Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short because it's okay to be a boy. But for a boy to be a girl is degrading because you think that being a girl degrading. But secretly, you'd want to know what's like, wouldn't you -- what it feels like for a girl - Madonna
My ultimate icon - Kylie Minogue
It's fun to be a girl sometimes. This is another tribute to women, and anyone, who takes effort to look beautiful. It is not easy, people! Aside from the fun part, dressing up as someone taught me a whole new perspective of things that actually helped mould the character that I am now. I have better understanding of people - that sometimes women aren't cranky because they are bitches but simply their shoes are just killing them.
I want to share with you a journey of how I got in to this whole dress-up-as-someone-for-Halloween thing. Even when I was a kid, I remember putting on my mum's shoes, using the blanket to make a dress-like outfit, and generally using my mother's stuff. Yes people, it is an indication that a boy is a gay boy. So for mothers out there who see this sign, you should, this early point in time, start accepting you're son might be gay - and it's not a bad thing.
Don't get me wrong though, I do not want to become a girl. But sometimes it's fun putting myself in their shoes, literally - what it's like, how fun it is as well as how difficult it is, especially nowadays.
We have friends who became inspiration to both me and Jason in dressing up. My three very good friends Ryan Pronstroller, Jethro Patalinhug, and Mike Reyes who all taught us how to nail an outfit. We learned from the best!
Fast forward to 2007, my BFF Jason Tomas shared with me his first drag on moment - hosting his company's Christmas party as Mariah Carey. He looked really funny though but it's the type of funny to make dressing like a girl fun. When I visited him in is house, we played dressed up in his room like little girls. We used his Natasha 3" heels and used other means to create a dress-like outfit. Here are some of the photos:
left: Miss Brazil right: Flight Attendant
It was a lot of fun. There were a lot more photos but to spare me of my remaining dignity, I will not be posting them anymore.
Come
2008, we have decided to sip up some courage to dress up in public for Halloween. This photo sparked that thought:
Typically, you would think that I went for Beyoncé and Jason went for Britney. On the contrary, it was the opposite. He decided to be Beyoncé from the Destiny's Child Survivor music video whilst I tried to be Britney Spears from the ...Baby One More Time music video. Honestly, I could say we were pretty enough for first timers. But we did have a whole lotta room for improvement.
This was the year where all the Halloween parties were scattered in many days. Our first appearance was at Fiama in Jupiter. This was the Gossip Girl era that everyone dressed up like an upper-east sider school girl.
I will let the photo do the talking. Here I was as Britney Spears from the ....Baby One More Time Video:
I know I'm missing the pig tails and the blonde hair but I was pretty enough. Though people were confused who I was but most of the recall was still Britney because of the knot I did on the blouse. So that kind of salvaged the look. Lesson learned #1: Recall - to gauge how recognisable your costume is.
In 2009, we both missed the preparation for Halloween due to busy schedule at work. We did not have time to prepare. But in December of that year, I have planned our company's Christmas party. As I have been commissioned to be the host, I decided to dress up a little bit. Luckily for me, we have some friends in the business whom I asked for help for the costume I wanted to wear. This was an impromptu decision just like how Jason decided to host their company's party.
Here I was glimmering in a sequins-studded outfit by Charina Sarte. The look was inspired by Heather Graham from Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Fly-Eye Glasses was inspired by Calvin Harris. This outfit was apparently worn by Kyla in SOP before I borrowed it. That gives you a hint what dress size she is:
As we miss dressing up in public together, Jason and I decided to push to a higher level our Halloween costume. So in 2010, we researched about who we wanted to be. From where he was working at the time, his employer also owned a dress-making shop in the same building where their office is. When the time came we have decided on a peg, we went in for consultation and had out fitting. We were so excited as this is the first time we had our outfit done. Customisation is key! We decided to show our assets: Jason, abs; Marx, legs. He was a Hellcats cheerleader whilst I was a sexy lady referee.
It also so happened that we met Renan Bautista from a couple of common friends. Never imagined this meet up witll be the start of a yearly Halloween client-MUA relationship.
Here I was, the lady referee:
I achieved my goal that night - to look like a total girl. Although I got many references to who I was donning that night: Victoria Beckham, Vanessa Hudgens, Miss Universe 2010 Jimena Navarette of Mexico, and Penelope Cruz. Lesson Learned #2: Attitude - whatever you lack, you make it up with attichood!
After this night we were really raving with the result and was overwhelmed by the responses of both friends and people who didn't even know. This experience fired us up to don the what-was-yet-to-be-the-costume-to-beat.
As Halloween 2011 approached, we had ample time to conceptualise and prepare for the look. This point in time, people were really looking forward to who/what we will be wearing. We wouldn't want to let this people down so we squeezed our creative juices to come up with a ka-Vogue outfit.
This time Jason decided to become one of the greatest icons there is - Wonder Woman. As for me, I was having a hard time deciding. Just my luck with timing, I got to watch the movie Black Swan for the first time. When I saw the character of Natalie Portman as the dark side of the swan princess, I immediately got butterflies in my stomach and started pointing at the screen saying, that's me alright! I will be Black Swan!
We got all pegs aligned, contacted our former couturier. We had our fitting and was truly excited. However, this brought distraught when we learned that person making our dress resigned and left the work hanging. We also thought they didn't have the right knowledge to perfect the costume. So we resorted to another couturier who specialises in making outfits for CosPlayers. That boosted our confidence they will get the outfit right. So we had another fitting and religiously followed up.
At first, I wasn't confident with the outcome of the costume, Black Swan is a Russian ballet, therefore it needs to have a Russian-style tutu - the final product was American-style and we didn't have an ample time to re-work the costume. But I still felt good and confident that I can pull it off. Then came the make-up sesh. Renan is such a genius he did Black Swan's feather-eye make up on me in a matter of minutes. The make-up did salvage the look. The recall was perfect!
Here I was as The Black Swan: Lesson #3: Maintenance - how manageable is it to sustain the look and feel of the get-up.
After this night, we have reached the peak of our Halloween costume hobby. We both thought this were the costumes to beat - puts the pressure for the coming years!
The comes 2012, the pressure is really on. We were brain-storming if we can really out-do the previous year's costume. As September approaches, we were getting anxious and tensed - yes we are that serious. Our social status were on the line (LOL!). Desperation seemed to have kicked in, we were coming up with crazy concepts. The time came we needed to visit our couturier, Jason has decided to become a Hooters girl whilst I half-heartedly decided to become Akasha, Queen of the Damned - which I have been planning to go as from yesteryears. During the visit to our tailors, we were still pretty much undecided. I got Jason to actualise our former plan to dress up as Baywatch babes. He will be CJ Parker and I would be Lt. Stephanie Holden. But I didn't want to share the concept, so I pushed for Akasha. With religious follow up, I was able to get an early fitting. When all seemed in place, I didn't feel right about my costume. I was having a costume crisis as if my life depended on it. I decided to drop the Akasha concept Thursday night, just two days before the Cream Ball.
That night I dreamt of the Candyman video, not sure what it meant but it all just dawned on me that might be my inner-self sending me a message. That morning, I began checking out the video and the photos. Then there it was - butterflies in my stomach. The same feeling I got with Black Swan. At that moment too, I've decided to yield to Black Swan's legacy but promised to be sassy, sexy, and fun donning my new-found costume.
Friday lunch time, I called my couturier that they need to rush another costume and have to get it by 3PM Saturday. I did what I thought I had to do.
Being my inspiration with costumes and concepts, I saw my friend Mike Reyes online on Skype and shared with him this change. Without realising he previously shared this concept with me before. Honestly, I have never thought he would be serious to push for this concept since we were sharing so many pegs at the time we were chatting. In girl world, what I did was a NO-NO. But my instincts kicked in and I was decided to push for the look. Coupled by the facts my other friends went as Baywatch Hunks, so Jason was their muse, and some other friends went as Sailor Men, so I thought I could be their muse. We were in-theme!
Nuff said - here are the photos to tell you the story. Here I was as Candy, with a 1940's pin-up girl inspired make-up. I was really a girl: Lesson Learned #4: Pay-It-Forward - there has been an increasing number of people who we, apparently, inspired to dress-up. I want to share a deeper meaning to this yearly thing.
That's done for 2012! So you might be thinking what's in-store for 2013? Let's decide after the world decides not to end in 21 December 2012. But I assure you, if that is really bound to happen, you will see me in my fiercest, most glamourous yet. Stay tuned!
**photos courtesy of myself, friends, and the Internet. Many thanks!
What say you?
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