by Marcella Ortega
Daily Lobo
My last theme party was depressing.
Instead of a house full of people dressed like they were from the 1940s, about 10 people showed up in street clothes. I was the only one in costume except for my cousin Orlando, who made a desperate attempt at an ensemble that consisted of a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a baseball bat. He looked like Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez from "The Sandlot."
Those who did not attend blamed the theme. They said it was too hard to make a costume, and the era's fashion seemed plain and ambiguous.
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I decided to prove they were just being lazy.
I booked gypsy swing band Le Chat Lunatique to play at my house this Friday, and I set out to create an even better costume than I had before.
After entertainment expenses, I was really low on cash, so I went to Savers at 3300 San Mateo Blvd. N.E.
To start with, I had a pair of long red gloves and a long cigarette holder from old costumes.
At Savers, the first place I looked was a rack of skirts. I found a long, red, waist-high skirt that had something of a pencil cut for $2.49. It matched my gloves perfectly.
Then, I looked through the hats but didn't find anything that looked right. I remembered a Life magazine from May 13, 1940, that had a woman on the cover with her hair wrapped in a shawl. I looked in the scarves and found one that was red, navy and white for 50 cents.
Near the scarves was an aisle of shoes that extended across a wall. I found a pair of white high heels with a strap around the back for $3.99. Heels with a strap around the ankle would have been ideal, but these did the job.
I looked through racks and racks of blouses but was unsuccessful. There were lots of modern shirts and old-lady blouses from the '80s, but nothing that screamed '40s. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and bought a large white blouse to reconstruct. The blouse was $2.49.
I left the store without dropping more than $10.
Based off a picture of a 1940s evening outfit, I designed a top that had wide, draping shoulder straps. I made a simple tube top and attached two straps that gathered at the end.
With my outfit complete, I felt like Hildy Johnson from "His Girl Friday."
Orlando, get your zoot suit ready.
Marcella's $10 costume
Scarf - 50 cents
Blouse - $2.49
Skirt - $2.49
Shoes - $3.99
