Ladies' Costumes that aren't slutty

If you're as tired as I am of trying to find halloween costumes for women that aren't "sexy" or lame, you've come to the right place. Here you'll find costumes for ladies that come from movies, tv shows, video games and more but you won't find Sexy Dora the Explorer!

[ladycostumes]

I loved the movie Edge of Tomorrow, or as some might know it, Live, Die, Repeat. So here’s another badass gal for ya. Her names are many: Rita, Angel of Verdun and Full Metal Bitch. There are a couple of costume options ranging from simple to professional Cosplaying levels , as well as some pretty rad weapons. And everyone looks good in black.

[ladycostumes]

Any kid from the 90′s will remember how scared they were to answer the phone while home alone after seeing the movie Scream. So, why not dress up as Casey Becker, played by Drew Barrymore? (okay, sure I had to imdb it to see what the character’s name was.) But it’s a pretty simple costume from a very memorable scene. Pull out that 90′s ribbed sweater from the back of your closet, grab a cordless telephone, a short blonde bob wig (unless you’ve got the cut already), and maybe include the iconic Scream mask or even some jiffy pop.

[kelldarian]

Two Belle costumes

I don’t know about the rest of you, but every year I tend to make a few “little” costumes. You know, you’ve got the big costumes where you spend a lot of time and money and order fabric swatches and dyeing fabric and styling wigs and the whole nine yards. Then there’s the little costumes where you just get “close enough” at the fabric store or reuse leftover fabric or reuse wigs… just for fun. Maybe it’s just me? 

After making my ballgown in 2005 and having the wig, I thought it would be fun to make some more of Belle’s dresses. I started out with making the “Something There” dress for MTAC 2007 – mostly because I had some random red velvet laying around I could make the cape with. 

The red wasn’t quite the right red, but like I said, I had it, I wanted to use it! I used a cape I already had as a basis for putting it together. The shawl piece I made separately - I never attached it, it just slides on over the hood. I used a white marabou trim for the fur. 

For the dress, I actually used a toy as a reference… LOL It was one of those little plastic dress up dolls, and as I later realized it was not terribly accurate, oops. I frankensteined several patterns together for this - one for the bodice, one for the sleeves, one for the skirt.  The bodice was a cotton that I dyed darker, it has some minimal boning for support and a lace-up back. The skirt I ended up attaching directly to the bodice, so it is all one piece – I made that of a cotton blend. Together these two fabrics wrinkle like CRAZY!

For the shoulder piece, the sleeve flounces, the ruffle and the stripes, I used a pale pink satin. This is the main area where my little doll misled me; it had a much wider stripe on the front than the actual dress. I made the stripes separately and then sewed them in place onto the dress. 

I debuted it at MTAC 2007 as I’d planned, where I quickly realized it was a bit too big. After the con, I took it up through the bust and waist a bit. It helped some. I also wore it to Dragon Con 2007 and it’s one of the few costumes I’ve ever worn to Dcon that I have no photos of me wearing it there. 

In 2014 I pulled it out, got it ironed up and shot it on the white backdrop! I finally have some photos of it I actually like!

Although, I still have never been completely satisfied with this costume and I have always wanted to remake it. I kinda did in 2015 – although it was a very loose reinterpretation of the costume. I’ll make a post about that one separately :)  Onto 2008!

Over the winter of 2008 I thought I’d put together her library dress. Green is my favourite colour, so I really wanted to do this one. My fabric store didn’t have just a ton to choose from in terms of green fabric - I did find a beautiful green velveteen I used for the bodice, though my sleeves and skirts just ended up being two shades of green satin. 

Once again I used various pattens for the different pieces - one for the bodice, one for the skirt, and one for the sleeve puffs. The bodice is pretty simple; two layers, with a couple of pieces of boning sandwiched in them for structure. The skirt is a basic paneled and gathered skirt with a waistband. 

I finished it in time for Con Nooga 2008!…. and then didn’t wear it there. I put it on the hotel room and hated the way the sleeves looked. They did not have enough poof, and they were falling down my shoulders. So after that con, I went back to the drawing board. I added some netting into the interior of the sleeves to help them stand out a bit, and also added some straps in the back that keep them held up. I finally got to wear it at MidSouthCon 2008. 

I haven’t worn this one very much - MidsouthCon 2008 and the two photoshoots (grey backdrop in 2008 and white backdrop in 2014) are pretty much it. It’s another one I’ve played around with remaking, and if I did, I’d probably do another loose interpretation like for the pink dress. Anyway, portfolio pages:  http://www.kelldar.com/costumes/disney-costumes/belles-library-dress/ http://www.kelldar.com/costumes/disney-costumes/belle-pink-winter-dress/

[ladycostumes]

I always love @kelldarian‘s posts. She has so many classy costumes for ladies. Check out these Belle costumes from “Beauty and the Beast”

[ladycostumes]

I imagine if you can't or don't want to find cow print pants, you could make some easily with your own white pants and a black marker or black fabric. And if you already have long red hair, bonus for you not having to wear a wig. Jessie from Toy Story 2 would make a fun costume and give you a good reason to do your best cowboy accent.

[ladycostumes]

There are any number of variations on a Capitol Citizen costume from Hunger Games. Here are a couple of examples shown with Effie Trinket and Caesar Flickerman. The most important thing to keep in mind is to make your costumes completely outrageous with lots of colors and angles.

[ladycostumes]

This costume of Chloe Price from the game "Life is Strange" is so spot on, I couldn't tell which one was the real life photo at first.

[ladycostumes]

What a great classic costume idea but with a slight twist. This Little Miss Muffet apparently hung around too long and got covered in spiders instead of being frightened away...maybe she should be called Hardcore Miss Muffet. 

Photo does not include Miss Muffet’s bowl of curds and whey.

[ladycostumes]

A classic Star Wars costume. Although some choose to go as the scantily clad, chained up Princess Leia, this more modest version is even more awesome because you can actually be warm on a cold Halloween night. 

[ladycostumes]

Although she was confused for Carmen Sandiego at first, Agent Peggy Carter quickly became a crowd favorite at this Halloween party. A pretty simple costume. One blue suit, one large collared white shirt and one red fedora, or a similar red hat.

[ladycostumes]

Here we have two that encapsulate what it is to be Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Both have a pretty distinct style that does change a bit each season, so you have some options and you could easily go as Jemma Simmons without Fitz. But be warned, if you go as one of these characters, people will ask you all night if you’re wearing a costume. Hellooo...I’m wearing a Shield badge.

Seen here with Rosie the Riveter.

[ladycostumes]

Our party this year came complete with two characters from Mad Max: Fury Road. Of course we had an Imperator Furiosa. The costume isn’t super complicated unless you really want to go all out and shave your head and make a mechanical arm. I can tell you that this one won Best Female Costume without either of those extreme measures, though I applaud you if you do go that far.

[ladycostumes]

Princess Peach would make a great costume for anyone who grew up playing Mario. Toad is optional but oh so adorable.

[ladycostumes]

This would make an amazing pregnant costume. And you really only need a big piece of cardboard and two shades of green paint. Oh, and your belly.

[ladycostumes]

Long black dress with sleeves? Check.

Feathered shoulders? Check.

Black circle with a line through it that you used to use to cinch up the corner of your t-shirt in the early nineties? Check.

Chain to go through it? Check.

Long hair pulled back? Check.

Sansa Stark costume from “Game of Thrones” completed.

[ladycostumes]

This was one of my favorite costumes. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this in earlier years, but I was super excited to go as Kaylee from “Firefly.” Most of her costumes involve only her mechanic jumpsuit, but this one from the very first episode includes her iconic but seldom used parasol, her asian themed jacket and her hair in buns. You don’t need a Jayne Cobb to pal around with like in the picture above, but he could make a nice accessory.

I found the parasol on ThinkGeek.com but it doesn’t seem to be there anymore. Luckily, a quick google search landed me on this fan site selling all sorts of Firefly goodies...including Kaylee’s parasol. http://firefly-cargobay.com/shop-products/accessories/

[ladycostumes]

Now here's a kick-butt lady we can all get down with. Ellen Ripley from the Alien film franchise. You don't even have to shave your head for this version.

[ladycostumes]

If I'm ever uber pregnant at Halloween time again, I'm going as Frances McDormand from Fargo playing the character of Marge Gunderson. What a fantastic and interesting character. Also, a super cozy costume if you plan to spend any amount of time outside on a cold Halloween night.