Black & White TV Housewife Costume
by Jaime
(Providence, RI)
Black & White TV Housewife Costume
I wanted to look like I walked right out of a black and white tv show.
I started with the apron. I dyed fabric and lace different shades of grey using watercolors (That's what I had on hand). I used fabric glue to stick everything together. I added things like felt flowers and pearls to give the apron more detail. I bought a dark grey cardigan and a black and white checkered shirt which I paired with a 50's style black skirt. I wore some oversized pearl necklaces and earrings which I found at a department store.
My gloves were purchased for $6 at an antique shop. I wore opaque white nylons underneath sheer grey nylon, which made my legs look the right shade of grey. My shoes were modest black heels.
The makeup was a combination of white, black and silver cream makeup which I applied to my face, neck, ears, chest and wrists. I used grey eye shadow to contour my eyes, along with some black liquid liner. I applied silver eye shadow on my cheeks to look like blush. I also wore grey contact lenses which were a free sample from my eye doctor!
My hair was curled using foam rollers and sprayed with black and silver hairspray to get the desired color. The finishing touch was my plate of cookies which was made using real chocolate chip cookies which I baked myself and painted grey by hand (the texture didn't look right with clay). I hot glued the cookies to a doily and then onto a black plate. I placed velcro to the back of the plate and on my glove so that I didn't actually have to hold the cookies all night.
I wore it on the city bus, to a festival and to a club. It was very comfortable to get around in. The costume was a big hit! People wanted to take pictures with me all night. I had a great time!
