiration comes from a sad place, but I do think it turned out well. I couldn't find a picture I liked from Dianne and Danielle's party, mainly because I got a little drunk and so I look beet red in all of the shots. I wore this costume again to my friend Jaime's Halloween party on Halloween night, so it was good to wear it a few times since it was so pricey.

Me being crowned queen and my friend Jaime (as a Celtics cheerleader) cheering me on.

And as hoped, I wore the dress again to my company work party that year. To make it less prom-y and more work party-y, I just had my hair down, softer make up, and then pearls that weren't blue and green to match it exactly. And no one even guessed I wore it to Halloween a few months earlier. I also have a feeling it'll make an appearance at a wedding in the coming months. (probably Dianne's?)

Me and my coworker Bryon at EBSCO holiday party 2009.