Costume: GSTQ Fashions Photo: Bryan Humphrey Makeup: Jessie Pridemore and Jeff Smith
I've had this blue beehive wig ever since last year, and I thought instead of letting it go to waste, why not use it for a fun costume? Paired up with a gift of green silk dupioni from one of my clients, the answer to my costume dilemma was obvious: Sexy Marge Simpson!
Marge's regular outfit isn't terribly exciting, and if she was going to attend Dragon*Con at night, without Homer by her side, why not glam things up a bit?
The corset dress has a green silk dupioni exterior, coutil interior, and a loose cotton lining. All of the binding is hand cut and finished. You can't see it here, but there is a 2" gap at the back with a modesty panel, antique gold two part grommets, and bold red lacing (to match my necklace and shoes of course). I was a bit short on time so I used some (slightly short) flat steels I had laying around, but I hope to replace them with longer spiral ones in the future.
A lot of people ask me how I did the wig. It was very little effort, actually! The wig is from a company called Lacey Wigs. It arrives flat. The beehive part is hollow. I poofed out the beehive, stuffed some plastic bags inside for body, combed out the bangs, and voila! Instant Marge wig!
The necklace was made out of wooden beads (from Jo-Ann's) that I spray painted red and put on an elastic band.
The bodypaint was quite an adventure. I had planned to use Paradise AQ Yellow, but the coverage wasn't quite what I needed in the time I had to get ready. I noticed the yellow Mehron Creamstick foundation I used on my face covered pretty nicely, and applying it was going to be faster than the PAQ. So, my friends Jessie and Jeff were awesome enough to help me. The color still looked a bit uneven and shiny, so Jessie in a stroke of genius, grabbed some loose yellow Ben Nye eyeshadow I had and set the foundation with it. The difference was like night and day. The eyeshadow had a slight shimmer to it, so it caught the light really nicely in photos.
Jessie also suggested brown blush, which I was a bit skeptical of at first, but I trusted her and went with it. She also put a vibrant blue on my eyelids, which turned out a bit green because of the yellow base. I added a white hi-lite to my brow bone, some eyeliner, lashes, a neutral lipstick, then I was out the door!
I'm super thrilled with how the makeup turned out. But, next time, I'm definitely going to opt for an airbrush and some alcohol based yellow paint.