Vintage Halloween Costume Inspiration 1880s - 1950s

I am really getting into the halloween spirit while researching for my next project. I've found so many great photographs along the way that I wanted to stop and share. Enjoy!

1880s

1890s

1900s

1910s

1920s

This is a photograph of a halloween party onboard a transatlantic ocean liner.  You can learn more from the great, great granddaughter of one of these women here!

1930s

1940s

This may have been my favorite - two couples  during the 40s in 'throw back' swimwear of the 1900s!

1950s

Vintage Inspired Cosplay and Halloween Costumes - Dragon Con 2015

This year was my first trip to Dragon Con in Atlanta!  I was happy to see how many others cosplayed vintage characters or stylized a character in a certain era aesthetic. (See how I channeled the iconic Julie Newmar in my 1960s Catwoman cosplay.) I was too overwhelmed by my first convention experience to take many of my own photos  but I managed to find my favorites to share here for your cosplay and vintage halloween costume inspiration.

I've been wanting to make mine own retro space woman and I loved this cosplay from the Fallout Las Vegas video game! If you are unfamiliar with the game, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic future of 1950s culture. The character can be spotted on remnants of 1950s billboards for 'Rita's Cafe'.

Courtesy of GCF Photography

This homage to the famous Schiaparelli lobster dress was amazing and I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to ask her about it. It was perfect for the night at the aquarium!

Courtesy of Zachare Sylvestre

Victorian Avengers were fantastic!

Courtesy of ~Ealasaid~

She was a stand-out contestant in the Costuming Craftsmanship contest. The amount of hand beading was unbelievable.

Courtesy of Eric Williams

Agent Peggy Carter was spotted all over the convention - I loved this feel of this shot...

Courtesy of dolbex

...and this pair for the unexpected appearance (and super cute costume) of Angie Martinelli.

Courtesy of Katie

I couldn't put this list together without including the Captain America USO girls. They even had their own section in the parade!

Courtesy of Emily Myers

The DC Bombshells

Courtesy of Chris Christian

A fun 1920s spin on the DC Batman villains.

Courtesy of lt_bully

The 1950s Super Mario poodle skirt ladies and Letterman Luigi may have been my favorite group of the con!

Courtesy of c_sherm

1960's Catwoman - Julie Newmar Tutorial (Vintage Halloween Costume & Cosplay)

This year I made my first trip up to Atlanta for Dragon Con! It's is everything I love in one place - and I'm hooked! The talent on display in the hallways, on the contest stage, and on the panels was fantastic. I was blown away by the number of other cosplayers who paid homage to period characters or were influenced by a vintage aesthetic. There was even a Vintage Vogue Fashion Show! I will share my favorites in another post soon, but today I want to share my costume, The classic Catwoman as portrayed by Julie Newmar in the Batman tv series that ran from 1966 - 1967. Her character is both sultry and whimsical which was very fun to cosplay. This was the first head to toe costume I completed myself, and the first bodysuit I've ever sewn. I hope my successes and lessons learned inspire you to get started on your next 1960s halloween costume or cosplay!

Trial runs to the finished cosplay at Dragon Con!)

If you're unfamiliar with Julie Newmar she was fantastic then and still fabulous now!

See how the costume, accessories, hair and makeup were put together after the jump!