Halloween Fashion

It's getting closer to that very exciting time of year when children - AND adults - get to dress up in jolly costumes! I think it's generally well known that Halloween has always been popular in America, even though it was a 'celtic' holiday borrowed, or taken over from the Scottish and Irish folks. I think till quite recently, though, people made their own costumes. The result was often fabulous, and often frightening. So I just wanted to take a closer look at Halloween 'fashion'.

I'm not sure if this was from a book or magazine. Even though the dress reflects the fashion of the time (1920's probably) its bold colour sets it a little apart. 

This one is a little earlier, from the early 1900s. I love that her dress has stars and a moon, and she's wearing an owl in her hair! 

Again, this dress reflects 1910s fashion, but has a costumey 'oriental' feeling to it. 

In the 1910s and the 1920s, Dennison's, the paper company, started coming out with an annual "Bogey" book which made party decoration ideas and costume ideas, all to be made from paper! These are very charming and beautiful, and I think their suggestions were quite widely used. I saw an old scrap book of my grandmother's from the 1920s and she'd glued in a little scrap of a paper costume someone wore to her Halloween party!

From a Dennison's book. I especially love the bat and spider ones!

Stunning! 

This reminds me of that post card - look at all the things on her skirt, and I love that stiff little cat on her shoulder!

This was in a recent magazine, but reminds me of the Dennison's costumes.

I love these fashionable witch costumes! Which colour do you prefer?

Jolly, bizarre costumes in real life, probably from the 1920s.

Another group of creative Halloween revellers!