# How to usethose old bridesmaids dresses?



## yellow_moon (Apr 21, 2008)

I'm contemplating using a bridesmaid dress for a halloween costume...I'll post a picture of the recycled dress shortly...thought we could share fresh ideas on how to use these terrrible wastes of money for halloween costumes...last year i saw someone successfully pull off marie antoinette using a light blue dress she recycled and ended up winnin a costume contest for prize money!

So any original ideas other than the usuals:
Prom axe murderer
Beauty queen
Evil stepsister
A good witch
Run Away bride
Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland
Carrie

I guess once I post a picture people can offer more specific uses....

will be back later to upload one...


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## sikntwizted (Oct 26, 2007)

Nothing like an undead prom queen


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## yellow_moon (Apr 21, 2008)

Sorry for the delay! Any costume suggestions welcomed! I don't know if I'm willing to rip, tear, spray paint or destroy this dress yet...I know I probably won't wear it again but I spent so much on it I can't bring myself to abusing it...yet, if the right suggestion catches my fancy, I might have at it!


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## yellow_moon (Apr 21, 2008)

Bare with me, i tried to upload the pix into this forum but it didn't work...

here's the link:

dress.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


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## bethene (Feb 12, 2007)

yello moon, if it is red like the pciture looks, to me it looks like a vampiress dress. I can't see the top completely, but it would need some modifying,or maybe add a a cape, or short jacket/shrug kinda thing in red or black. gothic type jewlery, . Or possibly long black gloves. I think with the basic dress you can accessorize and add other accents, it would make a great vampiress dress, all red and black. There are many ways to go about it, depending on how much time and money you want to spend.


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## yellow_moon (Apr 21, 2008)

thanx bethene! I could probably put that together pretty easily with things I already own. Any other ideas just for the sake of options?


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## Gym Whourlfeld (Jan 22, 2003)

When I was looking at a wedding dress in secondhand store(operated by a church in an old church) The one little old lady behind the counter was giving me the most evil stares.
"I'm not a pervert! I own a haunted house!" I wanted to say, but I was 2 hrs. from home.
And the main real ghost in this haunted, haunted house happens to be a woman in a long white dress !


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

because of the way the dress has tucks, it reminded me for some reason of sleeping beauty. auroara. maybe a version of her waking after a 100 years and what she looked like then. maybe a jilted date gone mad. how about the song by helen reddy. poor old ruby redress mad and dancing in a room all alone. or delta dawn, with a flower pinned on and quite gone.


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## yellow_moon (Apr 21, 2008)

hallorenescene said:


> because of the way the dress has tucks, it reminded me for some reason of sleeping beauty. auroara. maybe a version of her waking after a 100 years and what she looked like then. maybe a jilted date gone mad. how about the song by helen reddy. poor old ruby redress mad and dancing in a room all alone. or delta dawn, with a flower pinned on and quite gone.


All great ideas, hallorenescene! Thanks everybody, now i got choices!


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## Muffy (Sep 25, 2006)

YM.....I agree with you as far as trying to decide if we want to tear or rip these dresses up. I'm using 3 of the bridesmaids dresses this season in my funeral parlor scene. These are the actual dresses from my wedding. I paid for these dresses so I ended up with them because these gals all lived out of town & flew in. None of them wanted the dresses after the wedding (they were fushia with ruffles...get my drift?) along with no room to pack them in their suitcases for the return trip home. I'm sure I'll use them next year too for something different.

As with the new wedding dress I bought for this scene also. I lied....(did I say that??lol) to my hubby when I said..."I'll leave the tags on this new dress and after Halloween I'll sell it on EBAY". Too LATE!! I'm already attached to it. Thing is I had every intention after this Halloween to make that tombstone with the mourning girl laying over the top of the stone & it says "Beloved" on the stone. Everybody that makes those covers them in monster mud. The longer this dress hangs in my office & looking at it everyday I'm not sure.....ok I'm sure I can't cover it with monster mud.....Perhaps this is a mans job as I think us gals have issues when it comes to tearing up or drowning in monster mud....these beautiful dresses!lol

So yes I'm with you on not tearing them up just yet!

the Muffster


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## Dr. Z (Nov 22, 2007)

Did you remove the picture Yellow Moon? I can't see it.


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## yellow_moon (Apr 21, 2008)

Dr. Z, I did remove it. Just for you...


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## Dr. Z (Nov 22, 2007)

Wow... Thanks a lot Yellow Moon, I'm very flattered 
Yes indeed it's very nice dress!


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## Skulkin (Jul 27, 2005)

At first, I saw lining for a cape, but that would require cutting. I think that some black lace material draped over the dress would give it a gothic/vampiress look. A veil of the same lace material would be great. 

One of my costumes has a full length veil that I made from a dollar store headband with lace fabric hot-glued to it. It freaks more people out than you would believe. The little kids aren't sure whats underneath and the parents aren't sure they want to know either. I go easy on the make-up and have a spider painted on so the kids don't go ballistic when I raise the veil.


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## yellow_moon (Apr 21, 2008)

Thanx for the suggestion Skulkin,

Does anyone think of 1800s early victorian era when they see this dress?

Or how could I make it fit that time period? I'm hosting a late 19th century (1842 to be exact) british mummy unwrapping theme for my party this year and even if I don't gore it all up to use for actual halloween, I would like to wear this dress for my party. *How many of you guys know what I'm talking about when I say halloween sometimes requires more than one costume for various occasions!

So I supose I could just create sleeves and attach to go along with the bottom as is. I'll have to get to a fabric store and make it up to look something like this....


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## Skulkin (Jul 27, 2005)

Multiple costumes? Yes, one of my co-workers at The Costume Shop and I have an agreement: We wear a different costume each day at work during the whole month of October. Somedays, it's very taxing to come up with something new to wear, but we both love it. (Everyone dresses up on Saturday.) We're talking about starting in September this year.

The Costume Shop - Boise, Idaho - Where the Fun Begins!


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

skulkin, awesome picture of you. thanks, i just printed it off and put it in my scrap book. 
yellow moon, i am not sure what you are asking now. are you saying you want to turn the red dress into one of the dresses above?


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## Muffy (Sep 25, 2006)

Hallor....what kind of scrapbook are you keeping?

Muf


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

on lined paper i have been trying to write a list of everyones names used. i file them alphabetically. i bought an acordian file, these go in the front. at first i was going to just do one picture if posted of each of the forum members. but some have put on a second picture where they are in costume and it is so awesome that i have filed those as well. i file them in alphabetical order so they're easy to find. no you're not there. post yours in members photos and you will be there. sometimes i get them from a post. like i got ish witch with her posing in front of her haunt. i ask to make sure who they are. i don't want to file the wrong face with the wrong name. it is fun to put the face with the name.


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## Muffy (Sep 25, 2006)

I just wondered because I would love to print out all my posts in here & put them in a Halloween scrapbook with all my halloween pictures. Then someday when I'm in the nursing home I can pull my Halloween scrapbooks out & relive all the fun memories that I've had with all the great haunters in here!!


I mean if I was in the nursing home.......what do you think they would say if I told them we won a coffin making contest!!!lol Probably would think I needed more meds!!

the Muffster


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

haunters in every crowd. maybe you'll be the ghoul they can relate to. 
i thought about doing all my posts as well, but 1000 posts, that's a lot of print outs. but that would make the scrapbook more fun. i have had a blast with some on this forum. that makes for some pretty memorable remembrances. hope thom doesn't read this post, he'll shread it.


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## yellow_moon (Apr 21, 2008)

hallorenescene said:


> yellow moon, i am not sure what you are asking now. are you saying you want to turn the red dress into one of the dresses above?



No, I was saying that I'm going to have multiple costumes this year and that I'm now going to be looking for a dress at a thrift shop or that I could possibly buy some fabric for and fashion a dress to look something like the above posted pics...the red dress I think I'll end up wearing for trick or treaters and just be a vampira...that's what i ment about multiple costumes....

your scrapbook idea's neat! don't have any pics of me to add cause i'm always taking them (photographer)


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

i know what you mean about the lack of pictures, i am usually the photographer. i like your multiple dress idea, and i love the yellow dress above. i think someone suggested a cape to go with the vampire dress, i think that would add. and have you thought about some form of maybe a necklace, earrings, hair piece?


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## Annea (Aug 14, 2004)

My 8 year duaghter wanted to wear he favorite dress for halloween (floor length medievel stlye in dark red) but it needed a tweek to make it scarier, so I made a floor length veil out of black tulle using a ribbon to attach to her hair. I worked really well


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

annea, that sounds like a very pretty dress and a nice added touch. bet your daughter looked awsome.
hey, nice avie. i take it that is a picture of you? have you checked out members photos in the members introduction area? you should post that picture, but larger. everyone will love it


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## MHooch (Jun 15, 2007)

I used a bridesmaids dress one year (unfortunately before I had a digital camera, and I don't have a scanner) and I DID rip it to shreds, well, more or less aged it, with rips and dirt and cobwebs, leaves and such. My husband was a confederate officer (dead, of course) and I was his 'belle', also dead. I wanted to look like I had been buried and was back. I also used the black veil idea, and hot glued spiders, leaves and cobwebs to the veil, which covered me from head to toe. It was a great costume. Wish I had a pic


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

mhooch, boy do we wish you had a picture too. it sounds ever so deadly cool. maybe even beats your witch costume. maybe


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## Malenkia (Sep 5, 2006)

I'm not sure if any of you have them by you, but here we have Goodwill and on Tuesdays it's $1.49 day. Anything with a certain colored tag (changes every week) is $1.49. I've found gorgeous formals, old prom dresses, vintage clothes and even a couple wedding dresses. I've got a rack out in my garage right now of ones I'm going to revamp into costumes to sell closer to Halloween. Normally I look for beaded things to turn into bellydance costumes, but last year I watched as all the college girls went nuts and spent tons on really badly made retail fairy costumes. So I think I'm going to try and tap that market this year myself and make some extra money to spend on new toys the day after Halloween.


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

sounds like a fun way to earn some after halloween dollars. throw some pictures our way of your triumps. they would be fun to see.


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## bethene (Feb 12, 2007)

Malenkia, I always thought about making costumes to sell, but never did, where would you sell them? E-bay? I don't know if our good will does the $1.49 thing or not, I don't think so, but on fridays they open up their ware house and everything is 50 cents, only problem is you could get killed trying to find something there, it is crazy , people fighting over things, man, I haven't been there in a while,


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## Malenkia (Sep 5, 2006)

I did sell on Ebay for a couple of years, mostly ren fair/SCA stuff. It was okay, but Ebay's gotten to be a huge hassle for sellers. Plus, I would put hours of work into them, some of them the only thing not historically accurate as that I used a machine and bought the fabric, and then not get back anywhere near what they were worth. It was very frustrating to see tings made from cheap materials and obviously constructed badly go for $100 and up and then see things that were done well and with good materials go for $50 and under. Granted, it wasn't all of them. There are some people that were doing the Ren Faire stuff that did BEAUTIFUL gowns that were getting what they deserved for them. It was all very inconsistant, you just could never depend on what was going to happen. I haven't sold on Ebay for a couple of years now, so I'm not sure if things have changed or not. I thought I would do the "store out of the garage" thing this year with the things I've revamped and then I'll make a few from scratch, too, in case someone is interested in something like that. Plus there's a great flea market near us that I may do a weekend or two at in early October, but there I think I'll just bring the kids' stuff (hittin' up that grandparent market *L*) and I've started doing some pet costumes, too. The stuff that's easy to transport. Other than that, my husband does computer stuff (software development, websites, ect.) and this winter I may have him put me together a website to sell on. I want to talk with our tax lady first though and see what I'm looking at from that angle.


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## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

wow bethene, we have goodwill here, but i want your prices. wedding dresses are $50.00 and formals are $10.00. once a week they have bag day. for $2.50 all the clothes you can stuff in a bag. but that does not include wedding dresses, formals, suits, or coats. the last friday of every month is 1/2 off day but that does not include the above. and yesterday was toy day, 1/2 off any toy. they run other specials as well through the month. they put out a calendar sheet that tells all the specials.


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## RBC (Mar 4, 2008)

Hey No Fair when I clicked the link it said No Image,lol

I wanted to see too ,


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## RBC (Mar 4, 2008)

Do-Do Do-Do , Do-Do Do D-Do insert Twlight zone music here: lol that is what they would say Muf lol


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## Valkryie (Sep 17, 2008)

Yellow Moon,
Even tho' you seem hesitant to "destroy" or cut up the dress, I thought I'd share how I recycled an old red bridesmaid's dress. 
I cut the thing in half vertically, then sewed half a white shirt and half a black vest to the top portion. I gathered up the bottom of the dress and sewed it into a big "leg," and added half a pair of men's trousers. (The men's clothing was from Goodwill.) It didn't take long and gave me a wonderful half man/half woman costume. I accessorized with a black top hat, one side decorated with Victorian-looking feathers and ribbons, the other with just a hatband. Half a fake mustache, a side burn and a "bushier" eyebrow completed the man side. I swept all my hair to the female side, curled it up and added make-up to that side of my face. It was inexpensive and looked pretty cool. The hardest part was finding a man shoe and a woman shoe of the same height! 
Oh, and I won first prize with it. That was like 10 years ago, but if I can find the photos, I'll post them.


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