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Woman Discovers A 1986 Costume Book Thrown Away, And It Has Some Of The Weirdest DIY Costumes Twitter Has Ever Seen
Halloween’s still more than half a year away in the distant, mysterious, and far-off realm of Late 2021 (I wonder what that’s going to be like?), but some internet users are already thinking about what Halloween costumes they’ll be wearing and gathering intel early. And it’s all because of one little Twitter post that went viral.
Twitter user Alina Pleskova found a book abandoned and lonely on the curb and decided to rescue it, bringing it back home with her. She couldn’t help but share the photos from Jane Asher’s ‘Fancy Dress’ book, which has dozens of brilliant, wild, and hilariously bizarre costumes for kids and adults alike.
Check out the photos below! I don’t want to sound too cheesy, but prepare your cheeks for smiling way, way too much. Remember to upvote your fave pics, too! And be sure to drop us a few comments telling us how you feel about the outrageously awesome costumes featured here.
More info: Twitter | AlinaPleskova.com
This post may include affiliate links.
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#2
Jumilicious 4 years ago
After long weeks of metamorphosis, Herb was finally feeling himself again.
Well-known English actress Asher wrote and published the book back in 1986, but it’s still relevant today. And with a byline like “Over 100 costumes for children and adults and how to make them,” the book’s got our interest piqued to the max.
Personally, I found the Sandwich Man costume to be the best of the best. Even someone as costume-shy as I am is just itching to put that together and try it on. There’s just something deliciously graceful about it, don’t you think?
#3
Terry Jones Sex Object Iteration 2
Asher’s ‘Fancy Dress’ looks like the embodiment of GameStop stocks when they were at their peak. In other words: drops of liquid gold! The book is incredibly expensive on Amazon, switching between ‘unavailable’ to exorbitant prices in the US (we’re talking about hundreds of dollars, sometimes rising to above a thousand for a used copy).
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the price is far tamer. It’s still expensive, but 60 or 70 pounds is something that a vintage book collector or fancy dress lover wouldn’t balk at paying.
#5
So if you just have to have the book, pray that you can get your hands on a UK version because the US one makes healthcare costs seem paltry in comparison. Or you could trust your luck and expect to find a copy of the book on the curb just like Alina did!
#7
It’s made from several lampshades
Alina’s thread got over 165.5k likes on Twitter at the time of writing (it’s been climbing steadily since I started writing this article, so expect that number to be getting higher and higher!). The thread also got around 22k retweets (including those fancy quote retweets that Twitter rolled out). And who can blame anyone who’s so excited to see photos from the book? You can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be fitting in some of these photos whenever the context is right while chatting with my pals online.
#9
#10
Kisses4Katie 4 years ago
He's ready to party hearty (Like a hearty soup oh I slay)
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... 4 years ago
For some reason I find his legs the most hilarious thing in this pic. Is he wearing pantyhose?
ComfyPanda 4 years ago
Yes. Yes he is!!! I thought his legs looked rather nice in panty hose.
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Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 4 years ago
This photograph gets weirder the longer you look at it. Is that a cigar he is smoking? Why is he wearing stockings? Where in the world did his other arm go? Is he drinking a good Chianti? Is he going to a vegan dinner party? Are they making fun of people with red hair by secretly making them dress up as carrots? So many questions...
Ricardo Flower 4 years ago
Need to find out who this guy is - basically, he's my doppelganger.
King Joffrey 4 years ago
Love the fact the guy is smoking and drinking... Why would you want to be in costume otherwise?
David Beaulieu 4 years ago
Things I love about this picture: 1 arm, drink and cigar. Hat stays on how? Panty hose. No shoes. Thank you.
Her Ladyship Von Asda 4 years ago
My mother made an almost identical outfit for my brother for a fancy dress night at a holiday camp in Devon, around 1982. The fancy dress night was unexpected and nobody had thought to bring fancy dress outfits on a camping holiday, with four kids and all the camping equipment crammed into a small estate car. My brother was crammed into the back of the car with the camping gear. He had a sleeping bag just like in the picture, it was orange, but with a hood and tapered so a perfect carrot shape and colour. She simply opened up the bottom of the bag so he could walk while wearing it and attached some ferns on top of the hood. It was actually quite impressive and my brother won a prize for his costume. My sister's costume was nowhere near as impressive. My mother taped newspaper all over her and said to tell the judges that she was "Miss Print". She didn't win a prize. And probably cried.
Suzanne Clark 4 years ago
To be seen in that costume you'd actually need a whole bottle with a straw.
As for Alina herself, well, she’s incredibly talented. The Moscow-born woman is currently living in Philadelphia. She’s a poet and an editor by trade. Her collection of poems, ‘What Urge Will Save Us,’ got published by Spooky Girlfriend Press in 2017, according to her website. So she’s a professional in her field.
#12
The wings are made of a broken umbrella
Jumilicious 4 years ago
Final step: glue your child to the ceiling and enjoy the party getting smashed like you did back in '83.
What’s more, Alina got the Leeway Foundation’s 2020 Art & Change grant. She also hosts poetry workshops, events, and panels for a variety of organizations, from Rutgers University to the Institute of Contemporary Art.
If that wasn’t enough, Alina is also the founding member of the Cheburashka Collective (loving that name!) which is a group of “women & nonbinary writers who are emigres/first-gen/refugees from the Soviet diaspora.” But even while she’s editing literary magazines and coordinating festivals, she also finds the time for her day job in higher education communications. Do we wish that we all had the amount of energy that Alina has? I’ll say!
#16
Kisses4Katie 4 years ago
I..have vague memories from 80's halloweens seeing this. I think this was a thing.
#17
#19
Edward and Emilia Fox, more successful father and sister of alt-right knobhead Laurence Fox
#20
So, dear Pandas, what did you think of the ‘Fancy Dress’ photos? Which costume did you like the most? Which one did you think was the wackiest, weirdest, and worth making? Did you get any ideas for Halloween, however far away that might be? Maybe you’ve even got a copy of Asher’s ‘Fancy Dress’ at home? Let us know what you think in the comment section below. We can’t wait to hear from you!
#27
Marcellus the Third 4 years ago
Like half the good ones on this list, it looks like it's stolen from a Cronenberg movie... This one for example is from a little-known version of "The Fly", where instead of Jeff Goldblum a medium-sized dragon is in the transmogrifier together with a fly.
#29
This is supposed to be a “rock salmon”
#34
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What do you think ?
Danni 4 years ago
These costumes are brilliant for Covid era. Most are so large they effectively adhere to social distancing rules. Others are so nuts, no one will want to come near you
Iggy 4 years ago
Jane Asher is a well known British actress, which is probably how she got famous people such as Donald Pleasance and Terry Jones to pose for her, although I doubt the late, great Terry Jones would have needed much persuasion!
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
She also dated ex Beatle Sir Paul Mc Cartney before he met Linda Eastman. She is also an author but is better known for her line in extravagant cakes.
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Dorothy Parker 4 years ago (edited)
Paul McCartney's ex-fiancee has done very well for herself. These are charming and harmless. Better yet, not overly cliche sexualized, i.e. Naughty Nurse, Naughty Schoolgirl, Naughty Maud ad infinitum.
Matthew Smith 4 years ago
A little FYI, Jane Asher is an English Actress in case you were wondering.
Justyna Neko 4 years ago
Told my friends that next Halloween we can only wear costumes from this book ;P They are already choosing which one they want to wear xD
Pearl Of the SeaWing RainWings 4 years ago
Some of these are actually cool. Others... need context.
Justyna Neko 4 years ago
I haven't laughed so much in a long time ;D But some of these disguises don't look safe - broken umbrellas, cut plastic bottles and other sharp objects... O_O
Erin Aguirre Sheetz 3 years ago
My mom still owns this book. It’s in the depths of her cabinets somewhere. It was was of my favorites to look through as a kid during Halloween season 😂 I’m 40 now and it’s terrifying.
Nicole Reid-Naziel 3 years ago
Wow! Seeing this book again has brought back so many memories! My mom made us do many costumes from this. I was always so excited to plan what we get to be.
Iusedtobecute 4 years ago
These costumes are still fabulous! Have you seen the cheap crapp sold for $50+ in costume shops? These beat them down!
fuggnuggins 4 years ago
If after all this time you've continued to use twitter and still now, after what Twitter has just done and is doing now, you are the plague. You're probably so committed to being a plague that you're still using Fakebook and goOggle and making assumptions about people because of their race, too. Aren't ya.
Danni 4 years ago
These costumes are brilliant for Covid era. Most are so large they effectively adhere to social distancing rules. Others are so nuts, no one will want to come near you
Iggy 4 years ago
Jane Asher is a well known British actress, which is probably how she got famous people such as Donald Pleasance and Terry Jones to pose for her, although I doubt the late, great Terry Jones would have needed much persuasion!
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
She also dated ex Beatle Sir Paul Mc Cartney before he met Linda Eastman. She is also an author but is better known for her line in extravagant cakes.
Load More Replies... Dorothy Parker 4 years ago (edited)
Paul McCartney's ex-fiancee has done very well for herself. These are charming and harmless. Better yet, not overly cliche sexualized, i.e. Naughty Nurse, Naughty Schoolgirl, Naughty Maud ad infinitum.
Matthew Smith 4 years ago
A little FYI, Jane Asher is an English Actress in case you were wondering.
Justyna Neko 4 years ago
Told my friends that next Halloween we can only wear costumes from this book ;P They are already choosing which one they want to wear xD
Pearl Of the SeaWing RainWings 4 years ago
Some of these are actually cool. Others... need context.
Justyna Neko 4 years ago
I haven't laughed so much in a long time ;D But some of these disguises don't look safe - broken umbrellas, cut plastic bottles and other sharp objects... O_O
Erin Aguirre Sheetz 3 years ago
My mom still owns this book. It’s in the depths of her cabinets somewhere. It was was of my favorites to look through as a kid during Halloween season 😂 I’m 40 now and it’s terrifying.
Nicole Reid-Naziel 3 years ago
Wow! Seeing this book again has brought back so many memories! My mom made us do many costumes from this. I was always so excited to plan what we get to be.
Iusedtobecute 4 years ago
These costumes are still fabulous! Have you seen the cheap crapp sold for $50+ in costume shops? These beat them down!
fuggnuggins 4 years ago
If after all this time you've continued to use twitter and still now, after what Twitter has just done and is doing now, you are the plague. You're probably so committed to being a plague that you're still using Fakebook and goOggle and making assumptions about people because of their race, too. Aren't ya.
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