At Carnevale in 2024, there was going to be a Purple Party — a dance party where guests were asked to wear something purple. Now I have a ton of purple in my everyday and costume wardrobes, plus I’ve been getting my (naturally almost black) hair dyed purple for several years. So I could have just picked from any of that. But did I? No, of course not! I wanted a new outfit. I thought of lots of different purple-themed cosplays and ideas and settled on the Haunted Mansion wallpaper because it’s a bluish purple with creepy faces in the design. Then I was inspired by Vivienne Westwood’s mini-crini collections from the mid-1980s where she made short hoops skirts worn with corset bustiers and her early 1990s collections where she did mini bustle skirts topped by fitted jackets.
I found cheap knock-off Haunted Mansion printed cotton fabric on AliExpress and used a couple Victorian-ish patterns from my stash to frankenstein together a fitted jacket with a flippy peplum, huge leg-o-mutton sleeves, and exaggerated lapels in a coordinating purple satin (from my stash).
For the skirt, I used the purple and black stripe skirt yardage I’d cut apart from an old 18th-c. gown (since the bodice no longer fit). I was able to use the previous skirt’s trim for the new skirt too. I draped this over a mini bustle bought off AliExpress.
I considered adding more trim, but buttons from the stash and a variety of goth accessories were good enough.
The mini top hat I’ve had for decades, just pinned on purple ribbon and a big flower. I had to get a repro “Ghost Host” pin from Etsy! The boots and tights are just my usual stuff.
When packing, I found I didn’t have room for the bustle itself, so I used the bumpad I needed for another costume on the same trip, and it worked just as well. Who knew?
