Have you heard of the Wolfpack Elite? When it comes to costumes, conventions and cosplay, these guys are the best of the best. When they say Elite, they aren’t joking.

They are well known for throwing big costume parties at every major comic/sci fi convention in America, “because there’s nothing like throwing back a few shots with Batman on one side and a storm trooper on the other.”

Heh, I like the sound of that!

You can literally spend countless hours on their website, browsing through the photo gallery and forum. The forum is especially helpful for sharing ideas and costume-making tips, and just talking about costumes in general.

The members of Wolfpack Elite seem to be a very fun, welcoming group of people. If you love costumes, you should head on over there and say hello: www.wolfpackelite.com.

 

Check out welovefancydress.com - it’s a fun costume website that lets users upload their costume photos. Their motto is, “Your online dressing up box. Put ideas in, take ideas out….”

You can browse through the photos, and “tip” the ones you like. Tipping is basically voting, and you can see which photos are the most admired. Fun!

The website is run by Clementine & Rebecca. Great job, Ladies!

www.welovefancydress.com

Indy Mogul has a wonderful demonstration of how to make a giant sandwich costume. It looks great and it was made on a $40 budget.

Check out THEIR ARTICLE and watch the video below.

Very fun and impressive!

ThatCostumeGirl is letting people choose which costume she will wear at this year’s Dragon*Con.

So head on over there and vote for your favorite costume!
www.thatcostumegirl.com

WTF Costumes has some great costume photos on their website.

Check ‘em out: www.wtfcostumes.com.

Portland, Oregon is definitely a great place for costume lovers. Meet the Alter Egos Society. From their website:

“The ALTER EGOS SOCIETY is a loose collection of artists and functional nerds who band together in times of crisis to create an opportunity for people to wear tights in public.”

Sounds fun! In association with DrunkenRampage.com, they recently put on a huge Alter Ego bash where Superheroes and Super Villains Heroes were given a chance to prove themselves through contests, games and, apparently, lots of drinking.

[Photos via Northwest Bookworm]

Looks like a great group of people. The Alter Ego Society also makes superhero short films and they donate to p:ear, a charity that helps the homeless and transitional youth.

We’re going to keep our eyes on these guys. Very impressive!

Since our last Steampunk article, we noticed some focus and attention. The Steampunk lovers are true to the spirit of DIY and costumes.
Now bloggers are uniting to bring them up to status with a recent Steampunk blog carnival. In essence, a blog carnival is when a chosen topic focuses on bringing all the blog posts on the subject into one place for a time. It also inspires people to get writing, creating, sharing, and motivating. This is perfect for the Steampunk community.

Walking the Berkshires hosts a great blog carnival every month or so called “Cabinet of Curiosities”. In this fifth edition, they are highlighting Steampunk in all of its clever details. In fact, it’s better than anything we’ve ever done on the topic, and we can admit it. It’s worth a look.

While there are some great links, we’re mostly interested in the Steampunk costumes and where to go to find out more about them. Here’s what we gathered from the carnival…

• Aether Emporium has an excellent page on Steampunk fashion, where to find it, how to do it, and all the in betweens.
• They also share The Heliograph, a blog with some great Steampunk fashion inspiration.
• The carnival features these gloves mapping London, suggesting a fine point of fashion for Steampunk ladies.

And a few links of our own…

• Social shopping site Kaboodle has some suggestions for Steampunk fashion, always necessary for the costume basis.
• Here’s a great link with some full Steampunk costumes, showing the ensemble look.
• If you’re having a hard time finding a place to get some Steampunk gear that you don’t have to make from scratch, Buysteampunk.com is a good start. Eventually, you’ll want to make it your own though.

Now I know what blog carnivals are good for. It’s nice to know that there’s enough people out there interested in Steampunk to participate in a gathering of good info like this. We’ll dive in more as time goes on, but hopefully that’s enough linking to keep you at your computer for awhile.

Instructables has always been a knock out for good DIY content. Without enough time to scour the pages frequently enough, I don’t see everything. Upon loading up the front page today, I came across this instructable on how to make an effective and convincing gunshot wound. It’s pretty sick looking, and not for the faint of heart, but if you’re making your own costumes it’s a must.

Since Instructables is always good for a step-by-step tutorial, you can check it out and plan out your costumes accordingly. Instructables user, Trumpetneel, seems to have a knack for these discusting flesh lacerations and wounds, so he’ll have more for you when you check it out. Now, to figure out how I’m going to manage breakfast…

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.

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.

Batman and Robin by Daniel Krall

Dean Trippe is doing a service to the comic and costume industry with his blog Project Rooftop. It’s a blog with a mission to diversify the clever super hero costumes out there. The blog has numerous contributions from comic artists all over, and just about every bit of art that floats to the site is second to none. It begs the question, why costume redesign? According to Trippe’s site:

In the superhero market, the various character redesigns by superstar artists like Bruce Timm and Alex Ross have impressed upon readers just how versatile classic superhero iconography can be. Many characers, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Green Lantern, and Supergirl, have had numerous costume changes, but have generally retained their visual identity. Redesiging classic superhero costumes has become an art which combines design skills, color theory, theatrical costuming, and fashion sense.

The superhero fashion industry seems to be a robust one. With superhero culture growing larger from Hollywood adaptations and the popularity of events like Comic Con, it’s no wonder comic artists gather to rehash their favorite do-gooder paragons into their own interpretations.

We absolutely love it! In the world of superpowers, costumes make the hero. This is a great place to get some wonderful ideas for clever DIY costumes, and really pay homage to the artists with the imagination behind the work.

Many of our users have likely noticed that we’re graciously supported by the wonderful Costume Craze. That’s why we felt it would be necessary to give a shout out to a few truly noticable and recognizable things going on a Costume Craze right now.

1. Blowout Sale - Since the holiday is over, it appears everything is on discount. Their sales are really just dependent on what you buy, so you can truly find some gems. If you’re really on the ball, you’ll be stocking up for the holidays next year. Or you can take our previous advice and start building your own costume vault now.

2. Valerie Tabor Smith Costumes - Known for her photography of toddler in way too cute costumes, Valerie Tabor Smith has been selling her baby outfits exclusively with Costume Craze this year. Yeah, babies look cute as anything. Check out the work Valerie has done on her costumes. If you want one of your own, you can find them at Costume Craze.

3. Thanksgiving Costumes - As we have stated time and time again, we are advocates of costumes year round. Why consolidate the fun into a few certain holidays. Whether you’re putting on a play, having a Thanksgiving themed party, or you’ve got other quality reasons for playing Pilgrims and Indians, there’s a huge mess of good Thanksgiving costumes on sale now.

We send our love out to Costume Craze for supporting our work and really helping the blog run. We couldn’t do it without them and we are glad they share equal passion for all things costume.

As a new blog, we’re really trying to figure out just how dirty we can get our hands without costing us money that we don’t possess in masses to spend. Yeah, it’s the eternal party killer. As such, we do rely on informing our readers of great sources of information that are exactly what we should all be focusing on.

And, in the spirit of Halloween, we nod our heads at Make Magazine to take the stage. The mag is a virtual (literally) beacon to the geeky do-it-yourself types. They offer all kinds of kits, tools, and ideas on how to produce your own technology with simple items found laying around. I’m a fan and proud.

Make put out an issue of their increasingly popular magazine centered around this great holiday. It doesn’t hurt that Halloween is a haven for the “Do-It-Yourself” crowd enough as it is. It’s a given that the team at Make would jump all over the opportunity. The magazine houses brilliant costume concoctions, tech-filled instructions for haunted house scare tactics, and even awesome food ideas for the upcoming festivities. Yeah, it’s that good. Check out some of our graciously cut-and-pasted text from the contents of this year’s Halloween special issue of Make:

The Cylon Jack-o’-Lantern by Windell Oskay
Building the Larson Scanner with LEDs. Page 60

Stencil Carving by Wendy Frauenfelder
Design spooktacular effects for pumpkins. Page 63

Digital Jacks by Eric J. Wilhelm
Tips on taking spooky photos of your pumpkins. Page 64

Tomes of Terror by Mark Frauenfelder
Spooktastic DIY books. Page 65

Sweet Bleeding Heart by Barbara Jo
Bake a bloody thorax cake that oozes with every bite. Page 66

Meat Head by Andy Oakland
Craving some cranium? You’ve come to the right place. Page 69

Pumpkin Guts to Die For by Christy Canida
Roast your own pumpkin seeds. Page 70

Graveyard Cake by Shawn Connally
The trick is in the chilled chocolate trees. Page 71

Home Haunting Basics by William Gurstelle
The pros share their tips in the exciting field of people-scaring. Page 74

Trash Can Trauma by William Gurstelle
Scare the wits out of visitors with this pneumatic spook. Page 80

Ultimate Fog Chiller by Adam Tourkow
Build the chiller that won the 2004 HauntCon Chill-Off competition. Page 85

Mini Electric Chair by Jon Williams
How to electrocute the devilish Chucky doll of slasher movie fame. Page 86

Grave Situation by Cory Derenburger
Don’t resort to grave-robbing to add realistic tombstones to your haunted house. Make them from styrofoam. Page 90

So here’s the bottom line. If you feel like you’re wearing a creativity blindfold, or just need a boost of ideas to match your superhuman ambition for Halloween goodness, leave a lot of that work to Make. Hit the links for for the site, and a place to purchase the mag. Do it quick. Oh, and do yourself a favor and browse Make for awhile. You’ll find a lot of goodies for the DIY in you.

For the other volumes in our Series, click here

Halloween Countdown - Volume 1 - Haunted Floor Plans

Halloween Countdown - Volume 2 - Find Halloween Events With Eventful

I don’t know how many of the readers already have their schedules planned out for Halloween night. I’m the type to effectively sit on my hands as long as possible until I can force the regret of not having plans. It makes for some good default party hopping and spontaneity. However, if you’re the itinerary type, you need plans. And hey, everyone wants to party with the guy/girl who’s already got a few places to go.

Well, in our countdown of suggestions for today, we’re going to throw an idea out there. Why not use Eventful. Eventful is a site that will let you put in your zip code and a key word to find events in your area. I’m always skeptical about sites like this, because they’re usefulness is predicated upon their usage.

I ran Eventful through a test run. As of right now, in my home town, the search for “costumes” brought up 4 events. That’s not bad being this early in the month. Just to see how powerful it was, I put Second Life as the location. Sure enough, there is even a list of events going on in Second Life. Not bad at all.

Finally, you can use Eventful if you’re putting together a massive party or Haunted House, and you want people to find ya. Just sign up and put a description of your event. Small disclaimer, we take no responsibility if your guest list is more than random and a bit creepy. But hey, it’s Halloween.

Anyway, take a look and use it to your benefit this Halloween. You’ll party harder than you ever have before.

For the first volume in our series, click here - Halloween Countdown Volume 1

It’s amazing how rough it’s been for me to find good stuff to write on when it’s this close to Halloween. It seems that too much opportunity makes for tough decision making. Either way, I have some things to report on, so I’ll keep it coming.

I thought I’d draw everyone’s attention to this new Halloween site put up by Fandango. If you don’t know what Fandango is, then you either hate movies, hate the Internet, or just haven’t been informed. Fandango is a film site that sets readers up with reviews, movie times, and more.

Well this year they’re adding to the October festivities by launcing their Halloween Haunt site. From the looks of it, there’s more activity than you can shake a witches broom at. Yeah, I said it, witches broom.

Fangango is rocking a good deal of ideas for costumes, top 10 lists, polls, dirt on creepy movies, and a whole load of creepy imagery. If not just a sweet springboard for great Halloween ideas, it’s a nice place for a dose of Halloween news. Yeah, it’s that good. We suggest you read up there, but bookmark em next to us so you don’t lose track of all the radness that’s spouting from MyDisguises.

Let it be known that TV in Japan is plain weird. Although sometimes I have to wonder how their culture differences play in. I mean, there must be things about our TV that are strage too, no? Perhaps Football is a absurd sport to them? And a show like Seinfeld where people just “hang out” is supposed to be funny?

But they couldn’t possibly think those things about us, could they!?

Well no more need to justify. Whatever the case, TV in Japan delivers pure, unadulterated TV clips from Japan that are easily worth a view or two. What does this have to do with Costumes? Well, culture is a costume in and of itself and we get a lot from the Japanese. This is pretty rich. After all, to borrow a phrase from the site… “This is what TV is like. In Japan.”
Anyway, enough of my blabbing. Let the site and the videos do the talking for themselves. Here’s a taste of some great Japanese TV with the accompaniment of our beloved California Governator, Arnold Schwartzenegger.

You wouldn’t believe the serious lack of good sites on the web for costume enthusiasts. Well, maybe you would. I have scoured high and low for sites that have interesting things to read, cover a broad spectrum of costume interests, and are normally updated. Obviously that’s part of the reason why we’re here.

Well, we’re not selfish with our traffic and thought it would be nice to show off a site from time to time that has some kind of relation to what we do. Yesterday, I bumped across retroCRUSH.

First I have to clear up why we see retroCRUSH as a legit relative to MyDisguises. Well, the thing that first got my attention was the articles featured on the main page as I passed by. The first one is about the best superhero costumes of all time. I read through the logic behind it and can’t say I disagree. Second is a feature with Rob Zombie over the creepy Halloween movie that just came out.

Who doesn’t have a retro crush on this old costume?

The site doesn’t talk about costumes all the time… as they have clearly left that responsibility to us.  What they do well is cover years of pop culture with style. Even the site layout and design looks like the old days of the web. Nice job retroCRUSH! Active forums and a long time podcast only add to the coolness factor. All in all, it’s a site definitely worth checking out. I’m sure you could also get some killer retro costume ideas from them.

Check out retroCRUSH and let us know what you think. We’ll aspire to one day be that robust and full of good content!

I want to promote the community of people out there who share similar interests, as it just seems that there are too many blogs and sites that fly under the radar when they should get prime real estate. Thus, I found Handmade Detroit.

The site is basically dedicated to all things DIY for anyone interested. They seem to also host a big craft event in the Detroit area. Points of note, the blog itself just looks and feels good. You don’t get stuff like this on blogger, and for good reason. I wish they’d do a DIY on how I can design like they did… I’m a bit impaired in that category.

Today’s post is all about the DIY work of Emily Gustafson. As an artist, you have to admire her clever usage of cardboard and theme. The photo is borrowed from the site, but hit the link to check out more of Handmade Detroit.

We’ll put this one as one of our first on the blogroll, as we should expect to see some useful ideas from Handmade in the future.