How to dress like Lily Munster

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 a tight bodice, full ankle-length skirt, and a heavily exposed neckline.

The Hair and Makeup

It's easy to spot who's in charge at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Lily wears her hair black and long, with just enough white streaks to tell you she's centuries old. Extensions might do the trick (or treat).

For some reason, Lily was introduced with green skin in the series, aligning her with Universal's heritage of 1930s monster movies which included Bride of Frankenstein. In that movie, the title character wears an iconic streaked bouffant that has become a Halloween staple in its own right.

If the green Lily Munster is more to your taste, here are some good makeup tutorials to follow:

But if you're cool with the pale, vampiric Lily Munster, beat your mug this way:

Then take a good long look at the mirror. Your hair will turn white at such a scene, because every evening is Halloween at The Munsters.

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