Cautionary Women

Your favorite decapitator from 1951's Alice in Wonderland is an easy character to play, if you just read a lot of news about fascist leaders worldwide and put your Alice levels of craftiness and imagination to use.  The petulant despot was supposedly inspired by gossip columnist Louella Parsons, reportedly said Walt Disney in an interview with Parsons' rival Hedda Hopper.  Louella Parsons, pictured here in 1937, was called the Queen of Hollywood Gossip How to make the Queen of Hearts costume There are five sewing patterns needed for this costume if you plan on creating it from scratch, according to  K.A : collar, bodice, neckline, sleeves, and skirt. If you somehow just want to purchase the skirt, make sure to go for the  hoop skirt , which has that bell shape.  A good seamstress? You can try this sewing pattern for hoop skirts  or you can follow this clip. Be inventive with the crown (your beer can will do) and the paddle (which can be created with craft f...

After all is said and done, Yzma is the power behind the throne in 2000's The Emperor's New Groove. Her methods may be egregious, her plans devious, but we can't deny she is the Incan equivalent of the unsung worker in the office, forever hindered by the glass ceiling.  Anyway, here's how you can be a skinny legend like Empress Yzma for your next costume party (fingers crossed after the pandemic).  How to make Yzma's headpiece and costume Yzma may look like the 21st century equivalent of Cruella de Vil but she is actually hand-drawn like real-life Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac. Yzma is one of those rare animated Disney villains who dare to undergo several costume changes, true to the songstress who had an array of outrageous outfits.  Just as big as Yzma's lust for power is her skyscraping feather-like headpiece. Believe it or not, you can make this by using bendable hanger wires, nylon tights, and a cloche hat . Or a poster board and dowel rod .  A purple collar ...

Sick of all the Morticia Addams at your costume party? Then channel her TV rival instead: the beguiling Lily Munster.  Although The Munsters have been accused of copying The Addams Family (the former literally premiered the week after the latter), Lily is a character all her own. The matriarch of The Munsters was born after producers thought Phoebe Munster, Herman's spouse in the pilot episode, resembled Morticia too much.  The Costume It helped calm down comparisons that Lily slinked around in a pink gown instead of the gothic garb for which Morticia is known. (Find the right size here .)  Another feature telling Lily apart from Morticia is a medallion shaped like a bat , announcing that not only is she a vamp but also literally a vampire with ties to Dracula. Yvonne de Carlo played Lily Munster from 1964 to 1966 More a seamstress than a vampiress? Perhaps you can sew some white sheer sleeves and black ribbons onto a pink gown that you already have, preferably one with ...

With its signature masks, Mortal Kombat has regained relevance in the age of Miss Rona. It's even getting the reboot treatment this year.  Halloween may not be a thing again any time soon, as 2020 proved, but for anyone who wants to unmask their inner Sindel, now is a better time than any to play dress-up in the comfort of your quarantine quarters.  To those who have been with the video game franchise since Mortal Kombat 3, the Queen of Edenia needs no introduction. She is as rotten to the core (see Mortal Kombat 11 for the full, retconned story) as her daughter Princess Kitana is heroic.  Okay, time for Round 1 of your Sindel makeover. With a little bit of imagination, you can get away with turning your purple bathing suit into a DIY masterpiece fit for a Scream Queen. Cover the swimsuit straps with a sleeveless vest ; cut so that the hemline goes all the way to your mid-chest and let the lapels, lined with white cloth, serve as some type of stand-up collar.  The...