Inspired Living with Rochelle

I have always loved peacocks. From their statuesque confidence to their iridescent feathers, I have always admired the beautiful creatures. Something else I have always loved is Halloween. Every year I try to pick a costume that is somewhat unique and creative,  with a lot of self-assembly required (but no sewing. I am great with a glue gun...but haven't sewn since 4-H twelve years ago.) Last year I made a great Firefly costume, paying lots of attention to detail and utilizing random fabric pieces to combine into (what I thought) was an impressive outcome.

                                          Glencoe Photography

Now for the peacock. I have always wanted to be a peacock for Halloween, however have been a bit shocked at the lack of quality found in the pre-made costumes. I felt that the peacock costume had to be worthy and representative of the intricate and ornate details found in the feathers of the animal, so I decided (bravely, and with much trepidation) to make one of my own. I googled a variety of how-to's and found very little as far as a guide to create a quality and fairly low-cost costume. I somehow made up the costume as I went, a risky move, but fortunately it worked! Therefore, now that my costume is completed and I am (more than) satisfied with the results, I will share the "how-to"...in case you decide  you want to be a peacock yourself.


ITEMS NEEDED:

1. Corset (I purchased mine off of Ebay)
2. Tutu (Also Ebay)
3. Peacock Feathers (I purchase 3 different kinds of feathers of of Ebay: 50 natural shell back feathers, 50 eye feathers, and 25 sword feathers)
4. 4 / 72" high-quality Boas
5. Glue gun & glue sticks (I used about 25-30 mini glue sticks for this project. For extra stability, you can use hot glue and use a needle and thread to add reinforcement to each individual feather. For time purposes, I chose not to do this)
6. Scissors
7. Plain hair claw
8. 1 yard of black feather trim

Optional items to complete costume:

*Fishnet tights
*Opera length gloves
*Velcro for tutu


STEP 1: Use a feather boa to accent the top of the tutu. Simply use hot glue to attach, covering the circumference of the waist of the tutu.



2. Hot glue the back shell feathers individually into the boa at the waistline of the tutu. Be sure to vary the colors, and apply the majority of the feathers to the front of the tutu (as the back will have the tail).


3. Determine how long you would like your tail to be. I decided about 3', or 36". Cut a boa to this length, and glue to the underside of the boa on the back of the tutu, at the very CENTER. Following this, cut 2 slightly shorter pieces, and glue on both sides. Cut two more slightly shorter pieces, and glue to either sides of those, and once again. Glue these pieces very close together, so there is no seam in between the boas, and it creates the illusion of one piece. Based on your personal preference, you may need more/less boas than I used, depending on the fullness and length you desire.



4. Trim the eye peacock feathers to accentuate the eye of the feather. Following this, individually glue the feathers sporadically but fairy evenly into the boas on the tail of the costume, using about 20 of the eye feathers. Following this, glue approximately 20 of the sword feathers, trimming if necessary.




5. Cut the feather trim to match the measurements of the top of the corset. Following this, glue the eye feathers neatly on the trim.



6. Glue the trim to the top of the corset.



7. Cut a boa to the measurements of the top of the corset.  Glue over the base of the trim on the top of the corset. Use remaining back shell feathers to glue into the boa.




8. If you have a elastic waistband on your tutu, you will likely need to add a closure so you are able to wear it. I cut the side of the tutu, and applied velcro strips using hot glue, so I can take the tutu on and off very easily.

9. For the hairpiece, simply glue a length of boa onto the backside of a claw clip. Adorn it with 3 sword feathers, an eye feather, and some rhinestones (optional.)



Depending on your budget, particularly utilizing sites like Ebay, you can make this costume for less than $75. I splurged a bit on the boas ($50), as they were the one item I did not purchase on Ebay. I purchase a boa on Ebay that was not the quality I was hoping for, so in the future I will find a reputable seller on Ebay or Amazon that has high quality products. If you are looking to spend less than $75, it can also be made with a black leotard and tight short black skirt. (these can be found for very cheap at TJ Maxx or Goodwill, if you have the patience to bargain hunt a bit). You can also make this a "Racy Peacock" costume by using a more revealing black corset or bra.





                                                              And that's it! Enjoy!