A Were-Human/Mermaid, A Sea Witch in Disguise and a Prince
It’s a Little Mermaid DIY Costume Buying Guide! Because it’s a the spooky Halloween season there needs to be more costume content.
So it’s The Little Mermaid’s turn.
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Alligator Loki!
While Loki was a great show, a major highlight was Alligator Loki.
And sure you COULD dress up as Loki or Sylvie or Mobius, Miss Minutes or Kang the Conqueror or any character from the show,
Alligator Loki is too good and super easy to create a look for this Halloween.
First get an Alligator looking costume
You can get an Unisex Adult Dangerous Alligator Costume. Or a Dinosaur Adult Onesie would work. Or if you’re feeling very cheeky just get a “Pretend I’m An Alligator” T-Shirt . Which honestly could just be a wardrobe staple.
And the MOST Important Part
To make it a Loki Variant you need the trademark Loki horns otherwise you’re just an Alligator which is also cool but not as fun.
Honestly you could get the Loki horns and be whatever Loki Variant you wish. Sky is the limit on Loki Variants but Alligator Loki is so good and should be the costume of 2021.
Share this idea! Make Alligator Loki happen this Halloween and beyond.
Have Fun
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It’s Spooky Season
The time has come to start getting our Halloween plans in gear. For many costume-goers the go to Esmeralda costume for Halloween is the Disney version.
And that is great but diversity is the spice of life, so more Esmeralda costumes are needed. If I wear to dress-up as Esmeralda for Halloween I would go with the Gina Lollobrigida version of Esmeralda.
Why? Because while I love the Notre Dame de Paris green dress it doesn’t read as Halloween costume, Gina Lollobrigida’s costume does even if people don’t recognize it. Plus it’s more of a costume of Lollobrigida more than Esmeralda herself. Like when people don a pink strapless gown with a short blonde wig and wear some diamonds, are they dressing up as Lorelei from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes or are they dressing up as Marilyn Monroe???
So let’s just say you’re lazy or not the best at sewing what can you purchase to assemble to get a costume of Gina Lollobrigida’s Esmeralda? Here are the elements you will need. Don’t be afraid to cut them up to get a more authentic look to Gina’s costume. And should have some of this on-hand already? Lucky you, you’re one step closer to costumes and candy and an Esmeralda costume!
Wide V Neck Shirt
For the shirt, go for a red fitted shirt with a wide v-neckline. You can of of course cut a deeper v-neck and add some cuts to the sleeves for that tattered effect. For the more enterprising types, you get some fabric paint for the stitching details
Red Shirt option #1: Lock and Love Women’s Basic Slim Fitted Short Sleeve Casual V neck Cotton T shirt
Red Shirt option #2: Gildan Women’s V-Neck Double Needle T-Shirt, X-Large, Red
Red Shirt option #3: HOTOUCH Deep V Neck Tops for Women Sexy Low Cut Summer Ribbed Knit T Shirts Slim Fit Stretchy Basic Fashion Tee
Red Skirt
For the skirt make it long and red. If you can get one with a slit so much the better. Flowy Skirts for dancing is a major plus.
Red Skirt option #1: Vivicastle Women’s USA Sexy High Waisted Double Slits Open Knit Long Maxi Skirt
Red Skirt option #2: Womens Basic Foldable High Waist Regular and Plus Size Maxi Skirts
Red Skirt option #3: Maxi Skirts for Women Ankle Length Skirt Casual Long Skirt High Waisted Maxi Skirt Reg and Plus Size Skirt Long Skirt
Red Hip Scarf
For the hip scarf, try to go for a plain one. Of course if you want to go for the belly dancing ones with the coin go for it.
Red Hip Scarf option #1: Chiffon Cover up Swimwear Beach Sarong Pareo Canga Swimsuit Wrap
Red Hip Scarf option #2: SHU-SHI Womens Bathing Suit Cover Up Sarong Pareo Beach Skirt Short Sarong Wrap
Red Hip Scarf option #3: Ekouaer Women’s Short Sarongs Chiffon Cover Ups Sheer Bikini Wraps for Swimwear S-3XL
Belt
Ideally go for a thin brown belt with gold studs but any brown belt should work. You could always paint or stud the details yourself if you want.
Brown Belt option #1: uxcell Womens Leather Belt for Jeans Dress Pants Studded Grommet with Circle Metal Buckle
Brown Belt option #2: Skinny Dress Belt With Square Gold Studs
Brown Belt option #3: Womens Belt – CR Leather Belt Women Casual for Jeans Pants Dress – Belts with Gold Buckle for Women Fashion
Red Veil
A simple red scarf should work for Esmeralda’s red veil. Just bobby pin it in place.
Red Veil option #1: Elegant Large Silk Feel Solid Color Satin Square Scarf Wrap 35″
Jewelry
For the jewelry you will need gold coin earrings and lots of gold bangles with coin details. For the earrings two tiers are closer to the costume. You should be ok with any gold bracelets so along as they are not too detailed or have stones. You will want a few on each wrist.
Gold Earring option #1: RIAH FASHION Bohemian Chandelier Coin Dangle Earrings – Lightweight Filigree Disc Charm Tassel Ethnic Hoops
Gold Earring option #2: Bohemian Chandelier Earrings Coin Disc Tassel Dangle Filigree Earrings
Gold Earring option #3: DREMMY STUDIOS Gold Dainty Huggie Hoop Earrings 18K Gold Plated
Gold Bangles option #1: Flower Mixed Metal Aztec African Indian Vintage Multi Bangles Bracelets For Women Set of 36
Gold Bangles option #2: 2 Pcs Belly Dance Gold Triangle Bracelet Jewelry Coin Bracelet Wrist Hand Bracelet Bangle Rings for Halloween Costume
Other add-ons
The other things you can add is the knife prop and the glamorous 50s’s cat eye. You can also throw in a wig if you want. I couldn’t find a good enough knife/dagger on amazon. If I do I will add it.
Add-on option #2: WAVE&BREEZE Short Black Wigs with Bangs 14Inch Wavy Curly Bob Wig
Remember this all for fun. And have a safe & fun halloween.
I have become fascinated by the culture of youtube videos where people buy low quality products off of sites like Wish and Romwe just for the curiosity of what the low cost products are like in real life. It does seem that youtube is a sea of these types vicarious purchasing videos as evident by all the haul and product base review videos.
Now I have gotten at least two items from Romwe in the past and I hated them and I have no desire to get anything off of Wish but I want to play in this content sandbox too so I decided to see what Wish had to offer for Hunchback products.
Turns out it seems like to search through Wish you need to have an account, screw that. A cursory google search brought me to a $93 Esmeralda costume, which looks like a really good costume. Wish however is notorious for using other people’s images to sell the products so is this actuallly the costume someone would get in that mail? No, not very likely.
The same picture is used on Esmeralda costume on Aliexpress along with some other pictures of clearly different Esmeralda costumes. Also there are two different sellers on Aliexpress “selling” this particular costume.
After a bit more research I found this costume on eBay where I finally could read the watermark which reads “myshow26.” This is not a person but a cosplay company. They sell a lot on amazon.jp. The only myshow26 costume I could find on amazon.com was Ariel’s Blue dress. So while this product may not be the best quality at least the sellers did not steal someone’s cosplay picture to sell the product. It is in fact the product they are selling (in theory.)
Now for the record I don’t want to waste any money for curiosities of what this costume is actually like in person so I failed there but the culture of buying products for the sake of entertainment is very interesting to me.* The people on youtube buying these cheap products are making their money back on ad revenues, at least for the bigger channels, but it still stands that people are being entertained by someone else’s consumerism. And if I were to get a advance degree in sociology or even anthropology, I would love to study it more or just read reviewed articles on the subject for fun.
2024 edit – Entertainment based on consumerism is much less entertaining as it was since this post went up in 2018.
Disclaimer: I know very little to nothing about Medieval Fashion and even less about the Romani people. Also this post only focuses on Esmeralda and Fleur de Lys’ costumes.
Michelle Newell as Esmeralda The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1977
On first glance Esmeralda’s costume in this version sucks. It looks like something a Juliet would wear. It’s a pink overdress with a high waistline with a dark red and gold embroidered bodice. It’s layered over a chemise with bell sleeves and embroidered armbands. She wears bangles on both wrists and has pink ribbons in her hair. It also seems like she has another gold over layer around the bodice that has some streamer-like detail going done the skirt What is this costume?
Michelle Newell as Esmeralda
Well this could be one the worst contextually Esmeralda costumes or it could be one of the most accurate. Isn’t that a crazy thing to suggest?
Looking at art from the late 1400’s with Romani as the subject matter, they didn’t dress all that dissimilarly from White Europeans. They do seem to be wearing a cloth headdress which is exactly what we see in Caravaggio’s fortune teller painting and in Manfredi’s painting but not in Vouet’s fortune teller painting. What is in all these paintings that is in not in the earlier illustrations is the sari-like drape garment. So it would seem, at least me, that the blanket sari-like wrap was a garment worn by the Romani in the late 1500’s and not in the 1400’s. Could be wrong but given the art available, it points to that notion.
Michelle Newell as Esmeralda
Which bring us back to the 1977 version of Esmeralda and her Juliet-ish costume. A pervasive thought is that Romani were given clothing for fortuning or what not, so Esmeralda COULD have been given this dress in exchange for pleasing some noble for her dancing. Makes a certain level of sense.
Michelle Newell as Esmeralda
Comparing Esmeralda’s costume to Fleur de Lys’ costumes you may notice that Esmeralda’s dress has a different silhouette. Fleur’s costumes are more in keeping with the style of noble women in the 1480’s. The color for Fleur and Esmeralda’s costumes were inspired by the 1956 version of Hunchback; a red tone for Esmeralda and blues for Fleur, someday we’re going to discuss the topic of Esmeralda wearing red again, because I have more to say on that subject.
Hetty Baynes as Fleur de Lys
Since we’re on the topic, all Fleur’s costumes are all very beautiful in this version. She gets the fur trim and the hennin which all things that were in style for a lady of her standing in the 1480’s.
Michelle Newell as Esmeralda
Esmeralda’s costume looks a bit more like the style from the 1450’s which had a higher waist line but was that costume designer Dorothea Wallace’s intent? Was Wallace’s aim to emulate a style from the 1450’s suggesting that Esmeralda was gifted her dress? Or is there something else operating here? Something Groovy???
Dior pattern from 1977
Like every single period movie ever, costume design is more of a reflection of the time in which the movie is made rather than historical accuracy. It’s a truth! In the 1977 version while there is a historical silhouette that looks like Esmeralda’s movie costume, the silhouette was in vogue in the 1970’s especially with long gowns. High-waisted empire waistlines were not super popular in the late 1970’s but you did see it. Also the dull muted pink color of Esmeralda’s dress was in keeping with the muted earth tones that dominated 70’s fashion. Whereas Fleur’s costumes are light and bright in color I.E not as trendy for the decade. See another example here
Michelle Newell as Esmeralda
Does this mean anything? In my non-expert expert opinion, I think this means the costume of Esmeralda is trying to endear the audience to Esmeralda as her costume is aesthetic pleasing to the times and Fleur de Lys’ costumes are not as trendy. Meaning the costumes are showcasing the lovable tragic heroine and the cruel rich bitch.
Michelle Newell as Esmeralda
So while Esmeralda’s costume is a 1970’s take on Medieval style and Fleurs’ costumes are a little bit more in keeping with medieval sensibilities but are the costumes in the 1977 version good? For the most part they are good.As earlier started Fleur de Lys costumes are all lovely but Esmeralda’s costume doesn’t seem correct. This actually could be less of the fault of the costume and more with the casting. Michelle Newell is not a great casting pick for Esmeralda. This costume does showcase a sweeter Esmeralda that had not been seen since 1923 but it just doesn’t really work with the character or the attitude of the actress.
Michelle Newell as Esmeralda
Esmeralda’s costume could have read as more accurate depiction of what a young Romani woman could have worn in the 1480’s, the reality is that her costume was just made with the 1970’s fashion aesthetics in mind.
Here are some gowns from the 2018 Academy Award Red Carpet that are are vaguely reminiscent of the costumes of Esmeralda and Fleur de Lys. There was a dire of gowns that were like anything that Esmeralda or Fleur de Lys were in any version, so I had to kinda broaden the scope of similar elements.
Esmeralda
Salma Hayek in Gucci, Oscars 2018
Of course Salma Hayek has a advantage for being reminiscent of Esmeralda because she played Esmeralda in the 1997 version but that is not why this Gucci gown is here. First the color, the light purple is one point with Disney’s Esmeralda main costume but there is also the tier layers which also invokes the Disney costume.
Laura Dern in Calvin Klein, Oscars 2018
I suppose I’m predisposed to be reminded of Esmeralda’s prisoner costume for Notre Dame de Paris anytime I see a white sheath dress with flutter sleeves and an emphasized neckline. This gown by Calvin Klein worn by Laura Dern would fit in well on stage for a Notre Dame de Paris production. The asymmetry of the sleeves also echoes the sleeves in Esmeralda’s green costume.
Leslie Mann in Zac Posen, Oscars 2018
So now you have to broaden the scope a little. While this gown by Zac Posen worn by Leslie Mann doesn’t completely shout Esmeralda there is something about that harkens back to Disney’s Esmeralda’s red dress. Of course the color helps but it’s the overlay and the fluidity of the layers that make it similar to Esmeralda’s costume.
Zoey Deutch in Elie Saab, Oscars 2018
This gown by Elie Saab and worn by Zoey Deutch doesn’t really reflect any costume of Esmeralda’s but there is something to the tiers and the embellishments that makes it elegant and bohemian that you could see it applied to an Esmeralda costume.
Fleur de Lys
Viola Davis in Michael Kors, Oscars 2018
This gown by Michael Kors and worn by Viola Davis just screams Fleur de Lys’ Notre Dame de Paris costume. It’s nearly on the money from the color to the silhouette to the use of sequin, even though Fleur de Lys’ costume has beading sometimes. If this gown was used in a production it would fit in so well amongst the other versions of the costume, even without the odd hemline.
Mirai Nagasu in Tadashi Shoji Oscars 2018
I guess I have the 1977 version of my mind so this gown worn by Mirai Nagasu by Tadashi Shoji has a lot of similarities to the costumes Fleur de Lys wears in that version. For starters the color, that soft light blue was in all of the 1977 Fleur’s costume aside from her wedding gown. The deep v-neckline and the long sleeves are reminders to Fleur’s costume aswell.
Emily Blunt in Schiaprelli, Oscars 2018
Again broaden the scope. This gown by Schiaprelli worn by Emily Blunt doesn’t really communicate a Fleur de Lys costume. There is however something about soft gray-blue color with its soft and prim feeling with a hit of edge that echoes Fleur de Lys’ character.
I found two gowns wore at the 2018 Grammy Awards that I would consider to be Esmeralda-ish in style.
Camila Cabello in Vivienne Westwood Couture with a Judith Leiber Couture bag at the 2018 Grammy Awards
This Vivienne Westwood gown wore by Camila Cabello is more in keeping with the red costume from the 1956 version. Of course the color but the lines on the gown and deep neckline harken back to Gina Lollobrigida iconic costume.
Kimberly Schlapman in Raisa & Vanessa at the 2018 Grammy Awards
This gown but Raisa & Vanessa wore by Kimberly Schlapman as very similar elements to Disney’s Esmeralda costume. First off the color, while lighter does hint to Esmeralda. The other elements are the vertical seam details on the bodice and the tiers of the skirt.
Given that the 2017 Live Action Disney Remake was just nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costumes, I thought it would be a good time to discuss at least the Belle’s iconic yellow ball gown.
Coming off Cinderella’s ball gown from the 2015 Cinderella designed by Sandy Powell, my first impression of Jacqueline Durran’s take on Belle’s gown was lackluster. Personally I find Durran’s work to be hit or miss, she did costumes for that Anna Karenina movie with Keira Knightley but that green gown from Atonement was amazing. She is a very capable costume designer who does deserves her accolades but this yellow gown miss the mark in a few fronts.
Let’s get some positives out of the way since there are a few. After reading a few interviews with Durran, I can say that the color of the gown was well thought out. Yellow is a very tricky color for people to pull off, it can also look terrible on film and can very easily look cheap. The color did work well for Emma Watson and looked nice on film. Personally I just wish it has some other level of contrast to make it look less sweet and a little more grown up but that is a personal nitpick.
Another positive is the movement of the fabric. The gown just moves so well in the scene. I read somewhere that the gown was made from sustainable fabrics which is great on its own but the movement of the gown is stunning and it my favorite part.
And now the some negatives.
One BIG issue is that while this is a magical gown in that within the narrative it was created with magic it’s still rooted in the movie’s setting and own sense of style. Durran did mention that while the gown was created for Watson’s modern Belle, she still kept into within the French 18th century style. The problem is that in that first scene everyone is in costume that look like French Rocco style. The wardrobe herself knows this style and then operation against it for Belle’s gown. I suppose the trouble is the merging of the 1991 iconic design with the semi-real style that the 2017 movie was trying to achive.
In the 2015 Cinderella, it didn’t operate in a “real world” setting, there was a pseudo 1950’s design to the costumes so everything looked integrated into a cohesive look. Belle’s ball gown is not integrated into movie’s larger style as it’s only looked to have a modern sensibility.
However you know what COULD have pulled the modernity and the Rocco style together? Belle’s jewelry. Durran had freehand to whatever since Belle only has basic stud earrings and a hair piece in the 1991 version. The jewelry that Belle wears is way too modern. The hair piece was fine with it’s feather motif but the other elements while lovely on their own did not work in the film. She has ear cuffs and this organic branch-like shape pendent necklace.
When I first saw the jewelry in the film it took me out of the movie. According to interviews the thought behind the ear-cuff and the necklace was keep it organic. The cuff was like a plant that was still growing and the necklace was a “tree of life that is still in motion” * It was all meant to echo the design of magical castle.
I’m not without knowledge of the creative process, most of the time you get into head space with an idea or concept and you just run with it. In this case it sounds like they had their idea to base the jewelry on the castle and didn’t relate the design back to the rococo setting even though the castle has that aesthetic. Typically Rococo is very organic and botany was a favorite source of inspiration during this period. The point is the jewelry didn’t have to look so late 2000s in design and execution, they could have looked to period the film was set in into giving the costume more 18th century influence while still giving it a sense of otherworldly magical modernity.
Unfortunately Belle’s yellow gown missed the mark for the style of the movie and the impact it made on screen. It’s just one of the many misses that this movie had in totality.
*Hollywoodreporter.com/news/beauty-beast-costume-designer
For more of Jewelry Art History;
A History of Jewellery 1100-1870
With the new production in Paris of Notre Dame de Paris there has been updates to the costumes. These changes range from fairly minor to a near complete overall, though still in the spirit of the original designs. This also marks the first time the costumes have really been altered aside from minor variations in Esmeralda’s and Fleur-de-Lys’ costumes and of course the Italian version. So let’s start with Esmeralda’s main costume in the 2016/2017 production.
Helene Segara as Esmeralda from Notre Dame de Paris
It seems like the evolution of the costume has some full-circle in some ways. As you had the first generation of the green dress, which if you recall was made from a patterned velvet that was sewn to give it a patchworked look and sported asymmetrical sleeves. The caveat with costume is it didn’t move to showcase Esmeralda as a dancer. Though to be fair, the original production didn’t have Esmeralda dancing as much as subsequent versions.
Lola Ponce as Esmeralda Notre Dame de Paris
Italian version has been the only version to really deviate from the original style. The Italian version uses a lighter fabric and the pattern is made from lace though it it keeps the patchwork like pattern. The silhouette was the same of the original.
Hiba Tawaji as Esmeralda
Now in 2016, the production seems to have gotten the movement memo and has created an Esmeralda costume that has the basic elements of the original and the movement of the Italian version but it’s all together very different.
Just a bit of background, I first saw this dress at like 2am one night after a few too many weird videos on youtube (more on that next week) and my powers of critical thinking were out. I had no idea how to feel about this new design and to be honest I still don’t. Parts of it I like and other parts I’m confused by.
To be clear this dress is lovely to watch. It’s prettier in motion and I do applaud the production the innovation in changing things up. I for one was getting tired of the newer versions of the costume, with the higher hems and less embellishments. They just didn’t look visually pleasing.
Hiba Tawaji as Esmeralda & Jay as Clopin
Ok, so the actual dress, there is A LOT going on with this costume. First it does hit all the basic components of the original with the color, neckline, basic silhouette, sleeves and slit. Thank you for getting the slit right, looks way better on an actual seam. Honestly, I’m not sure what the first you notice about this costume is but for me it was the pattern or lack of one. They just nixed the pattern or any attempt at mimicking one. There is a little ombre as it’s a darker green on the bodice and a lighter green on the bottom. The patchwork pattern is now done with seams along the bodice and speaking of these seams they do an interesting asymmetrical overlay over one breast. This fabric overlay starts over the breast on one side goes around the back and ends under the breast on the other side of the bodice. This overlay is where a lot of the costume’s movement comes from and where the sparkly embellishments live. Instead of having sequins or beads sewn on the dress this version has them in the overlay. I can’t really tell if it’s an insert or a lining. It also matches very closely do it’s harder to see. There also COULD be some sparkle elements on the dress itself but it hard to really tell. There is also ANOTHER overlay at the seam at her waist.
But wait, there is more. All the edges of the costume are very much ragged. This is of course done on purpose to make Esmeralda look more like she lives on the streets. Most of the other versions did this element to an extent but the 2016/2017 version has the edges look more frayed and distressed.
Hiba Tawaji as Esmeralda singing Vivre
Then there are the sleeves. There HAS to be two different versions of the costume because one has shorter, more distressed sleeves and the other has longer less distressed sleeves. The shorter one reaches, at the longest, mid upper arm, just above the elbow. The shorter version also has three layer of fabric. The longer one reaches just past her elbows with no layering. Another theory is that the sleeves were hemmed after the preview of the show as in the picture Esmeralda shouldn’t be wearing the green dress during Vivre.
Hiba Tawaji as Esmeralda
That really should bring us to the prisoner costume but I found so very little pictures of it so I will have to hold off on complaining about it but I what I can make out is it seems to have an A-line silhouette and looks to made of a lacey burlap.
Hiba Tawaji as Esmeralda
I just find that bodice overlay really baffling from a design stand-point. It took me a while to figure it out and while in motion I understand it, in pictures it just looks weird and somewhat awkward. I guess it was a good compromise in adding movement while holding true to the original but it just a weird mix-bag for me. I don’t hate, I’m just not sure I like it. I really don’t know how to feel.
But what do you guys think of this costume? Like it? Hate it? No opinion? Like the disney costume better?
Djali and Clopin are great ideas to pair with an Esmeralda costume to make a couple costume duo.
Djali Costume options
For Djali there are two methods, one is get a white goat costume
or you can get a goat mask and pair it with is white clothing. I would suggest getting clothes made from fleece for the texture but you can use whatever you have in your closet.
However the most important thing to do to turn this costume from a boring goat to talented Djlai is cutting a hole in the ear of either the mask or costume and putting a gold earring though.
Clopin costume option
Disney’s Clopin is harder to buy items for given that his clothes are two tone but fear not you can get an approximation of this costume. You’ll need yellow pants or better yet leggings, a purple shirt, long or short sleeves though long is better. You’ll also need a yellow cape or shawl or poncho. If you’re the crafty type you can sew some bell to the hem. In addition you’ll need a few accessories, like a gold earring (see above,) a purple venetian mask, a hat, and black gloves. The hat is a little tricky as purple renaissance hats are not in a ready supply but I tried to give some options of hats that could work.
Pants
Cape
Mask
Hat
near shape of Clopin’s Hat with a feather
Jester hat with the right colors
Gloves
If you want a ready-made-costume, this one is close, just add a gold hoop earring, the mask, a hat and black gloves.