This year, I suppose, seasonal parties will be awash in Balloon Boys, Michael Jacksons, zombies, and Amy Winehouses (or was she last year? I think she was). While twenty years ago or so there were at least a lot of Michael Jacksons and zombies, my own favorite costume dates from a fateful, fabulous costume ball of that era at which my pal The Professor (at the time, I suppose, only The Aspiring Grad Student) and I went as Raisa and Nancy.I wore a sensible vintage suit with a fur hat; he wore a red velvet swing coat that parted to reveal a tasteful hospital gown (this was right about the time of the first lady's mastectomy - classy, huh? Oh, yes, of course he had a pair of strategically placed crossed bandaids, too). He topped his look with his every-year ratty frosted wig that had first appeared sometime around 1982 when he was a Flo-like slutty waitress (The AH pretty much specialized in what we locally referred to as "booger drag"; I tried for something more glam, but usually ended up looking like an Avon lady). My own hair, under the mink, was abundant enough at the time that it could be blown out into a reasonable approximation of the Russian bob-shag crossover. We each carried a little flag with which we sparred on cue, sometimes causing the bottle of vodka to fall out of my pocketbook.
Okay, subtle it wasn't, but we had a hell of a time. This year, if I had the chance and if it weren't so full of potential for offense, I'd be tempted to once again pick up the first lady theme and go as the remarkable Mme. Chantal. We're actually going to a Hallowe'en party, but have a feeling that Mr. Muscato and I will eschew the outrageous and just dive into our stock of ethnic clothes from places we've lived. And you - any plans?
Oh how I would love to be La Chantal, but I'm afraid no one would get it. Speaking of, have you seen this shot? Poor Carla looks terrified.
ReplyDeletehttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3W4UvWscwnA/SNw_IYdg2MI/AAAAAAAAA9k/8_IHDajl2M4/s1600-h/chatalbiya.jpg
Oh, but if my hair were only *half* as luxurious as Mme Chantal's!
ReplyDeleteOne fourth!
But seriously, that picture up there is scarier than most I've seen this halloween season.
Kudos to you, Muscato, on the Nancy/Raisa effort. The band aids - a touch of genius. A complete triumph in my book.
ReplyDeleteOur last effort on the tasteless current events costume front was a post-mauling Sigfreid & Roy in 2003. A smashing (if much duplicated) success and probably my last reason for squeezing into silver, glittery, skin tight jazz pants
This Halloween, Ed and I are going to our first bar mitzvah. It has a rock and roll theme (Rock out with Alex!). When I first received the invitation and saw the Oct 31st date, I assumed it would be a costume party and was busy planning our appearance as The Indigo Girls.
I was crushed to find out that it was not a costume fete and that we were expected to be in dressy/sophisticated club wear. My clubbing days behind me, I am, like my hair, at a near complete loss.
Dressing like a loose, liberal, relaxed, rocker Lesbian would be so much easier for me to pull off convincingly.
I'm going to launder and wear what I have on today. I'm going as a middleaged homosexual.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Felix; when queried at the office why I wasn't in costume, my only thought was: "I'm wearing a wool suit and a tight necktie in a place where it's 95 degrees. I've done drag in six-inch heels that was more comfortable than this." What I said was: "I'm dressed as the person who writes your performance evaluation and who hates personal questions. Got any more?"
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm a bitch. Maybe that was my costume.