The Sea and the Old Man

This year, I participated in 4 Halloween events. I had 2 costumes planned (Spiderweb and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland) and one backup idea (fairy, which obviously is a cop-out one can wear at almost any time!) but the day before the Night of the Living Zoo, I realized that none of my costumes were suitable for spending a late October evening outdoors.

Last-minute costume-planning ensued. Fortunately, I keep a box of costumes in my basement, because (who's surprised?) I like dressing up. The blue dress that looks like water is the warmest costume piece I own, and it only took a few minutes of brainstorming before I had come up with an appropriate theme—the ocean!

I gathered all my stuffed marine animals and aquatic jewelry and started pinning!

Seashells in my hair, pearls around my neck, and an octopus on my shoulder! I tried to ocean up my face with blue eye makeup, coral lipstick, and blue mascara on my brows, but the effect ended up being too subtle to really show up in pictures. I also wore dangling fish earrings.

Shortly before leaving home, I found this little walrus in my backpack (I'd brought him home to use in  my costume and promptly forgot about it), so, thinking quick, I pinned him to the top of my head too. I liked to imagine that my walrus was sitting on some outcropping of rock surrounded by deep blue sea.

 Other creatures which graced my costume were a toy snail and a fish pin.

I accessorized with this nifty fish-themed purse I just happened to have lying around, and kept my extremities warm in navy blue boots and gloves.

My boyfriend wore a hideous old man mask, white wig, and a robe, and sometimes tried to say he was a wizard, but lacking a hat or a staff, his costume didn't have much credibility. It was, sadly, only after we'd already left the event that it occurred to me we should have presented ourselves as Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea!