And the Countdown Begins

Something mystical, supernatural, and terrifying happens when we get within 10 days of Halloween. People, all of a sudden, realize, “Oh my God! It’s almost Halloween and I don’t have a clue what to be!!!”


Everyone knows its October. And they know the big event of the month is Halloween, because it’s the monster party of the year. So why the last minute panic-attack? Here’s my theory on the cause of this frightful phenomenon. Rest assured, it is based on years of study, probing interviews, along with tapping of phone lines and other highly-sophisticated, spy-type behaviors I learned by watching Alias (and that Sydney Bristow, she knew a thing or two about the whole spy-gig and about costumes!)

While the dates stay in the single digits and teens (October 1st - 19th), everyone (except for the true geniuses out there) thinks they still have plenty of time. This is also known as "denial." Then it happens, the 20th of the month appears, and it hits them like an egg in the face. This moment of revelation is usually accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, breaking out in a sweat, and several moments of complete panic.

Once we hit the 20th of the month, well, then it becomes undeniable --- the 31st is almost here. Now it’s just days away instead of months. If you are one of the many who have yet to come up with a costume, let alone a great costume idea, I’m here to coach you through this moment. First BREATHE in and out deeply, several times.

Then ponder these questions:

1. How many parties am I going to?



2. How many costumes do I need?



3. Is there a certain theme to the party?



4. What look am I aiming for? (Sexy? Funny? Live out my fantasies? Be totally opposite ofwho I usually am? Pay homage to a favorite movie, character, person, or band? Express your naughty side, your dark side? )



5. Am I dressing as a couple or group?



6. How much money do I have to spend?
   
   These should help stir up some thoughts, and maybe point you in the direction of this year’s Halloween costume. Spend a few minutes, ponder a bit, jump online and browse, or hit your local year-round costume shop for some inspiration. (Did I mention, we are 52 Helena St. in Santa Barbara, CA?)

Then, in the name of all things Halloweeny, start putting your costume together! Like today!!! Seriously . .. NOW!!! If you wait, the symptoms of I-Don’t-Have-A-Costume-Itis become even more severe. And you even run the risk of developing a terminal case of the last-minute-losers. These are the folks who finally come up with a great idea, but can’t then find it anywhere. Or it’s too late to have it shipped on time. Don’t be one of those who end up having to settle for throwing a sheet over their head, and being a ghost.

Best Couple's Costume Idea for 2008

So you’ve got yourself a special someone this year. Wooo-hooooo! While that’s a great thing for your emotions, makes life funner, gives you companionship, yada, yada yada, lets get down to the real reason this is great news. It opens up a whole new world of Halloween costume possibilities. You get to coordinate your outfits and be a costumed couple.

There are your standard couples costume ideas -

Dr. Frankenstein and the Monster
Referee/Umpire and Player (football, basketball, etc)
Cowboy and Indian
Cop and Crook
Wild Animal and Hunter
Dog and Cat
Barney and Betty Rubble
Fred and Wilma Flintstone
Or for those who think there may have been something going on in the neighborhood:
Barney and Wilma
Fred and Betty
Mario and Luigi
Batman and Joker
Angel and Devil

As you can see the possibilities are, fricken, endless. You can match things that naturally go together or two opposites. Or try how about this . . .

Here’s an idea that’s good for this year only – I hope (oooops, did I just hint at my opinions on our Presidential candidates?). Go as McCain and Palin! The costumes are easy to put together and you can all sorts of fun. It’s an idea that will be unique to this year’s Halloween only (there I go again, letting my bias show), so make the most of it.

For McCain, just throw on a really boring black suit and a John McCain mask.


Palin is even easier. Outfit yourself with a conservative red dress or go with the pink and black outfit that Tina Fey made ever so popular in her SNL skit. A pair of glasses paired up with the hairdo and you’re almost there. You’ve got to do the Sarah Palin hairdo right - brown hair piled up in the back with bangs hanging down in the front. Do this with your own hair or use a wig with bangs. The icing on the Palin cake is the huge, fake, plastic smile. We have no costume piece for this, you’ll just have to plaster that toothy grin on and keep it there all night. Have a few drinks and before you know it, you will sound like Governor Palin as well – speaking in fragments with no apparent connection between the thoughts.

Get Ready for the LFL

For the last three years, as part of the halftime show during the Super Bowl, fans have been entertained with the Lingerie Bowl. Outfitted in matching bra and undie sets, along with helmets, shoulder pads, knee and elbow pads, two teams of good-looking, women battled it out on the grid iron.

Gotta love the cleats, with athletic tape --- what a great combo with lingerie!

What once existed only in the realm of every man’s fantasies, is now going to have its place in the real world. This skin-baring halftime event, is growing into a league of its own, the Lingerie Football League.

Ten teams, with 12 players per team, will play an eight game season, uniformed up in crowd-pleasing lingerie. The top two teams will then compete in the Lingerie Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday! Tryouts were held just days ago, where looks and some level of athleticism were rated. Looks, of course, being the most important quality being assessed -this is the Lingerie Football League, so how one looks in lingerie is a key factor. Football skills would be taught later.


Skimpy panties and bras, adorning curvaceous beauties, who are out there trying to run, catch, throw a block and ultimately score will be the ultimate entertainment for many.

Uniform malfunction in the making!

I can’t help but wonder . . .
where will the teams’ names and logos go?
will numbers and player names be on the lingerie or painted on their bodies?
what sorts of new penalties will be created (“uniform malfunction, automatic first down”)?
do they have full uniform practices?

can people volunteer for the second team for practice scrimmages?

will their be male cheerleaders?

how is a fan to dress to show your team spirit?

Lovin' White Gold

One of my latest favorites from television land is not a show or a series, but a set of commercials. I can’t help but smile and get a huge kick out of the newest gimmick by the milk coalition. White Gold is pure brilliance. I hate milk – haven’t had a drop of the stuff since I was 12 or so. Even so, I must admit, those cow juice loving folks have some fun marketing approaches. Milk moustaches, to “GOT MILK”, and now White Gold.

This White Gold character rocks. His outfits are utterly fabulous – all that gold lamé and white – and his whole 80s hair band look – just wonderful.

I haven’t found a company yet that makes a White Gold costume, so if you are lovin’ this character like I am, it’s going to be a operation requiring a keen mind, a creative sense, and the bravery to venture into new territories. The good news is this costume is perfect for the latest spiral our economy has taken.

In order to complete your mission, you will need to make a trip to your local thrift store. Look at everything white and shiny gold. Gold lamé is the key carrying off this look in style. Inspect everything from tights, to knickers, tops, jackets, tights, shoes and accessories in search of pieces you can combine in White Gold style. He wears several different outfits so you have some flexibility here. Just remember these key points - gold lamé, white, gold lamé, and more white all combined in a loud, over-the-top way.

There are just two more items you just gotta have to make the White Gold look complete. His guitar and his hair. You’ll have to pull out your creative skills to create the guitar. Think cardboard, plastic, foam, or even wood (if you know you way around a saw and other sharp, pointy objects).

White Gold’s hair is . . . well . . . white and gold – big shock there, huh? He’s got that long super light blonde wig, with long gold bangs framing his face. I’d get a long blonde wig and color the bangs. And don't forget the moustache!

White Gold for Halloween!

The Buzz about Bees

The weather is changing and I feel fall creeping its way back. I’m missing spring - you know, the whole birds and bees thing. I’ve always thought this Busy Bee Costume was pretty stinkin’ cute so I thought I’d take it out for a spin and have my own personal springtime. I also thought it would be good to see what I thought of it as a wearer instead of just a spectator.

Some costumes look one way on the model (cute and quality) and entirely different on you. Well, I have good news to report. This costume isn’t one of those – it rocks. It is super comfy – the stretchy spandex tube dress is as comfortable as wearing a workout shirt. The tube part (the upper half of the dress) is cut sort of long – this makes it work for both people with long torsos and those of us with a more condensed midsection. I just tucked the extra into the skirt, and you can hardly tell. If I would have pulled the top to its full length, the skirt would have started at about my thighs. So there’s plenty of costume for you tall girls, but it can easily work for someone my size (about 5 feet tall, on a good day). On top of being comfy and versatile, the costume feels really well made. Roma has a habit of making really high quality stuff for a good price and this one is a prime example.

As you can see, the straps that hold the wings on are out for the world to see, since I don’t have long hair like the model. Accessories could do the job of hiding those straps, if you wanted. Most obviously, you could wear a long wig. Or you could throw on a boa to cover those straps.

While we are on the subject of accessories, there are a ton of little ways you could tweak the look of this outfit, just by adding little extras. Let’s start with the shoes. I wore black boots, but you could do black pumps, black fairy tale shoes, or even the bumble bee shoes (that are totally cool). Raise the look another notch by adding fishnet pantyhose or some yellow and black fuzzy striped leg warmers. What fun!

Now we’ve got the creative juices flowing. How about a petticoat underneath? Just a little touch, adds lots sexification to the costume. While you’re at it, you might as well throw a matching Honeybee purse.

Make yourself the Queen Bee by accessorizing with a yellow boa and a crown. Some elbow length gloves would be a nice touch as well. A yellow afro or short and sassy wig with this costume would be a fun combo too. Let your imagination go wild, and accessorize.








We carry quite a few different styles of bee costumes, some even come with antennae! And they are all made by either Roma or Leg Avenue, both of whom are known for making a high quality products. All the bees in our hive are fun and happy, with just the right amount of pizzazz to make them sexy. Heck, since we're on a roll here, why not have your favorite pooch join your hive with her own bee costume.

My Pirate Adventure

Ahoy there, me hearties. I be bettin’ ye were wonderin’ about me whereabouts these last few days. Well, just so ye be clear, I was well aware that the finest of all the holidays were being celebrated just days ago. Aye, it were only four days ago that noblest of days, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, were being honored by true buccaneers and landlubbers alike worldwide.

Being the truest of pirates, deep down inside, I could not settle for merely talking like a pirate fer a day. I set me mind to liven’ the pirate’s life. So off I sailed into high seas, with a terror of a captain in charge, and a bunch of ol’ seadogs in the crew.

I didn’t want them thinkin’ me to be some sort of scurvy, bilge rat, so I did my best to outfit meself proper-like before boarding the vessel.

I took one look at myself in the mirror in this pirate outfit, and knew without a doubt that I’d be keyhauled by the crew if I took a step onto the ship dressed like this. No real pirate would take me seriously in a cutesy outfit like this.

A fine first mate’s outfit seemed like a ship-shape outfit - perfect for plundering, pillaging and looting the unlucky ships who might cross our path during my voyage. Ah, but alas, I had to admit, I had higher ambitions. Savvy?

Shiver me timbers, I wanted to be the captain of a pirate vessel. I desired to be the one giving the orders, “Weight anchor and hoist the mizzen mast,” “Swab the deck ye scallywag,” or ordering some adversary to walk the plank. I aimed to have the doubloons, pieces of eight, and booty of all sorts to come into my possession and no one elses.

So I had a mind to dress like it. I almost went with this regal pirate look, knowing it would send fear into the hearts of not only my enemies, but the crew as well. Just seeing me in this outfit, I was sure they would give their current captain the dreaded black spot and follow me as their leader instead.

Then the finest idea ever to enter my mind appeared. Why not dress as the most feared pirate of all time. I dressed as the (wo)man in black, the Dread Pirate Roberts (you have seen The Princess Bride, right?). I was fully convinced the crew would send their current captain straight to Davy Jones’ Locker, as soon as they saw me with my cutlass held high.

Sorry to report that my outfit choice was a bit overly-ambitious. The crew greeted me with raised eyebrows. As we shoved off, an old seadog advised me to be watching my back. I thought nothing of his warning, and soon regretted it. That night I guzzled me grog, and thought it only a joke that the crew kept calling me “shark bait.” Being three sheets to the wind, doesn’t really sharpen a pirate’s perception. The next thing I knew, there was a shout, “Blow the man down!” I was surrounded and tossed overboard.

It has taken me until this very day to swim my way back home. Despite my ill-fated pirate adventure, I am still a pirate-loving fool. I cast my vote for September 19 to be not only Talk Like a Pirate Day, but also Dress Like a Pirate Day, and Act Like a Pirate Day! Or maybe we should just call it “Yo-ho, Yo-ho, A Pirate’s Life for Me Day.” Okay maybe that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. I’ll keep working on it.

Adorable Dog Costumes

It's been a busy week, but we have just received the cutest dog costumes! My sister brought in her dog, Lily to try on costumes this week and check her out in the Froggy Doggy Costume. This costume tends to run a little big because Lil could have fit in the next size down and she's... well, shall we say a little on the beefy side for her breed.

Here she is showing off her new costume...

Check out some of the other great Dog Costumes. A few fav's of mine...