# Husband and wife caretakers of a condemned retirement asylum! - costume HELP!!!



## marigolddesigns (Sep 5, 2010)

I am really struggling with a costume idea for this! We are the "hosts" - aka caretakers of a condemned asylum coming back to life for one night.

I was thinking for my husband to dress him up as a grounds keeper with oversized high wasted jeans, suspenders - creepy stringy hair - grungy looking....but what do I dress as? Am I an administrator of the asylum? How do I pull this off? Please help...I'm struggling with this!

(side note...this party is also a double for our 50th birthdays...so we have to pull it off!


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## portia319 (Aug 31, 2009)

What time frame are you going for? 30's, 40s? I would search ebay for vintage 30's or 40's dresses (or check out your local thrift stores). Sometimes you can get them for cheap if they aren't perfect (i.e. a rip or stain) which would probably be fine for what you're going for. You could either dress as an administrator or you could get a vintage nurses' uniform and hat and be a nurse that worked there. Or you could go "American Horror Story" and dress like a nun that worked at one.


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## ichasiris (Aug 8, 2014)

What about something with a lab coat? They always have TONS of medical stuff at Goodwill during Halloween. Like scrubs and things that can be easily manipulated and sewn to look more crazy or fitted and made dirty or bloody.


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## PoCoHauntGal (Sep 2, 2010)

I found this website awhile back that has some spectacularly creepy photos including asylum and circus shots.

http://www.lovethesepics.com/2012/1...andoned-europe-meet-urbex-master-andre-govia/

Might give you a few ideas for costume and decor - here's a couple of my favorite asylum scenes:

















I like the idea of a doctor and nurse or nun - easy costumes to do and make ghoulish!

As a side note, we have a local asylum called Riverview Hospital. The government has gradually shut it down and has been more or less empty since the late 80's. It has the most spectacular grounds - 250 acres designed with botanical gardens and many of the species planted are unique and untouched by human hands. It is a very controversial subject as most citizens want it returned to a mental care facility or teaching hospital while politicians want to bulldoze all the buildings and open it up for housing developers. I've made many visits over the years when family members and friends worked there. I always thought if you were a person trapped in your own mind, wouldn't you want to live surrounded by such beauty? 

Anyways, since it's shutdown, Riverview has been used extensively for movies and television productions. My favorite memory though is touring the wards when I was in high school - they still had the padded rooms! As we were walking down the main hallway, a patient ran out of the room, grabbed my arm and screamed "help me, help me, I'm not crazy!". It didn't seem unusual to me but my girl friend was so scared, she nearly peed her pants! 

Riverview Hospital - One of the building's front entry.


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## Trex (Nov 6, 2010)

Cool story!


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## marigolddesigns (Sep 5, 2010)

The nurse, doctor, seemed most logical...but DH and I were that 2 years ago...so needed to change it up abit. The invitation reads "condemned in '64, and opening for one night to haunt the caretakers whose youth has perished" DH and I turn 50...me 2 weeks before the party...DH 2 weeks after. 

I decided to go as the Administrator of the River Road Retirement Asylum and found this awesome, conservative 1960's Robert Leonard dress and jacket. After abit of research, I found a cool bio on the designer...designed for high end stores like Neiman-Marcus in the 1960's and developed a more conservative business look to offset the mod mini dresses of the 1960's. Perfect!!! Fits great! $14.99!! DH is going as the grounds-keeper....oversized pants, suspenders, long stringy hair...sketchy type. I will carry a clipboard with an intake form and someone suggested that I have my picture taken and framed as part of the decor prop with title, etc. Then everyone will figure out my role. 
Here is the dress!


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## marigolddesigns (Sep 5, 2010)

Thank you for the photos...and story. I will use it for more inspiration! Love those creepy doors! Maybe I can pull that off somewhere!



PoCoHauntGal said:


> I found this website awhile back that has some spectacularly creepy photos including asylum and circus shots.
> 
> http://www.lovethesepics.com/2012/1...andoned-europe-meet-urbex-master-andre-govia/
> 
> ...


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## PoCoHauntGal (Sep 2, 2010)

There's lots of inspiration out there for sure and the stuff concerning asylums is insane - if you'll pardon the pun!
For example, intake forms - some you can download from DeviantArt (blank ones you can fill in details) are available 

http://lylix.deviantart.com/art/Asylum-Admittance-Forms-126071475

Example 1








also http://joshua-mozes.deviantart.com/art/Certificate-of-Insanity-5-337741279

Example 2
This might be fun to make up for each guest, checking off the appropriate malady. 









Also had this saved from someone's page a while back ...









(In reality, mental illness is no laughing matter and none of this is meant to offend)


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## marigolddesigns (Sep 5, 2010)

PoCoHauntGal - no offense taken...Turning 50...there are lots of pokes at you anyways...and who doesn't turn alittle crazy turning 50! We will have fun with it...thank you for the intake forms...I love them.

This is my invitation:


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## marigolddesigns (Sep 5, 2010)

Here I am....still adding the props like clip board, pills, nametag...but here is the costume portion!


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