Stevie Nicks Halloween Costume (2013)

Good morning!

I know, it's a little late to get ramped up about All Hallow's Eve-- I just put out my jack o lantern and my skeleton-that-plays-"Dixie"-for-no-apparent-reason (he's a rebel skeleton from the dirty south? I have no idea...like this one but sans the hat) today, which makes me feel like I've missed it altogether! However, with some festivities behind us (my folks' Halloween get together) and some yet ahead (my friend Kate's annual bash), we're ready to keep the spirit of Halloween alive in our hearts. Today and tomorrow, I'll show you our costumes from this past weekend, and hopefully, by Friday, we'll be ready for Saturday eve's fancy dressup occasion.

Here's my first costume, which, as the title of this post would clue you in, is a nod to the gypsy frontwoman of Fleetwood Mac:

A rare, eyeliner-less Lisa! I hadn't decided what to do for makeup at this point, and forgot
to take more pictures in the rush to get out the door!!

This was my best Stevie Nicks impersonation without actually going to the lengths of dyeing or feather perming my hair a reasonable Stevie platinum (I thought about it, but I couldn't commit to keeping it blonde). I'm wearing four inch heels and a top hat, which, as my dad pointed out upon my arrival at his house, actually makes me taller than his own 6'2'' (I think 6'6'' or so, including the hat, was the final tally). I have always (been a storm?) harbored a completely un-secret ambition to front a Stevie Nicks cover band, and now I know I have the wardrobe to pull it off, at least!! Now, to book some casino gigs and find a backing band....

My style board:

Inspiration board...top hat, sequins, boots. DONE.

Stevie's Fleetwood Mac (1975) and early Rumours (1977) look, on stage and off, was more bohemian gypsy patchwork than Welsh witch. I've always been a fan of the Rumours world tour or Tusk (1979) and onwards look of just piles of chiffon, velvet, sequins...shoulderpads out to here....hair like your mom probably had when you were a kid, teased to bejesus...that's my speed in a heartbeat. While her leotards and angel-sleeved black sheet dresses were chic, that "no, seriously, I'm in a rock and roll band" look of the late seventies' and early eighties' for Stevie is one of my favorites (and way more recognizable than say a even a cool outfit like this). To put it together, I wore a top hat from Thrift Smart out on Nolensville Rd, and teeteringly high heeled boots from  the newly opened Goodwill at Indian Lake. Items from the Zelda boutique off Hillsboro Rd's moving sale (Patterson Estate Sales did the honors) rounded out my look-- panne velvet layered lavender skirt,  sequined shawl pinned onto a camisole, and, my favorite piece, this 1910's jacket, which came with the following label:

OH MY SWEET LORD, $595. HOW. I knew the store, now in a larger location near the Bluebird Cafe and within walking distance of its old location, was a chi-chi, upscale kind of place to buy women's clothing . In its former incarnation on Harding Road (most of the estate sale inventory was from that time, I guess?), the boutique seems to have sold actually antique lace flapper dresses and remade/remodeled vintage clothing of a romantic persuasion. Lots of sequins, feathers, and feminine boho lines on these exquisite clothes-- however, I had no idea I would have to take out a loan to shop there retail back in the day! The coat was marked down to $195, as you see on the label, then priced at $70 by Patterson-- I got it for half off on the second day, so $35 total expenditure (which, before I saw the old price tag, I actually thought was a little high when compared with flea market prices for similar goods! Eeek!). Here are some close ups of my Stevie clothes:

You can see the detail on the sequined shawl and the jacket's embroidery a little better up close, but not much (I have to get a better camera, kids!). I wish I could wear stuff like this all the time, to tell the truth! I have a whole Rubbermaid storage bin, in my closet, of sequins and black velvet, chiffon and taffeta, shoulder padded, nipped waisted, jackets and blouses and skirts and dresses, circa 1980-1992. All black or gold or silver. As ubiquitous as these items seem on Goodwill racks now, I know that someday they'll come back into fashion, and I won't be able to have my actual-gold-items at fool's gold prices! I visited Pura Vida Vintage on Music Row a month or two ago with Jen Quier, and saw that there was a whole front room of these kinds of frippery, and knew my hoarding hadn't been in vain!

Anyway, what do you think? How would you make this outfit even "more Stevie"? Kelsey opined "MORE SCARVES. ALWAYS MORE SCARVES." and my friend Caroline, "You need to crimp your hair!" (words that have not been spoken so earnestly since 1994). Have you dressed up as a favorite celebrity for Halloween before? What touches made your costume especially "that person"? Let's talk!

               

That's all for today, but I will see you guys back here tomorrow for more HaaaaalllllooooooWEEEEEN..... (thunderclap, organ music). Til then! :)