Choosing costumes for the cast of your school play or for your community theatre group can be a daunting task. There lots of things to consider (colors, size, budget, cohesiveness, theme) and people to please (parents, teachers, administrators, directors, not to mention the cast), but don’t worry! Whether you’re a director, producer, costumer, or stage manager putting on a production in the style of Shakespeare, Broadway, or even Zac Efron, you can rest easy. We’ve put together a complete guide with 150 tips on choosing costumes for your next school musical or play.

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Learning how to make historical costumes can be useful for various events: reenactments, school plays, even book reports. For beginners, however, it’s difficult to know where to start. Elaborate dresses from movies can be wonderful sources for inspiration, but attempting one of those on a first try is as ambitious as replicating a Van Gogh without previous painting experience. Just as one needs to learn the basics of brush strokes and blending to paint, a costumer needs to learn the basic regarding fabrics and styles of clothing worn during the specified era. This is an introduction and resource for those interested in 18th century France, the time of Marie Antoinette, Victor Hugo, Versailles, peasants and a glamorous aristocracy. This guide includes the basics on what clothing was worn by both women and men, images, and a list of instructional and contextual resources.

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Cosplay is so big right now. Like, huge. Sure, this hobby has been around since the 80s, but the originally Japanese-only fad has been steadily increasing in popularity. Cosplayers around the world are creating their own costumes and props to recreate their favorite characters from video games, movies, and TV shows. These enthusiasts often gather online before they meet at the conventions to share tips, tricks, and pictures. The costume experts at HalloweenCostumes.com have have found some of the best cosplay pages and resources out there. Enjoy!

Warning: While these links aren't obscene, please use discretion while browsing at work! Weapons and bikinis ahead!

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Makeup is what can take your Halloween costume from yawn-inducing to award-winning. I believe that makeup is just as essential as a wand is to a Harry Potter costume or an eye patch is to a Jack Sparrow get-up; without these accessories, the outfit would be alright, but with them, the costume is enchanting. Not sure how to get the look you want? Don’t fear! I’ve found the top 25 best makeup tutorial videos, from super-sweet to super-sick, and I am going to share with you! Here they are, in no particular order:

 

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Organizing a large group of people to do one thing can be hard. This can be especially if you want to make a good impression at a dress-up party! Anyone can show up at a Halloween get-together in matching cut-up sheets and say they’re ghosts, but it can take some serious brain-storming to come up with a group costume that’s both creative and fun. If you want to arrive on Halloween in a group of costumes that no one has thought of before, you’ve come to the right place! Check out these ideas.

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A lot of the best things in life come in groups of five. The Jackson 5, for example, had five members. Ben Folds Five didn’t, but they were still good. Other notables: the high-five, five senses, the number of piano concertos by Beethoven, the five-second rule, and the movie The Fifth Element. Another great thing that can come in a group of five? Halloween costumes! Here are some Halloween costume ideas for groups of 5.

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Halloween is a big deal in the United States, but we aren’t the first or only country to have a day celebrating all things spooky. Most cultures have an event where they pay tribute to the dead by performing traditional rituals, dressing up in costumes or throwing a huge celebration. Other festivals are more of a cleansing event – ridding their town of anything evil in preparation for a new year. Many countries, such as Ireland or Romania, have a history that provides the basis for what we think of Halloween today. Images of skeletons, ghosts, devils, and even jack-o-lanterns appear worldwide. We’ve listed some prominent Halloween customs from around the world featuring scary stories, unique celebrations and rich traditions.

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“What are you gonna be for Halloween?” It’s a hard enough question to answer for yourself sometimes, but it can be nearly impossible to decide when there are four people in your group. BUT – you have to think of all the advantages that go with a group costume: awesome photo opportunities that are sure to be good enough for a picture frame (or Facebook profile picture), you’ll be shoe-in for costume contests, and you’ll never lose your friends at a crowded party. Still not sure what to dress up as? Don’t fret; we here at HalloweenCostumes.com have put together an awesome guide to help you decide what to be in your group of 4.

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