Plus sized Halloween costume ideas

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Halloween isn't just for children with these fun plus sized Halloween costumes!

Halloween isn’t just for children with these fun plus sized Halloween costumes!

Who says Halloween is just for kids? Grownups love to dress up and play on October 31st, too!

But choosing a Halloween costume can be a challenge if you’re a plus size woman. Although most American women wear a size 14 or larger, few of the ready made costumes come in sizes larger than a 12.

Don’t despair! There are dozens of great ideas for plus sized Halloween costumes that you can make at home! All you need is some basic plus size clothing to get you started

Renaissance princess or queen

Women during the European Renaissance were generously built — there were no size 3’s in the royal closets! And making a renaissance costume for Halloween is easier than you might think.

Start with a gown?any gown

A left over bridesmaid dress, a prom dress, or just the gown you wore to a formal dinner a few years ago. If you don’t have a gown, check out the thrift stores in your area. Gowns in all sizes are plentiful and cheap. If possible, choose a gown with metallic trim in deep jewel tones like burgundy, plum or forest green.

Make a stop at your local fabric and craft store

Head for the remnants rack ? this is after all a Halloween costume so you don’t want to spend too much. Select a fabric with some glamour?a velvet, gold or silver lame, or satin taffeta will work very well. Buy enough to match your height, plus ® yard. Now head for the notions and trim section. Find a pretty ribbon at least 3″wide that goes well with your gown. Buy enough to comfortable go around your waist, plus the width of the fabric you just selected. (usually 45″ or 54″.) Then add some low heat set fabric tape?you’ll need about three yards to be safe. Finally, head for the craft section for 6 inches of large link neck chain, two decorative hair clips, a ready to decorate crown, and a few packages of faux jewels.

Put it together

For your cape: At home, fold down the top 4″ of the fabric and seal in place with some of the heat set tape. Take a piece of your decorative ribbon and heat attach it along the bottom of the fabric. Attach the chain to the decorative clips. This will hook at the top corners, at neck level, to hold your cape in place.
For your crown: Adorn the ready to decorate crown with the jewels you selected. Use hot glue or glitter glue to hold them in place. If you have costume jewelry pins, add a few of those after the glue has dried.
For your gown: Add a length of ribbon to the waist of your gown. This will give it a new look, and will match the trim on your cape.

Extras

If you would like, add a scepter or royal scroll to complete your royal look.

Other ideas for women’s costumes

Other ideas for homemade Halloween costumes for plus sized women include:

Doctors and nurses (basic scrubs or nurses dresses are usually available at thrift stores)
Cowgirls (jeans, a plaid shirt, a pair of boots and a craft store cowgirl hat are a great combination)
Cleopatra (a white dress, a colorful belt and headband, and a black wig)
Vampire (a black long dress, a discount store cape, and some scary makeup are all you really need.)

Who needs costumes from the store when there are so many great ideas you can put together at home! Happy Halloween!