Halloween

Halloween is a holiday I don't have any interest in celebrating. I'm Jewish and don't feel the need to take on Pagan rituals then Christian celebrations. I have my own Jewish holidays which hold meaning and memory for me so I really don't need to take on other religion's holidays. And, besides, we have our own dress up-give out- food-fun holiday in the Spring, called Purim.

I had, however, joined some friends in shopping for their costumes at some of the new pop-up stores. A very uncomfortable experience as these stores are hot, and very crowded with both people and merchandise. What I see there is cheap looking so nothing would tempt me but I must question 2 things. One, when did Halloween get to be this sex-pot holiday and why do women accept/tolerate it? Every woman's costume from Cleopatra, to Marie Antoinette to a witch to a sailor to a police woman is short, low cut and tight-WHAT IS THIS????!!!! If I were dressing up I would never wear a Marie Antoinette gown that hits me mid thigh or shorter-I would figure out a way to get or make a floor length 18th century gown!!! Technically those gowns were very sexy anyway given the way the corsets flattened your stomach and push your breasts up and almost out of your rather low cut bodice. And my second question is when did Halloween go from being a scary day of the dead kind of occasion to being Disney cute?? This I have, actually, noticed over the past few years as I see the decorations in mine and other neighborhoods but a giant Winnie the Pooh, with a giggling face dressed as a witch or a skeleton doesn't really say Halloween to me or even scare me that much. It seems almost...disrespectful to the holiday. I looked up the history of Halloween, just now and found out that perhaps it doesn't need to be scary after all. It started out as an end of summer beginning of fall celebration. A time to take stock of your food supplies for the winter and prepare what you might need. The ancient Celts believed that the change of seasons from the "lighter half of the year" to the "darker half" allowed the wall between the atmospheres and worlds to be thinner thereby letting in all sorts of spirits (good and bad). People put on masks and different clothes in order to fool the evil spirits so the spirits wouldn't recognize them and or terrorize them.

I don't go to my company Halloween party nor do I go to any social events. This year, however, I'm invited to a party that I am going to and one part of me is getting caught up in all the fun of the costume and part of me is a little appalled at embracing this. But, I am going only because the party to which I am invited is at a HOT new club in which I am desperate to have my company Holiday party and I want to see it in action! I'm excited about going to a late night party with my glam BF in an ultra hip space. He's going as Geisha (or as he likes to say GAY-sha) and I am going to be...guess what... a flapper!! I already have a dress, shoes, stockings, cigarette holder, long gloves, and long pearls so I don't really have to put effort or money into a costume thereby helping me to feel like I am going to a party, not a Halloween party. I have, as I mentioned above, gone costume shopping in the pop up stores with friends over the past few days and got a little caught up-I bought a black lacquer fan the top half of which is feathers! The one splurge I am going with however is my hair. I was a little concerned as my hair, though dark and straight is too long to be a flapper bob and I don't want to cut it and I really don't want bangs, I mentioned this to my colorist last week and my new blow-dryer immediately insisted I should let him do finger waves for me. Technically, that is a 30's look but I'm not going to quibble-as my glam BF and I have realized-it doesn't have to be museum quality precision of costume history just the idea has to be there. So I will enjoy getting my hair done as I always do.

And I feel certain I will love the party!

 

I typed all this before going to the party. now that I have gone, I can tell you about it too. First, my hair was very disappointing, it wasn't shiny or really that wavy nor did it stay in it's pins until the party. He told me that if it started to fall I should put my hand underneath the whole thing and shove the bobby-pins up, I did that but what I learned was that the bobby-pins were going every which way and I was almost doing more damage. I hadn't planned on hair jewelry because I was getting it done but I really needed something to say flapper on my head. I went over to the Antiques Showplace looking for a headband/diadem/tiara, a flappery looking coat since it had turned cold and a more evening looking cigarette holder. I wasn't finding the headband but I did have looking at necklaces to string along my forehead... :) In my head I put together a silver ribbon and a pearl floral pin I already owned. I went to a stall that's one of my favorites but the owner usually buys vintage pieces later than the 20's, she's more mid-century and later, but she sent me next door to the lingerie shop that specializes in the 20's. Boy, did I have fun there!!! I bought a gorgeous cigarette holder in black and turquoise and then like the fool that I am I fell in love with a feather fan that had black spokes ending in the most deliciously curled turquoise feathers!!!!!!! I was supposed to be not spending any money on this costume. HA HA. I will however use both again and I've thought of several outfits already. I went home, got dressed and went to help my Glam BF with his Geisha costume. We had a lot of trouble with it though he really couldn't get the white foundation to stick to his skin, be bought clown make up and it just wasn't working. He finally devised a semi successful, gerri-rigged mush of Chanel white foundation, a little clown makeup and some white powder, but his upper lip just wouldn't take it. He shaved again and tried the area again but to no avail. My heart ached for him and he was upset about for the whole night, nor do I don't blame him at all. More friends came over and I helped my English friend with his Greek Goddess makeup which was fun. He brought champagne which slipped easily into my flapper hands...We left for the party at about 9:30, but getting into the car was quite a challenge for my glam BF Geisha-he was the ramped up sexy Geisha so with his tightly laced corset, his 7-inch stilletto/platform boots, and the golden chopsticks in his haor he couldn't sit or fit. I moved the seat back and reclined the back of the seat and we folded him into the car, getting out was somehow easier.

Once we arrived we were given the VIP treatment! Everyone seemed to know us as soon as I mentioned the manager's name, the woman who invited us which was lovely. We got there a bit early, and for the first 2 hours it was a blast! The costumes were AMAZING. Clever and beautiful in most cases and really way out there. I felt like a looked good dressed as Lady Diana Cooper but once I saw the over the top costumes everyone else had on I felt very underdressed and underwhelming which is an experience I rarely have. I did not like it at all, not one bit. About 1 the place was much too crowded and I felt claustrophobic, I had to work very hard not to panic as everyone there was bigger and taller and more costumed than I. I think it would have been better at a regular party but the costumes were took up so much extra space and not everyone was considerate about moving around in theirs. The charming lovely boys I was with did their best to shield me but they were being forced against me too, by the other guests and there moments I could barely breathe. Plus my glam BF was wearing those 7 inch heals and where usually I reach his collar bone I was now talking to the bottom of his rib cage and it was all quite disconcerting. He then walked off with his boyfriend and I thought I would never see him again. I lasted like this for about 45 minutes and I couldn't take it anymore. I told my English friend that I was having trouble breathing and I had to get out. The group I was with had trouble staying together but we did and they all walked me out to the bar area. I saw my glam BF perched on a stool (in his corset he couldn't sit but with his 7 inch heels he couldn't stand) with a very dejected looking boyfriend and grabbed my group of 4 to go towards him. We commiserated together for a few minutes, I began saying goodbye and suddenly my Geisha asked me if I could take them both home, which I did. There were 3 other Geisha there who were not having makeup troubles so he was unhappy about that, his boyfreind was miserably tired and in the freezing air outside I was finally able to breathe again.