I found a couple lists of terrible costumes from the 1970’s and ’80s. You’ll probably have to be 35+ years old to remember these characters. Apparently you can still find this stuff on Ebay.

The list was started by retroCRUSH, and KinderTrauma followed with a list of their own. Check out their websites, they are hilarious!

Fantasy Island Costume

 

Mash Babies Costume

 

Gong Show Costume

 

One Day at a Time Costume

Those are downright creepy!

On the web: retroCRUSH | KinderTrauma

I was late to the Twitter party. I also don’t do much photography, so Flickr was always out of the question. I’ve been on Facebook for awhile now, but haven’t used it for its costume powers. You might say I’m a tad old school. Funny, since I proud myself on my unbearably geeky nature that seems to have no end.

I’ve come to the light, however, and have seen the future of costume fans across the globe. The web has grown up a lot and is always giving out more tools to keep people together. With more and more collective genius mixing into the pool with the social revolution, it’s without hesitation that any costume fan can immediately jump into the mix.

So here’s our mash up of web tools that will put your disguise on the map and open the floodgates of costume fan goodness to you.

Tools To Get You Known

Flickr is the ideal photo sharing website. Why? Well it just is. It’s clean, easy to use, attractive, and a repository for all images that are interesting. There are so many widgets and tools developed around Flickr that you can even add your Flickr album to your blog. Flickr is all about empowering the user to get their photos out and across the web.

Hit the jump for more of our ideas…

(more…)

You might catch yourself in a public place wearing a costume that may not be deemed as “normal”. So what, right?

…well… you may want to go in numbers. As cool as it is to be socially offbeat, costume fans need to be supplied with reinforcements whenever possible.

A lot of costume fans find that they would have fun getting dressed up, but don’t know where or when to do it. Unless you’re holding a sign on a street corner to advertise business, you’re going to get funny looks.

So, as a generous task, we’re providing you with a solid list of people and places to find other costume fans to fraternize with.

The Search For Fellow Costumers Begins Online

The first place to look for a community is online. This will help you find out who is where, and what they participate in.

Forums - Forums exists all over the net, and for about every niche group possible. Cosplay, steampunk, general costumes, collectors, you name it and you’ll find it. Forums are a great place to ask questions that only a true fan would know.

DIY Web Sites - The great thing about DIY sites is that there are so many types of people there. You can be into any type of costume, and DIYers are all over it. Also, they’re extremely involved in the creation process, putting them in the know for all good resources on a particular subject or idea.

Digg, and other Social News Sites - Why Digg? Well, Digg is a haven for all the crazy stuff you will find on the web. How many ideas or articles have we found via social news? Well, lets pretend they’re all original things I see in person, mmkay?

Costume Events Come More Frequently Than You Know

The good news is that there is nearly always something going on for a costume fan to take part in, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get involved and make some friends, right?

Conventions - Cons are big in a very big way these days. They come in all shapes and sizes and attract everyone you could imagine. If you’re a fan of something like comics or anime, there are cons all the time for you. Find a costume, make a reason, and go dress up. People love to see their peers show their pride. Some cons are getting more well known for their costumes alone… sound like fun?

Release Events - Harry Potter movie, new Halo game, Star Trek release, on and on and on… if your costume is specific, and you’re in good company, you have all the reason to get decked out.

Fan Festivals - Fan festivals are akin to Conventions, but are usually surrounding a certain product or IP. The gaming industry is big on these. Fans of Blizzard Games, Sony Games, or Square Enix games can all find Fan Fests happening almost annually. It’s worth it to get in some garb and go to at least one.

Get Cultured and Celebrate Costumes Regionally

The Right City - Tokyo is great for Cosplayers. New York has all kinds of dress up events, cultural mashups, and groups of enthusiasts. Los Angeles is home to the Hollywood hills, and the entertainment capital of the world. It doesn’t stop there, as most big cities have something unique to boast. Celebrate the city you love.

Cultural Celebrations - We’ve already covered Carnival and Oktoberfest. It doesn’t end there. If you want to immerse yourself in a really cool side of costuming, find a way to travel and get into some traditional threads. It’s always more acceptable and fun to blend into another lifestyle.

Well, not sure you got enough? We can think of many more. Check out our post on 79 Days, Reasons and Events made for Costumes. Search around for the ideas we’ve found and add some of your own.

Otaku? Who, us?

Stumbling across a blog post about the socially ostracized life of a typical “otaku”, I couldn’t help but read. The obsessively otaku fanboy spends so much time in their own interests (and bedrooms), that they manage to cook up some pretty crazy fan-fueled goods for the equally maniacal.

But before the mother ship calls us home to reality (and we convince ourselves we’re not that bad) we have to recognize two important things about this kind of geek obsession.

1. Geek culture is not so wrong these days. Sure, it’s not the way, but it sure has its share of respect and honor in the modern pop culture setting.

2. Costume lovers are no more than a few degrees of separation away from being totally otaku, and only one away from geek sheik. We turn to Wired Magazine for more validation.

The Wired Magazine Geekipedia Tells All…

It turns out that costume fanboyism shows its face more than a couple of times in the Wired Geekipedia. This lovingly crafted tribute to the education of blatant nerdery really pins down the culture, and some of these words just may be familiar to a costume lover.

Cosplay - Wired says “Donning a costume offers shy geeks an anonymous mode of self-expression and fun.” It’s not all that inaccurate nor is it shameful in any way. Cosplayers have seen a huge boost in numbers since big events and imported anime films make their way westward.

Machinima - Some people are costume lovers of a different sort. They like to mount their alternative image in a virtual setting. Machinima is the practice of making films out of characters and animations extracted from video games and virtual worlds. Any Second Lifers know exactly what it is. Ultimately, it’s the practice of the virtual costume.

(weird, no?)

Manga - Manga is basically printed anime, and it’s also gaining attention in the western world. As a huge fuel for cosplayers, Manga is easy to recognize these days.

Otaku - If you have a tendency to be otaku, you already know it. Although, the connotation of the word in the English language denotes more of an obsessive love for something, it’s actually quite derogatory in Japanese. Watch who you call otaku, especially if the finger should be pointed at you. We all saw your sketches for your next costume…

True Otaku…

Social Networking - Yeah, this is a bit more geek sheik since, well.. you know… EVERYONE is doing it. Significance to a costumer? Well, have you ever signed up at a costume forum, joined a costume chat or group, or been on a social network specifically for costumes? Yeah, you know who you are.

Tokyo - It turns out a lot of the costume related entries in the Geekipedia surround the cosplay culture. That doesn’t mean other forms of costume love don’t belong. However, it would be silly to not mention Tokyo as a huge influence in the culture.

Viral - A great term that has become easy to grasp in the last few years. Denoting the spreading of a trend in a viral manner, this type of attention is nearly all costume lovers get. If you heard of a great DIY project, a fun costume event, or a clever party that you want to throw… it’s likely you didn’t find the information advertised in the newspaper. Word of mouth love sustains the community of costume lovers.

The best part about the list is that it’s just not done. They’re adding more every day. Should we submit DIY? Anyone??

After watching the Academy Awards, we noticed something. The Academy loves good costumes. They also love nostalgia. Either way, without the Silver Screen delivering up some truly iconic apparel, we would be less than inspired with our own costumes.

Looking forward to 2008 we picked our top movies with costumes worth noting. It’s not with ease that we have done so, as finding a diverse group of competitors is about as hard as picking a favorite skittles flavor. But, don’t fret… we’ve come up with a short list that you’re free to shred apart. So, without further wordy blabber…

5. Son of Rambow - I may be guilty for choosing this one simply because I’m charmed by the trailer. However, there are good reasons for this pick.

The film is about a couple of boys who decide to make films. With enough passion to compensate for budget and know-how, they set out to make an action film so clever that everyone they know wants in on it. Homebrewed stunts and plastic toys for props end up giving the film all the necessary looks to be successful.

Why we picked it: Who doesn’t remember getting ambitious to make movies as a youngin’? It’s just enough nostalgia to make you wish you still had videos of the times you did similar films. Although nothing fancy, the costumes in the film are dead on for the right message.

4. JJ Abrams’ Star Trek - JJ Abrams is up to something big. He’s no slouch when it comes to making a name for himself, and now he’s taking on a juggernaut of a film production. Although the teaser trailer for this movie doesn’t give much in way of plot, and nothing as far as costumes go, we all know that Star Trek boasts some of the biggest costume fans in existence.

Why we picked it: You can almost bet Trump his fortune that JJ Abrams will add his own personal touch. What’s better than seeing a classic series with a new take. There’s bound to be a new look and feel. What’s more is that Star Trek’s setting demands some clever, out of this world costuming that piques the imagination enough to induce immersion. We have high expectations here.

3.  The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspain: Fantasy has always been a great setting for incredible costuming. Fans of the C.S. Lewis series are ready for another installment. Some of the costume work found in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe was nothing short of the same genius we all saw with Pan’s Labyrinth. This time the film goes back to Narnia, and the children are about to find out a lot more of Narnia’s darker side.

Why we picked it: It’s simply not enough these days to just remake a film. Narnia’s first installment was nothing short of epic, and we were ready for more. But what makes the story and visuals so compelling is the merging of 2 worlds into one. Try blending styles, images, and echoes of an era into a fantasy setting that is unique enough to be it’s own, and you’ll find an on screen juxtaposition that feels like eye candy.

2. The Dark Knight: Once Christopher Nolan released his new take on the Batman franchise, Batman Begins, it mounted up to the top of the tops for comic book remakes. With a new feel of earnest mysteriousness not to be taken lightly, the film recreated the character. This time, he’s roped in the late Heath Ledger to play the Joker. Not too much is known about the film, but it does look to outdo it’s predecessor and remain a classic.

Why we picked it: Have you seen the new Joker? It’s amazing what a creative mind can redo with a bit of personal touch. We’re more than excited to see how this ultra-creepy but unbearably cool new villain will turn the Batman image into. It’s faithful yet interpretive of the original, and we LOVE that.

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Sure, we’ve mentioned this one before. There’s a lot of buzz about Spielberg’s new addition to the Indiana Jones films. Some good, some bad, but all very curious. This time, Indy is older and he brought his son for the adventure.

Why we picked it: Well, there are elements that I can take from every one of the previously mentioned films going into this production. The costumes are going to be total throwbacks, and extremely honoring of the series. Is that a bad thing though?

No, in fact we wouldn’t have it any other way. Anyone going to see this movie wants to get a real Indiana Jones experience. It’s all about feeling the same adventure, same wit, and same sense of excitement we felt in the first three. The early twentieth century rustic adventurer look is completely defined by the movies, and it has inspired costumes for years.

So then, what do you think? Did we miss anything essential? Add your comments to the bottom.

Funny enough, cosplay tends to be one of the more prominent subject matters here at MD. There seems to be a huge internet community that supports the practice. And, well.. since the Internet is so global the international popularity makes it much more significant.

Still, to this day cosplay is somewhat of an underground subculture that doesn’t see a lot of mainstream daylight. I’m immersed in costume information every day, so I can tend to get a fuzzy idealistic view of just how many people are interested in this sort of thing.

Today, I stumbled on the top 100 costumes as updated daily by Costumezee. Now, I’ve been told to not believe everything the intertubes pump out at me. Therefore I can be skeptical as to how Costumezee has decided these facts. But, what’s in it for them to lie on this matter? Maybe it’s true?

So why all the fuss? Well, as it turns out, “anime” costumes made the bottom of the list. I’m sure a likely explanation is the nature of cosplay, and that most good cosplay is homemade. If this list was truly accurate, the DIY stuff should go in there too. It does beg answers to some questions. How many people who are into cosplay actually make their own outfits? Is Anime and cosplay still too small to notice? Why did disco costumes make number 1!?!

I’d say, so far Anime has made leaps and bounds when it comes into crashing on the American market. Although it’s still a lesser appreciated form of entertainment in comparison to the prominence it retains in Japan, cosplay costumes should be a tad higher on the list, no? What do you think?

It’s only fair you get a sweet recap of all the good stuff that graced your computer screen over the last week. Yeah, it sounds cocky I know. But hey, where else do you go for an all-costuming blog? Hmm?

Revisiting Our Favorite Costume Sites - We take a look at the best of the best sites covered by MyDisguises.

The Famous Disguise - If you haven’t seen this video, you lose. Okay, maybe you don’t lose, but it’s incredible.

MyDisguises 2007 Winners and Losers - 2007 was huge, and there was a lot to see. We break down the best costumes and stories of the last year and reveal them to the readers.

Time’s Best Loved Film Costumes - The movies are a cultural phenomenon. Time Magazine helps us look at the iconic wardrobes that become almost as important as the actors behind them in their best loved costumes of all time.

An Intro to “Steampunk” - Steampunk is a culture that is ripe for the costume world. Most people who love steampunk have put some time into making their own stuff, and we take a quick look at what’s behind it all.

I have to apologize to all of you who don’t quite know Big Daddy. Trust me, he’d love to meet you.

If you didn’t notice, Big Daddy basically cleaned up all the coolness costume awards from ‘07. After an epic public showing at the Spike Video Game Awards, he’s had more media attention than a hybrid Paris Hilton/Britney Spears money spewing robot… that dispenses predictions of the future… and has the cure to cancer…

Okay, anyway it begs the question, what have you been doing Big Daddy? Is this monstrosity of a character laying low before he stars again in another epic under water adventure?

Big Daddy, where are you now? /begin dream sequence

Well, it seems that after being bludgeoned by fame and fortune, Big Daddy had his own action figure made.

Others who aren’t in possession of the dough for their own mini-pet Big Daddy have gotten the chance to create some dazzling renditions with Legos. Lincoln Logs Big Daddy on the way?

Big Daddy tried his hand in some other work, but it may have not worked out. (thanks Fenner)

And with such fame, comes TV deals… (don’t hold your breath, it’s not as entertaining as you may be expecting)

The art world has seemed to really grasp hold on Big Daddy’s fame. I mean, what’s not inspiring about a metal drill-armed weapon wielding superhuman mutant protector of creepy little girls?

Enjoying the paparazzi, Big Daddy decided to make a few extra bucks as well. Someone on eBay had the chance to get their paws on some of his daily garb. Fetching a nice, but underwhelming price, you’d figure he could make that same money buy poking through drawers and old registers down in Neptune’s Bounty, hmm?

All in all, it has been one great year for El Grande Papa. Keep sipping your piña coladas Big Daddy, it won’t be long before the world needs you again.

Maybe you’re doing exactly what I’m doing right now… you’re peering out your window at a snowstorm that looks like a little brother to a blizzard. It’s been weeks since you spent significant amount of time outside, and your cabin fever amounts to about three times the legal limit for sanity. Well, you need something to do! Don’t let the season get you down. Here are some ideas:

Costumes In The Off-Season

-The best laid plans-

If you’re planning on doing your own work this year, then make sure you plan ahead. Most cosplayers know this. However, if you’re just an average joe that wants to take a crack at the DIY thing, you should think ahead what you want to do. Some of the more intricate DIY costumes can take weeks of spare time for assembly, sewing, and painting. It’s something great to keep in the attic or basement for years to come, or to pull out at a later date. Nostalgia wins.

-Do something seasonal-

There’s just about always some kind of holiday on the horizon. If it’s not a national holiday, there could be something ethnic that would be fun to celebrate. We’ve already started talking about . Find a holiday calendar, find people you know who would be interested, and concoct a good celebration. You never know what could become tradition…

-Try something original-

This will sound foolish, but some friends and I made up a holiday once. It was called “Brownstein Day”, yeah it was strange. Long story how we made it up. However, we started traditions, which included eating Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, drinking Vanilla Coke, and toasting to Papa Brownstein at the stroke of midnight-thirty. We did it two years in a row, but missed this last season… maybe I’ll plan something and we’ll get dressed up!

-Get into the convention scene-

Cons are all over the place for costume fans. Find something to be a part of! We highly recommend Comic Con, as it draws huge crowds, epic celebrities, and even more epic costumes. It’s not the geek-fest you’re thinking it is. Here’s a website, and you’ll find content on MyDisguises about it from time to time. Delve in head first.

There are lots more to see as well… WonderCon (later this month!), DragonCon, Anime Conventions, Fan Fests, Ren Faires, etc. Look around online and you’ll surely find one thats within a 2 week window that you can dress up for.

-Get involved with DIY, submit it to Instructables and Make-

Have you not spent time on Instructables or Make Magazine? You’ll find an endless supply of projects to get your hands dirty with. It’s one thing to dress up, but a whole different experience to wear something you constructed from top to bottom. Make a costume, submit it to Instructables or Make, and get noticed for your genius.

Hopefully we stimulated some thought. Add any additional ideas you may have down below and see if you can’t help those of us out who need a boost in creativity.

Time magazine has been around for ages. One of their real trademark skills is capturing culture in pictures.

A roommate of mine who is all too aware of my costume blogging appropriately tipped me off on a link over at Time. Both he and I love to read and Time is on the list. They put together a photo essay of the 10 best loved film costumes of all time. Well, that’s according to them.

Here’s a link.

What makes these costumes stand out? More than anything it’s the recognition factor. Anyone dressed in similar outfits will immediately get a staring eye of nostalgia. And as for our impressions? Well, here’s what we have to say.

Keira Knightley as Cecilia Tallis in Atonement - Too early to tell for this one, as she’s easily stacked up against some real classics that have taken years to acquire their status.

Marilyn Monroe as the Girl in The Seven Year Itch - Perfect choice, as it has inspired countless recreations of the costume by fans and impersonators. Earlier this year, this and many of Monroe’s other famous dresses went on exhibit and we were able to post about it here.

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany’s - Truly a tribute to the modern princess, and none could wear it like Hepburn. We give our approval on this choice as well.

Olivia Newton John as Sandy Olsson in Grease - I remember thinking that this movie was from the 50’s when I was a kid. Now, I know better, but it does give a clap to the costumes from the flick. They did a great job at recreating an era and making it as charming as could be.

Check out the photo essay to get the rest of the selections…

2007 brought us upon some of the coolest sites we have seen in a long time. We thought we’d pay a quick visit back to some of the big ones and see just what’s up…

Project Rooftop

I fell in love with this site immediately, as it’s something I’ve never seen before. Comic book artist Dean Trippe put together this blog with the endeavor to re-costume some of the most well known super heroes in pop culture. In the end there are some terribly clever adaptations on classic looks that we have seen on Project Rooftop.

Rooftop likes to host contests for wardrobe redesigns and new looks. I browsed a few of them and must say they attract the most creative artists and gung-ho enthusiasts.

Most notably is the Fights, Flights, and Tights contest. This is where they trade pen and paper for fabric and mask. The annual costume contest brings in some of the more clever comic fans, so you can expect some real classy looks.

Don’t miss the contest and leave some comments. There’s sure to be a MyDisguises reader that will be submitting to the contest soon enough.

Handmade Detroit

Handmade Detroit isn’t quite all about costumes. However, they have their share of content that is great for anyone who is into the DIY thing. Whether you’re dressing up your body for Halloween, your house for the holidays, or your wardrobe with something flashy, it’s good to get tips here.

Since we were last at Handmade Detroit, we noticed plenty of posts covering the Holidays. Regrettably, I personally didn’t get the chance to implement any of the suggestions for my own personal holiday celebration. However, there’s always good content flowing in and out of the site.

My personal pick for the Handmade Detroit contribution not to be missed is the “12 Days of Crafty Projects” segment. It’s classy and looks like a lot of fun.

retroCRUSH

Ahh retroCRUSH, I love you. This site is worth more than all the Garbage Pail Kids you can muster (Actually, I bet they’d love to see your collection). It’s a respectful, light-hearted, and amazingly fun tribute to all things of the past worth remembering. I get a warm feeling every time I even peek in to see what’s going on.

retroCRUSH always has gems, and it’s hard to pinpoint their best. Personally I’d take a look a few particulars.

First is the retroCRUSH Toy Box of Glory. Here you’ll find all the cool toys you played with as a kid and couldn’t let go of. Slinkys, Stretch Armstrong, Weebles, Ouija Boards, you name it. The gallery is pretty comprehensive and there are videos and pictures to accompany everything.

I’d say that the Gallery of Retrobabes is something for the guys, but there’s just too much good nostalgia for women to not appreciate. On the costume side of things, it’s real fun to see some of these old actresses and celebrities decked out in some of their famous garb from popular films. It’s an enthusiasts hot spot.

Heck, even the web site’s layout and design is pleasantly retro.

Costume Craze

This is some sponsor love, because we really mean it. Costume Craze has had a wonderful year, and they are growing to become one of the fastest growing and reliable companies in the U.S. today. Over the past year, they really expanded their costume offerings, and have done a great job keeping our blog alive. How else would we deliver such consistent content?

Since we last checked in with Costume Craze, there’s been a lot to see. What’s most notable is the exclusive offering of custom costumes by Valerie Tabor Smith. There’s absolutely no other way to get costumes this cute for your kids.

We try not to be too preachy, but we owe it to Costume Craze for being so great and for having such a wonderful catalog. Check out the exclusive costumes you can even stock up for next year ahead of time.

2007 is leaving us, or rather we are leaving it behind in the dust of a brighter future. Luckily we have no need to get too worked up over the things to come. There will be much to cheer and surely plenty for jeers. However, that’s all speculation.

We can, however, look back at all things worthy of all exclamations…

“glorious!”

“ugh…”

“what the!?”

“scrumtrilecent”

“no comment”

“…”

Here are our picks for the 2007 Winners and Losers are:

• Big Daddy - This year, Big Daddy wins. His battled inner self lends to so much love and yet so much distaste. Hey, all of us who experienced Bioshock know that the Big Daddy is easier to identify with than we thought at the beginning of the game, right? Status: WINNER
• Political Correctness - The world collectively sighed this past year when Santa Claus briefly lost a bit of cheer and started to chuckle with his “Ha, Ha, Ha”. Status:LOSER
• Cosplay - We probably covered more cosplay than anything else since the blog has begun. We have written cosplay articles over and over and over, again and again and again. Cosplay, being just another reason to get costumed, brought us some great homemade costumes, new entries to the excitement, and all around generally fresh entries to the fun. Look out for big cosplay events in ‘08. Status: WINNER
• Autobots and Deceptecons - This year, Michael Bay brought childish nostalgia and fanboyism faster than Timberlake brought sexy back. The Transformers movie was a tribute to all things awesome in the 80’s. What’s more is that it inspired the most fanatical of do-it-yourselfers to make some classy costumes. Status: WINNER
• Cosplay, again - Yeah, there were some not so good moments too. Status: LOSER
• Homebrewed goods - Likely a winner every year, we found some classics this year and can’t help but applaud the ceaseless creativity out in the community. Status: WINNER
• Elven Fantasies Come True - This has to be my favorite story of the year. I showed this to every person I know. The response from the community??? Some people actually would do it! Hey, I can’t make fun, it’s just not on my list of operations to get in my lifetime. Status: WINNER and LOSER, depending on how much humor matters over prudence and good sense.

OVERALL WINNER - This year it goes to Bioshock and the Big Daddy. Nothing captivated our attention and brought such a positive, yet eerie, light on the costuming scene. We expect to hear more from 2K games on this title and would be absolutely tickled to find more amazing Bioshock cosplay for the pages of MyDisguises.

“Uhh, I’d like to thank Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine for artificially creating me. I’d like to thank my fellow Big Daddies. I’d like to thank my mom and dad for teaching me to be nice to my friends and always look out for them… oh man I’m embarrassed… this is all so new to me…”

We can’t list them all, but there are surely more. Put your picks for 2007’s winners and losers in the comments section and let us know what we missed.