Gathering Costume Materials
Pick a light colored gown or long t-shirt. Choose a gown or long t-shirt very light in color. A nice dress, robe or nightgown makes for a great angel costume, but a long t-shirt can also look the part with the right perks; the trick is to achieve an elegant and/or flowing effect. A light color will help keep your costume “angelic.” Aim for white, light blue, a light yellow or mint green for color. Color hues that are warm, inviting, and comforting mimic light sources that have the same effect. Go all out this year and make your angel costume do the same. Remember, you’re an angel – the flagship of goodness and kindness. Try your best to keep the gown as modest as possible (no white cocktail dresses) or else run the risk of being a devil in disguise!
Choose the perfect wings. Decide on what type of wings you’d like your angel costume to have. Wings come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and materials that are only limited by your imagination. The type of wing you choose will determine what resources you’ll need in making them a reality. Does your angel costume have a fairy wings? Maybe your angel costume is a bit more traditional and requires standard angel wings? Or maybe you’re aiming for something more unique and would like to have balloon wings? Go all out this year and have a memorable set of wings that will have your friends asking how they were made. Wings only have to be as fancy as you choose them to be. A simple, inexpensive idea is to gather poster board material and cut it into the right shape. With the right amount of tweaks, these can look just as good and be crafted without breaking the bank. It’s not necessary for the colors of the wings to match your gown exactly, but aim to keep the colors on a similar scale to really unite the costume. You can also go the exact opposite route to have contrasting wings that really stand out. To get those feathery wings, purchase artificial white feathers and glue a whole bunch of them onto a half heart cardboard, repeat for the other wing.
Decide on an eye-catching halo. Imagine what sort of halo you’d like for your angel costume and get to work on making it a reality. Like wings, a halo can come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors that is only limited by your imagination and ability to craft it. A simple, inexpensive idea is using a gold or silver pipe cleaner. It’s easy to bend one of decent length into the shape of a halo. What’s more, it’s easy to combine several into a halo of decent length and girth. You can try basic combinations of common household items to create the halo, such as gold paper and a wire that you can tie it on, or a wire and gold pipe cleaner. Halloween, party supply stores, and even larger grocery stores carry several types of glow-stick and glowing ring materials perfect for crafting halos. Browse one close to you if you’re looking for extra inspiration.
Crafting Your Costume
Make your wings. The wings are an essential component of what makes an angel costume and, in all likelihood, the most time consuming. Begin with the wing to ensure they’re exactly how you want them and afford time to make any necessary changes. One of the easiest routes to go down involves simply taking a piece of poster board and crafting paper wings. While it may not initially sound like much, these wings can easily be spruced up by covering them in tin foil before adding your own blend of decoration via paint, glitter, etc. These wings are also easier on your wallet. Begin by getting a large piece of poster board. These can be found at any local grocery store that sells office supplies. Draw a large heart on the piece of poster board. Each half of the heart will eventually serve as a single wing, so bear that in mind when buying the piece of poster board and sketching. Cut around the heart to cut the shape out. Cut down the middle to have two separate pieces or just fold the heart in half to achieve the effect of wings. Decorate, draw in detail and customize the paper wings as much as you like to make them your own. Don't be afraid to get more creative. However, know that, depending on the type of wings you choose to make, crafting your wings can range from being a simple scissor cut to an elaborate process. While balloon wings will take hardly any time at all, fairy wings and elaborate methods of traditional angel wings will require a bit more.
Craft your halo. The halo is the second most recognizable detail of an angel costume. While this item may seem like an intimidating part of the costume, there are a few quick methods to ensure you’ll have a halo in no time. The easiest way to obtain a halo for your angel costume involves purchasing golden or silver spruced pipe cleaners from any local party supply store. Some grocery stores carry these pipe cleaners as well. Take a single pipe cleaner and measure out about a foot and a half to two feet. If the pipe cleaners you purchased do not meet this desired length, twist two together. Separate two to six inches of one end of the pipe cleaner to keep straight for a later portion of the halo making process. Bend the remainder of the pipe cleaner into a circle. Point the remaining bit of the pipe cleaner - the straight portion - downward and at a 90 degree angle. Wrap the remaining bit the pipe cleaner around a headband or solid piece of headwear for ease and comfort. If necessary, attach the pipe cleaner to an upper portion of your gown. For a “showier” halo, repeat the process with the pipe cleaners to make the halo appear thicker. You can also attach a necklace or wire lined with jewelry to really give your halo a regal look. The pipe cleaner method can be used to attach any material to a headband for the sake of a halo. Apply it with whichever material you’ve decided to craft with.
Combine the pieces into a costume. Attach your wings – and if necessary your halo – to your gown. This can be achieved by sewing the wings on individually, gluing them with a hot glue gun, or simply duct taping the wings to cause less damage to both them and your gown. To find the perfect “sweet” spot on your back, find the one place on the height of your back where the fabric you’re wearing begins to stretch. Measure in the mirror – or have a friend measure – the place in your back equidistant from both of your shoulders. This will be the middle of your back. Use your spine for guidance. How your wings sit on your back is important. Make sure they’re sitting up and straight rather than droopy to really achieve an angelic presence. On the other hand, don’t make the wings too tight, as you may undo the hard work you’ve put in to make them or attach them to your costume. Use this as the perfect place to perch your wings. The “sweet” spot will not require you to flex your back at all and have the wings remain perched. If it’s a spot too low, the wings will not remain perched and fall. This can cause damage due to movement. If it’s too high, you run the risk of over flexing the material used.
Personalizing Your Angel Costume
Add other wardrobe items. Adding other items from your wardrobe can really personalize your costume and make it your own. Add a contrasting belt to give your gown more shape, light colored leggings for even more color, or gloves to really bring it home.
Accessorize. Add your own rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces to really achieve an elegant angel look. If you’re leery about going out in your finest accessories, consider visiting a costume or party supply store for costume jewelry. You can also add splashes of glitter, light-colored paint or even tin foil to really make the outfit pop.
Keep your footwear angelic. Make sure your footwear matches the rest of your outfit. If you’ve gone the traditional angel route, keep the footwear limited to sandals. If you’re going for a more elegant angel look, make sure your footwear is formal, such as simple slip-on white shoes. The last thing you want to do is have your well-crafted costume thrown off by a pair of sneakers.
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