Store bought costumes Vs Homemade

[Sundowner]

I've noticed a lot lately at costume events there is a huge number of store bought costumes as winners. For instance last Halloween I had a Proton Pack with lights and sound with full Ghostbuster suit all homemade and I lost out to a steelers football store bought costume. That same season I lost to a store bought sexy pirate too! I just finished a race and I made Highlanders costume with kilts and the whole deal and lost to a couple that had store bought Tinkerbell and Peter Pan costumes that switched genders. Now I'm not saying my team should have one but there were some GREAT homemade costumes that looked like they took a lot of work and about 400 teams. I just think its bunk.

 

[Robert412]

Notice what is winning. Humor and sex appeal. If you would have raised your kilt...

 

[Deelite]

What is this in reference to?

If its a convention, most conventions I know for their costume contest have rules about how much of a costume can be pre-made vs handmade

If its just a public, dont care what kind people enter, contest, then that wil lbe what you have to deal with.

 

[firebapx]

not trying to be an ass or anything but i really think there should be separate contest for home made and another for store bought. so many great home made costumes loose out on the attention they deserve because of them all being mixed together

 

[DeathProof]

Being a costume contest kinda guy, especially during Halloween, I've fallen too many times to the crowd's 'popularity' contest.

A lot of contests I've seen are dependent on crowd applause....

Many things come into play I think:

1) How familiar your character is. If the crowd doesn't know who you are, they don't care.

2) How you've interacted with the crowd. Strangely enough, if you sit there in the corner and don't mingle with people, they won't remember you when it's time for them to 'vote.' For instance, there were two Jack Sparrows at this one contest at a bar, and while I had a more accurate costume, this other guy schmoozed a bit more than I did.

3) Get into the character. It sounds cheezy, but a little 'acting' goes a long way. And stay true to it through the whole evening. If you've got a good costume, people are watching you constantly.

These I think are the big three. You'll never have a store bought vs. hand-made contest...or at least I've never seen one. The sex and humor appeal works well in a more bar atmosphere...cause people are drinking.

Sometimes you'll be lucky and be at a place where there are judges that will take sides regardless of what the audience thinks, because they see the hard work you put into it. I've only experienced this once.

 

[FudgeMando]

Notice what is winning. Humor and sex appeal. If you would have raised your kilt...

you would have been kicked out of the contest

 

[tonykch]

I'd chime in, but I'm not allowed to complain about people diluting something I hold near and dear according to this thread.

 

[Robert412]

Not if there was something funny under there!

 

[MaulWalker]

You also have to be careful about what contests you enter - check the rules. Generally, I have noticed these trends:

• If kids compete in the same contest as adults, the kids win.
• Bar contests - it is usually skin/cleavage or over-the-top political. Seeding the audience with friends and family doesn't hurt either - they make a lot of noise and can help with popularity contests and/or influence the judges.
• Sometimes, your homemade costume will be too good and people will think that you rented it or purchased it from a costume store. I've had a friend disqualified from a couple of contests for that one.

Also, try to find out about the judge's qualifications. Judges who have costuming experience are what you are looking for. Although those types of contests typically spell out that you can't wear store bought costumes.

Edited to add - you might have had a better chance in a kilt if you had a bit of blue ribbon peaking out from underneath. Humor helps win contests.

 

[Sundowner]

Ya I suppose playing to the crowd regardless of homemade or store bought is unimportant. I guess just being a member here I can appreciate a good homemade costume or reference. I'll tell you I wont play to the judges, I'd rather impress the folks on here that can appreciate the references in costumes!

 

[Aeronnz]

You sound a little sore. Remember, the point of entering costume contests is to have fun and show off your costume. It shouldn't all be about winning.

Other than that, I pretty much agree with everything DeathProof said...

 

[Sundowner]

You sound a little sore. Remember, the point of entering costume contests is to have fun and show off your costume. It shouldn't all be about winning.

Other than that, I pretty much agree with everything DeathProof said...

Not sore. Just curious if I was the only one that felt that way.

 

[terryr]

It depends who the judges are. Are they experienced in costumes, or just looking for something that appeals to them?

FOOTBALL!

SEXY GURL!

FUNY CROSS DRESSERS!

It's like judging the Olympics by how pretty the athlete is vs. their performance.