Happy Halloween!

rosie the riveter halloween, rosie the riveter diy costume

20121030-202313.jpgHappy Halloween, friends! I dressed up and celebrated on Saturday, but I saved these photos to share with you on the official holiday.

All my U.S. readers probably recognize this costume as Rosie the Riveter, but if you’re not familiar with this WWII-era icon, you can read about her here. Let me just say, this was probably the most comfortable Halloween costume I’ve ever worn. And it’s awesome because it takes very little effort to get a great result. So if you have a last-minute Halloween party to go to tonight, or you want to dress up to greet trick-or-treaters, here’s how to make a Rosie the Riveter costume:

  • You need a chambray or other blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up above your elbows.
  • The bottom half is less important. I just wore jeans and brown flat boots. Anything that looks like you could wear it to work in a factory is good.
  • Obviously, you need the iconic red bandana. You can get those anywhere like Target or Wal-Mart, or in a pinch you could cut a big square out of any red fabric (like an old t-shirt). Pin most of your hair against your head so it’s covered, and just leave a little pouf of bangs sticking out at the front. Knot the bandana right on top of your head and then tuck the point under the knot.
  • If you have lighter hair like I do and you want to look more like the poster Rosie, just brush some brown mascara on your roots in the front. I also used the mascara to darken my eyebrows.
  • Conveniently this “factory worker” looks super glamorous in the face, so I put on a little extra makeup: mainly blush to define my cheekbones, dark eyeliner, and red lipstick. Nobody hates looking pretty.
  • As an extra touch, I made a “We Can Do It!” button just in case anyone wasn’t sure who I was supposed to be. I already had this DIY button from a former costume, but you don’t even need a real button. Any sturdy paper and a safety pin will do the trick.

Voila! And if you already have a costume, you can always bookmark this one for next year.

So what did everyone else do for Halloween?! I hope there was candy involved.

Comfy Cozy

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I try not to walk out of the house looking like a box of free crayons from Applebee’s, but sometimes it just happens. I decided I’m OK with it, especially when it’s cute and cozy like this outfit.

I wore this Saturday to class and then to dinner with friends before I changed into my Halloween costume for the night (but you don’t get to see that until tomorrow).

On another note, I hope all of you on the east coast kept safe during the storm yesterday. Mother Nature is a moody bitch sometimes. If you know anyone who was in the path of Sandy, be sure to call and check on them! And if you’re feeling charitable, you can donate to the Red Cross here.

Turtleneck: Target, old

Puffer vest: Forever 21, old (similar)

Scarf: Target, old (similar)

Jeans: LOFT (similar)

Boots: Target

Watch: Anne Klein (similar)