Cautionary Women

Christina Ricci feeling her emotions as Wednesday Addams. Photo via Kiss Them Goodbye Creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky, Wednesday Friday Addams could very well be a vampire from Anne Rice's novels or a demon-child not unlike Damien Thorn. If you think so, you obviously haven't met the Addams family of mavericks. Wednesday is not any more inhuman than your roommate who has taken a penchant for all things goth and ghoulish. She is no little witch-in-training either; that kind of cachet at least goes to her Grandmama . But one way or the other, Wednesday is Halloween royalty. Nihilistic and eternally unsmiling, this girl can teach scary women a thing or two about looking the part.    Nicole Fugere as Wednesday. Via Snow of Summer Costume One reason why Wednesday Addams costumes are so popular on Halloween is their attainability. Wednesday always rocks this Amish schoolgirl-from-hell look, and as you may know, most things Amish take the DIY route. W...

Photo via Disney Screencaps Poor unfortunate soul you are not when it comes to getting an Ursula costume. The web is bursting with ready-made Ursula dresses  for the fishing. If you want to cross the bridge, my sweet, you've got to pay the toll; it doesn't cost much. ( Just your voice. ) Or use a little witchcraft and create a homemade Ursula costume instead. eHow will teach you how to make an Ursula costume , step by step. Worth checking too is Giddy Girlie's  own take on an Ursula dress . Also get inspiration from this gallery of DIY Ursula costumes , especially this winner . Accessorize with Ursula's trademark conch shell for necklace. Trident and eels are optional. Hair and Makeup Your favorite hairstylist can help you achieve Ursula's famous silver crop, albeit permanently. If you don't want your hair cut that short, much less bleached, simply tie your hair back, preferably down to a bun, and give the front some volume. With a fork  comb an...

For the Angelina Jolie version, go  here .  Wanting to be the Mistress of all Evil on Halloween is understandable. Maleficent is in and of itself pure nefariousness. She would frost flowers in Stefan's kingdom and doom his daughter just for the heck of it. No, she didn't really want that party invite, thank you very much. She merely used it as an excuse to exercise her ill will. In Disney's Sleeping Beauty , Maleficent taught the world how to gatecrash a party, Halloween or otherwise, in style. Going as her may be one of the best Halloween costume ideas ever, if you just know how:  1. Costume For a bit hefty price, you can have a Maleficent costume custom-made for you by cosplay designers. If you're on a smaller budget and in a hurry, you may avail of Maleficent costumes online at slashed prices , complete with headpieces already. Alternatively, there's the DIY route if you have enough time, creativity and energy to spare. Simply use a graduatio...

With the closing of the Harry Potter movie series in July, Bellatrix Lestrange has emerged as the woman to be for Halloween 2011. Who wouldn't want to be her? Witches are the empresses of Halloween. Wickedest of wicked witches, Bellatrix is not above placing Cruciatus hexes on you. Here's how to dress up as Bellatrix for Halloween: 1. Wand Get into character with a Harry Potter wand. Your Bellatrix getup is incomplete without it. Like its owner, Bellatrix's wand can be described as "unyielding." Her first and more iconic of two wands is curved and made of walnut, with dragon heartstring for core. You can make do with intricate  wand replicas . 2. Costume Bellatrix is often clad in a black dress with detached sleeves held on to the top by way of strings. A leather-looking corset also girths her. You can get a good bargain on ready-made Bellatrix costumes here .  But you'd be surprised how easy it is to DIY Bellatrix's costume using ol...

All Hallow's Eve is fast approaching. From now until the macabre occasion, Cautionary Women will give you tips and tricks on what is Halloween all about: dressing up! To start, let's try to get the look of Morticia Addams, one of the reigning queens of Halloween. Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams Now Morticia, the iconic matriarch of the Addams Family, is scarcely the evil woman pictured here at Cautionary Women. She is rather something of a paradox: scary-looking but kind (in the way she knows how), intimidating but approachable (again, in the way she knows how). She is just eerie, not evil. Carolyn Jones as Morticia Yet Morticia can give any superbly nefarious queen a run for her money. Whether on TV, film, or anywhere The Addams Family franchise is splayed, Morticia commands attention with her spine-tingling style. Sure she may be fundamentally good and all, but try running into her on a solitary road at night. Here's how to be Morticia Addams for...