Costumes! Costumes! Costumes!

July 4 and a hint of Halloween yet to come.  It’s nearing the Fourth of July, replete with the parades and BBQ’s and other festivities, BUT Halloween and the need to consider your Halloween costume is closing in on you.

Most costume shops have an array of Independence Day costumes such as Uncle Sam costumes, the Spirit of 76 costumes (you know, the one where there is an old man and a young lad playing drums on either side of the gentleman playing a fife?  Oh, the flagbearer is actually hidden behind the drummers and fifer, in case you wondered).

These costumes can be used for Halloween as well if you opt to do a patriotic themed Halloween costume party; but sexy or scary seems to be more in vogue for Halloween.

Want to start early?  Just look at the Catagories in the right column and check out out Halloween suggestion from this past year.  The further you go back in this catagory, the more suggestions you will get.

Ladies Period Costumes and Apparel – SURVEY

Is there any interest in having a woman’s costume made that would replicate a period in history?  Just a survey.

Our business (and this site) is devoted to providing information as it relates to costuming, after having had a brick and mortar business for 129 years.  Yet…

At one time we produced women’s dresses and men’s pants and shirts from the 1840’s for our state’s historical society.

Though almost retired, I’m still a costumer at heart and am interested in at least investigating the possibility of re-entering the business as a custom (not to be confused with costume) manufacturer of women’s period apparel.

But is there a need?  Is there an interest?  

No commitment on your part, just trying to see if there is a market.  A simple Yes or No would be sufficient.  Just comment (Y or N) below.

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People really don’t look at each other, at least in casual situations like dealing with a cashier at Walmart,  or being robbed at a bank.  They look up or down or away from the one they are talking to and never ‘study’ their faces.  If they looked/stared as intently as a pair of lovers, they might actually see something.

I suspect, that if people would look reasonably closely at these faces / masks, they would detect them for what they are…masks.

With photos, videos, and on stage (lighting and distance), one can get away with more than looking someone eyeball to eyeball.  If someone is that close, it seems like it would be impossible not to know it is a mask.

I have to assume that the colorations and texture of the masks closely resembles human skin; but it’s not the look as much as it is the fit at certain points.  The eyes, lips, nostrils, ears.

I have to further assume that the masks are made so snugly as to allow the m muscle movement of the skin to cause movement of the mask.  And that they are long enough to cover at least a portion of one’s chest and back.

The main premise of all this is that a mask adds a layer of ‘skin’ to a human face.  The thickness of that layer will determine how easy it is to detect whether it is s mask or not.

The first thing I would look at would be the eyes.  To get a mask that would fit that closely around the eyes would probably be uncomfortable to wear, but the eye blending into the thin latex covering over the skin would be probably detectible.

An old mans ears continue to grow well into old age, and are larger than a younger persons on average.  If an old man were to wear a mask over his already enlarged ears, then the ear par of the mask would make them appear even larger.

Wearing glasses, the line of the glasses frames back to the ear should be nearly parallel to the floor, and not elevated up at an angle to the ear.  If the angle is upward, then probably the masks ears are larger to cover the wearers ears, thus causing the glass to be a bit atilt.

On the good quality masks, the mouth will move with the mouth of the wearer; BUT the mouth / lips of these better masks do not form words.  It might look a little like lip synching.  The wearers teeth will set back ever so slightly depending on the thickness, and some part of the skin might be noticeable and the corners of the mouth.

So is the Geezer wearing a mask?  In the pic, I see that the glasses frames seem to be aligned and that his ears don’t seem to be enlarged.  But because of not being able to see teeth at the forefront of his face, and that his expression in other photos seems to be similar, I would guess this to be a mask.  Hmmmm….wonder if the FBI would send me a couple of more detailed pics?  Preferably one where I could see if he had nasal hair. LOL

Being nearly retired, I, when asked about living on a fixed income, kiddingly say that I have a gun and a ski mask in my car and make an occasional withdrawal from the local bank when I need a little extra cash.

But there is an old man known as the ‘Geezer Bandit’, who isn’t kidding as he robs bank after bank in California.  But is he really an old man, or a younger man wearing an elaborate mask?  

In the main, the quality of rubber/latex masks found in Halloween shops has deteriorated over the years; but there are a couple of companies manufacturing high quality masks that are good enough to fool the general public.  And for several hundred dollars, they had better be better than good, they better be  great quality masks. 

In the early and mid 1950’s Don Post Studios made the most realistic, albeit monster type, masks that I ever saw.  Movie quality to be sure.   I doubt that the scary Post ‘Phantom of the Opera’ or ‘Werewolf’ masks would have been so disarming.  

 On the realistic masks, the fit is tight enough so that the mask moves in conjunction with the muscles of the face and the mouth opens and closes when the person wearing the mask speaks.  How can you tell if it’s a face or a mask? 

Come back in a few days and all will be revealed.  

This is a blatant pitch to sell something. As a result of overbuying a quantity of Aunt Lydia’s Rug Yarn for a manufacturing project, we are now in possession of ‘a little less than’ 2 gross skeins (288) of color Red 0120. If there is a little old lady out there who is making one huge shawl, this might be just the thing for you. FYI, Aunt Lydia’s Rug Yarn has been discontinued and is no longer available except in smaller quantities on eBay. If you have any interest, please contact us at: russkampmann@gmail.com

 Celastic. If you don’t know what ‘celastic’ is, we have a series of videos on how to construct cartoon heads with it. (see ‘Celastic’ under ‘Catagories by Subject’ in the right column. In any event, we have a little of this to sell as well. The term ‘celastic is being used generically in this frame of reference, but the product we have has the same properties (more or less).

Pricing on request!

Halloween and the Iffy Economy

A report out yesterday (September 30, 2009) paints a bleak picture for Halloween costumers and their customers.

The costume industry is expected to see sales fall by 20+ percent in some age groups.  Halloween haunted houses, Halloween candy and decorations and other Halloween products are also expected to see a decrease in spending. 

It’s all about YOU!  And how much you will be able to reasonably afford this Halloween season!  Some of you are gainfully employed and won’t be affected; but there are many of you who are working part-time or are between jobs.  For those of you in those circumstances, you might consider the possibility of doing it yourself; or wearing masks, makeup, or accessorizing. 

Creativity might be the keyword this Halloween season; and we will be discussing some options with you over the next few weeks.

This will be the last less-than-pleasant posting on this site for awhile.

Tomorrow (October 2, 2009) we will continue with some ideas of what to wear for your Halloween party later this month.