MY COSTUME OBSESSION

 
- Liane Weintraub, Editor-in-Chief 

Aaaaah, October … I can’t wait til this month is over!  Not because there’s anything I actually dislike about the month of October, but because the best part of it, in my book anyway, comes at the very end.  Halloween!

Me as Not-So-Little Red Riding Hood & Richard as That 70’s Guy, last Halloween

If there’s one thing that most of my friends know about me, it’s that I get really excited about a good costume party, and Halloween is just the biggest & best costume party of the year.

 
My Disco Queen look, courtesy of a wind machine

It’s kind of strange that I’m such a fan of “fancy dress,” as my English friends would call it, because in everyday life, I dress fairly simply.  I am not one of those girls who goes for a special “look” on a regular basis.  My wardrobe is pretty straightforward – I think the official name for it would be “Classic American.”  Shannan & I pretty much spend our lives in jeans (these days it’s J Brand), simple tops and ballet flats.  (This seems to be the uniform of choice for most mothers of toddlers.)

But give me a good reason to dress up and I’m there!

Allow me to relive some of my costume highlights for you: There was the year my husband and I were Mister Howell (the “Billionaire”) and Ginger (the “Movie Star”) from Gilligan’s Island.  Hey, you know Mr. Howell always wanted to date Ginger!

Another time we were Lucy & Ricky.  That wasn’t an easy one because a true Lucille Ball wig is impossible to find – trust me, I went to every wig shop in LA!  In the end, I had to have one custom-made.

Then one time Shannan and I went to a “Rockstar” themed party as Robert Palmer’s back-up singers (sadly all photos of this seem to have disappeared!) in black mini-dresses, pony tails, bright red lipstick & guitars.  Yet another theme party (this time it was “Pirates”) found us dressed like Captain Hook’s wenches.

Wenches Shannan & Liane, at your service!

But it doesn’t always take a full-fledged holiday like Halloween or a theme-party to get me into a get-up.  One time, we rented a house in Mexico with a group of friends.  For no particular reason, our fabulous friend, Trinny, thought it would be a hoot to bring wigs for everyone to wear for dinner one night.  It was one of the silliest and most fun evenings ever!  Everyone donned a completely different hairdo (my husband wore long blonde locks, if you can picture that!), and we all took on new personalities and behaved like completely different people, thanks to our disguises.

With my brother and our kooky wigs

So, I suppose the moral of the story is that Halloween or not, getting into costume can be fun and liberating.  But the truth is that I’m still excited about the big “Boo” at the end of this month, especially now that my daughter is old enough to really understand what it’s all about.  … And yet, every day seems to be “Dress Up Like a Fairy Princess Day” for her!

 
Ava, in one of her "everyday" looks

Read Co-Founder Shannan's October blog story: Tastybaby Comes to Life