The enduring legacy of homemade gypsy costumes stands out from that of any other popular Halloween costume. The costume, mostly for women and young girls, is easy to make and relatively cheap. The costume is very appealing up to today. Whether you spend a few minutes on it or lots of time, the costume will still look appealing and mystically exotic. The essence is in creative appeal, for fun rather than for fashion.
Halloween costumes owe their genesis to a traditionally custom in which the living disguised themselves in such apparel as would ‘trick’ the dead into thinking that you were also among them. That way, you stood a chance of surviving until morning. After a while though, people then started to design their costumes in a way that scared their fellows to the maximum. The Gypsies were always regarded as strange and dangerous people all across America and Europe, with a claim that they lived on the other side of the law, always. Therefore, when people wanted to scare their fellows with a home made costume, it was fitting to dress like the ‘dangerous gipsies’.
Rarely did a family spend money on purchasing costumes. What was available is what was used to design a handmade costume. Ghost costumes could be made from worn-out bed sheets for the dresses and a black hat and shawl to complete the unusual wear.
Today, a gypsy costume could mix and match very bright colors for a skirt and shawls. The most popular skirt for young girls is a patchwork of many distinctly colored stripes sewn together. This would be worn with a low-cut blouse like you would find at a Renaissance Faire. For teens though, the skirt is worn with a loose fitting ruffled blouse. Some mystic makeup and a back headscarf are thrown in, with several bangles to transform a woman or a girl into a Gypsy.
Tags: Halloween costume, homemade gypsy costumes, mystically exotic
Posted in Costumes
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