Jack O'Lantern
This is probably the easiest costume on the list, as well as the fastest one to do in a pinch.
Materials:
*Orange romper (or dress or T-shirt)
*Yellow cardstock or construction paper
*Scissors
*Double sided tape
*Pencil
Note: While I had no trouble peeling the jack o'lantern face off of my romper after I was done with this costume, there is a possibility that the adhesive will stick more permanently to the garment, so you probably should use something that you would not be heartbroken over if it got ruined.
Directions:
*Draw a jack o'lantern face onto a sheet of yellow cardstock or construction paper.
*Cut out the face.
*Use double sided tape to adhere it to your orange garment.
Frances "Baby" Houseman from Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing is one of my favorite movies, so of course I had to try my hand dressing up as Baby. I had a surprisingly difficult time finding high heels for this costume, so I ended up having to go with a pair that I already had, which were less than spot on.
Baby and Johnny, as portrayed by me and Brian.
Materials:
*Pink dress or romper
*Pink high heels
*Bobby pins and hair elastic to fake Baby's long bob.
Directions:
*Put on dress or romper and high heels.
*For a faux bob tutorial, see this post.
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter has served as a symbol of women's empowerment in American popular culture for several decades now. While the iconic "We can do it!" poster was created to encourage women to take up manufacturing jobs left vacant by men who had gone to fight in WWII, in the ensuing years, Rosie's signature pose has come to stand for the strength of women more generally. This is a look with a lot of versatility - you can go for a 1940s inspired look, like I did, or add a modern twist, like what was done in this photo exhibit.
Materials:
*Red scarf or bandana
*Navy blue top, jumpsuit, or romper
Makeup and Hair in the 1940s
Since there aren't really directions to go with this costume, I figured I would do a bit of a makeup tutorial instead. Most of what I know about 1940s makeup I learned from this post, so if vintage makeup interests you, I would definitely recommend checking it out. My look is certainly more vintage inspired than true vintage and is not historically accurate.
Lipstick was the key component of the 1940s makeup look, worn by about 90% of American women. Red was the color of choice, although a variety of shades of red were worn throughout the decade. For my 1940s inspired Rosie look, I opted for (WARNING: lipstick name is NSFW, so do not click the following link if you're in an environment where curse words are frowned upon or if you're opposed to seeing curse words) my favorite red lipstick.
Eye makeup wasn't big for daytime looks. Mascara was frequently worn during the day, although it wasn't as ubiquitous as lipstick. Eyeshadows were often reserved for evening looks, and were usually in neutral tones and always matte. Eyeliner was mostly avoided until the end of the decade because it was thought to look too fake. I couldn't resist using eyeliner anyway, although I tried to go lightly. I used my standard e.l.f. eyeliner. For mascara, I went with an e.l.f. mascara in Jet Black, which I can't find on their website anymore. I'm not sure whether it was repackaged or discontinued. The eyeshadow came from an e.l.f. palette which I don't think is in production anymore. I just went with the neutral shade closest to my skin tone.
Foundations and powders were used in the 1940s, but I didn't use anything beyond my e.l.f. HD powder in sheer to make my face look more matte. Blush was worn sometimes, but it wasn't a required component of the makeup regimen. I meant to use my e.l.f. blush, but I did this photo shoot right before rushing out the door for my 9 am shift in the physics help center, so the blush slipped my mind.
Nails were often red, although shades like pink, burgundy, and coral could also be worn. Later in the decade, matching nail polish and lipstick sets became popular. My purple nails are not historically accurate at all, but I didn't want to undo them and paint them for one day, only to redo them the next.
As for hair, there were a variety of styles that were popular during the 1940s, although most required soft curls or waves. Pin curls were used to achieve most of the popular looks. As someone who tries to avoid heat styling whenever possible, I love pin curls. This was my second time trying them and I was super pleased with how they came out. Generally you would brush your curls after letting them down to get the softer waves that were popular during this era, but I liked the way the curls looked too much to risk it. This was probably a wise move, as when I brushed my hair after the photo shoot, the curls did not retain their shape as well as they had during my previous attempt.
Makeup in America during WWII
While in parts of Europe, production of makeup largely halted during the war years due to scarcity of petroleum and other such ingredients, in America, makeup consumption was viewed as an integral part of the war effort. As women donned masculine uniforms and put in long hours working in the manufacturing industry, makeup was a way for them to retain a trapping of femininity and the smallest semblance of normalcy. Makeup was viewed as such an essential morale booster that factories were ordered to keep tubes of lipstick in their changing rooms for their employees. Makeup companies capitalized on the war effort, producing bold lipsticks with patriotic names, further perpetuating the notion that wearing makeup was part of a woman's patriotic duty.
Molly McIntire from the American Girl Series
If you grew up in the 90s, there's a good chance you're familiar with the American Girl franchise, whether through the books or the dolls. I never did have an American Girl doll, but I loved the books and Molly was my favorite character in the series. While not the most recognizable costume on this list, bring one of your old American Girl books (or borrow one from your local library) and your costume will be a hit. My look is based loosely on Molly's sailor style look in Molly Saves the Day.
Materials:
*Vaguely 1940s clothes, ideally ones that resemble one of the outfits Molly wore in one of the books.
*Round rimmed glasses.
*Hair elastics to do braids, or long wig you can braid.
*One of the Molly McIntire books.
Directions:
*Put on your 1940s reminiscent clothes, braid your hair, grab your book, and you're good to go.
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