Origin of the Costume
Costume Hats Information
Halloween Masks Information
Article: Halloween Masks: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Pirate Costume Information
Winter Holiday Costuming
Origin of the Halloween Costume
Halloween night would not be complete without some outrageous
Halloween costumes. The anticipation of dressing up in a spooky
costume and Halloween mask gets everybody excited. The biggest thrill
of Halloween has got to be transforming yourself into a monster, ghost,
ghoul, vampire, witch, or other freaky Halloween costume character.
Creating the most outrageous Halloween costume can win you best prize.
Adult costumes are our specialty at Costume Arena because the inner
child in all of us loves to play dress up.
Where Did Halloween Costumes and Masks Originate?
Where did wearing Halloween masks and costumes actually start? So how did wearing a costume and mask for Halloween start? With the Celts. They held the belief that the spirits of the dead roamed the earth on Halloween night. Some of these spirits were amicable, but others were thought to be unfriendly and bitter towards those people who were still living and able to enjoy the fruits of the earth that the spirits once did. To camouflage themselves from these bad spirits, the Celts used soot to paint their faces. This basic method of disguising their faces developed, over time, into the more elaborate Halloween masks and accompanying Halloween costumes that are worn today. It also became traditional to emulate the frightening spirits by dressing up as ghosts or skeletons.
Tips and Suggestions for Halloween Costumes
There are many different types of Halloween
costumes available. Choosing the perfect one depends on two
criteria - the first being which Halloween character you want to
become, and the second being how much you are prepared to spend.
Costume Arena has many types of Halloween masks and costumes available,
and by using a little imagination and some creativity, you can
customize your own costume. We carry a selection of reasonably priced
Halloween
costumes, some funny ones, and those that are sexy or scary or
sinister. It is worth bearing in mind that you can
transform a relatively plain Halloween costume quite easily by using
accessories such as boot tops, furry hands or wigs.
Tips and Tricks for Halloween Masks
There is something magical about a Halloween mask that makeup
does not quite achieve. This is because they can instantly change you
into someone, or something, else. Masks have been worn since ancient
times to enable people to adopt a new identity, and for worshiping
different Gods and spirits. Costume Arena offers a variety of masks, ranging from terrifying vampires and witches to
pumpkins and pirates. Our marabou feather masks and venetian masks are perfect for Halloween or Mardi Gras. Bird masks are ideal for a Samhain festival.
People
wear Halloween Costumes on Halloween Day. Halloween is the Holiday
celebrated on the night of 31st of October, in several countries of the
world. It is a highly waited for occasion in Ireland, United States of
America, Canada, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom and rarely in parts of
Australia and New Zealand. The Halloween is originated from the ancient
Celtic festival Samhain. It is an Ancient Gaels believe that on October
31 Boundary between dead and alive disappears and dead become dangerous
for the living and cause problems such as sickness or crop damage.
Different activities are performed during Halloween Celebration, such as trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting haunted houses and carving jack-o-lanterns.
At initial stage that is before 20th Century, Halloween costumes were not as popular as current days and not celebrated the way it is done now. Halloween party costumes for adults and children became popular in the early 1900s in United States of America. The first huge production of Halloween Costumes was produced in 1930s; this is the time when trick-or-treating had also gained a lot of popularity in USA.
• Features that make Halloween Costumes different from other day's dressing up celebration are that Halloween Costumes are specifically designed to look like Supernatural and Scary beings. Traditionally Halloween Costumes are of Monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches and devils.
• Besides these Monster's costumes, pop culture figure costumes such as presidents, film, television and cartoon characters costume are also designed as Halloween Costumes.
• Another trend of Halloween costume is also popular among women and sometimes in males, is to wear dress that exposes more skin than socially acceptable dress does.
Halloween & Costume Hats
Why a Hat?
Humans have covered their heads since time immemorial. Initially headwear offered protection from the elements and from injury from falling rocks, weapons or masonry. Later head coverings became symbols of status of authority. Soon after hats progressed to become not only a uniform, but also an art form.
In fashion terms, hats are a very noticeable accessory because the onlooker’s attention is first drawn to the face. A hat is the most noticeable fashion item anyone can wear. The old saying goes 'if you want to get ahead and get noticed, then get a hat'. Indeed the word 'ahead' means just that one head further forward.
Costume Arena offers costuming hats to compliment most costumes.A Costume Suggestion: Witch or Wizard
Want to be a WITCH or WIZARD for Halloween? The possibillties are endless! Choose a wizard costume robe or for a witch, a long broomstick skirt with black lacy shirt. Add a lace up corset for a sexy witch look or black fringed shawl for a sinister costume. Buy a long witch wig or dare to be different and buy a gothic wig with veil. Top it all off with our crooked witch or wizard hat. You might want to add the perfect accessory, a bouquet of dead silk roses or a raven.
For footwear, our witch shoe covers with buckle complete the costume.
Bubble bubble boil and trouble! You are ready for a witchy Halloween!
View all of Costume Arena's hats
Halloween & Theatrical Masks
A Costume Suggestion: Scary Skeleton
Want to be a skeleton for Halloween? Begin with our Great Skull mask with hair or our Purple Passion mask and pair it with a white or black robe. Buy our skeleton hands to complete the costume. Easy, but gruesome enough to scare all the little trick or treaters in the neighborhood. (You don't really want to do that, do you? You do? Okay)
Costume Arena offers many different styles of masks:
A face mask
covers the face or part of the face and usually attaches with an elastic cord behind the head. This is the most lightweight and comfortable of masks.
covers half the face and usually attaches with an adjustable headband. Most Mardi Gras and venetian masks are demi masks. They may contain feathers or ribbons or other decorations.
A half mask or 3/4 mask
covers half or 75% of the face and may be referred to as a "chinless" mask. This type of mask does not need to be removed to eat or drink. May contain hair.
An over-the-head mask
slips over the head and covers the entire head front and back. It may contain fur or hair and is commonly made of latex. These masks may be scary or gruesome, sinister or symbolic. They may contain moving parts or special effects.
View all of Costume Arena's masks
Halloween Masks: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
by Colby Morrison
The good
One of the best aspects of Halloween masks is that they disguise who you are quite thoroughly. Whether you choose a Halloween mask that covers your entire face and head, or just a portion, the final effect of either is that it alters the shape of you face. This can make it even more difficult to recognize you than it would be with merely face paint.
Another positive of Halloween masks is that they are very simple to use. If you paint your face, you will need a good deal of time, patience, and some artistic talent to get the right effect. With a Halloween mask, you simply slip it on and you are ready to go.
Masks can also be an inexpensive costume idea. By wearing a solid colored outfit and slipping on a mask, you can instantly become the character that the mask represents - other accessories are optional. You can even combine Halloween masks with your everyday clothing to become a zombie doctor, a cat who is a chef, or other unique idea.
The bad
Halloween masks can be dangerous if they are worn improperly. Special care should be taken to make sure that the mask does not block your vision or your breathing. This is particularly true with children's costumes, since an improperly fitting mask could cause them to injure themselves while out trick or treating. You will want to try the mask on to make sure that it fits properly before wearing it on Halloween night. Remove masks when driving to ensure that you are able to see properly.
Halloween masks can also be hot, so if your Halloween evening will be spent in a warmer climate or a crowded party room you may become uncomfortable rather quickly. If you feel that you are overheating, remove your mask. Also make sure that you drink plenty of water during your Halloween celebrations.
While Halloween masks can be an inexpensive alternative to a full costume, they can also become quite pricey. The more detailed a mask is, the higher the price tag will often be. So if you are on a budget, you may have to settle for a less detailed Halloween mask, or an alternative like face painting, to achieve a similar effect.
Halloween masks can be an excellent addition to your Halloween costume, but they are not the perfect solution for everyone. Only you can decide if this Halloween accessory is right for you. If you purchase a mask and decide later on that it is not as comfortable or as safe as you would like, you can also use it as a creepy way to decorate your home.
About the Author
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Pirate Costuming
A Costume Suggestion: Pirate or Buccaneer
Want
to be a PIRATE for Halloween? How about a pirate and his wench couples
costume? Jack Sparrow, Jolly Roger? Begin with our pirate mask with
hair or our pirate beard and mustache and pair it with a red, white or
black pirate poet shirt.
Buy our tricorn hat with feather or the tricorn hat with bows for your wench or pirate queen. For a Caribbean look, you might like our brown or black pirate
hat with bandanna to complete your costume. For the final touch, buy our costume
pirate boot tops.
Aaarrrghhhh matey, you are ready for a spirit of the seas Halloween!
View Costume Arena's Pirate Gear
Winter Holiday Costuming
Costumes for the winter holiday are meant to be symbolic or festive, depending on whether they are used for theatrical or stage use, or just for fun. Here are some costuming ideas for our Christmas items:
Santa wig and beard set
is great for professional Santas or dads wanting to play Saint Nick.
This is a high quality synthetic wig with separate matching beard. We
have found that it is easier and a lot less painful to simply powder
your eyebrows to match the wig. Powdered brows look more realistic than
applying synthetic white brows with spirit gum, and you have less of a
chance of ripping your eyebrows out when the brows are removed. This is
an old costume trick from the theater. Full Santa costumes are
available through special order. The Santa Claus wig pairs well with
our Mrs. Claus wig.
Green latex elf shoes
are durable and made to last. They can be worn over your shoes or by
themselves. The look great with red and green Christmas hosiery. These
elf shoes put the finishing touches on elf and leprechaun costumes.
They are great for Halloween or Christmas, and hold up well for stage
and theatrical use.
Our long white Angel Costume Wig
is great for Christmas pageant use or angel costuming. This is a snow
white synthetic versatile wig. It also works well as a wizard wig.
The light up white angel wings add
some bling to the season with moving lights on feather wings. These are
lightweight and fit most adults or large children. They can be worn
with an angel costume or used for stage or school theatrical
productions.
Our full length velvet king's robe is ideal for Christmas pageant or theatrical use. It can be used as a cape as it has no sleeves.
Our red gauze and red satin pirate poet shirts are ideal for holiday costuming and evening dress wear. They pair well with our other pirate costume accessories.
Our choir robes can be used for religious performances, worn with a sash for a Wise Man holiday costume, or dressed up or down for Halloween.
