Notebooks of Scott

For this past Halloween, I was Dorian Gray from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

Choosing the character:

I have known the basic premise of Dorian Gray for years and it has always been rather fascinating to me. Sometime in June, I ran across the 2009 movie adaption of the novel. I’ve always liked the look of Victorian era clothing and the movie sparked the idea of making a costume in that style. In order to better understand the character, I read the actual novel (See the Project Gutenberg Entry). Suffice it to say, The Picture of Dorian Gray was one of the most boring books I have ever read, but the idea stuck with me and I asked my sister to help me make it (she did the majority since I have almost no sewing skills and she is a fashion design major).

The Costume

The costume is based on Victorian men’s fashion from the late 19th century. The parts that my sister and I made were the morning coat, ascot, and the vest. The shirt was a normal white button down shirt with the collar turned up. The pants and shoes were from my suit.

I drafted the slopers with my sister’s assistance and then she drafted the patterns based on drawings and pictures I provided.

I made the tie pin out of 3 small key rings soldered together and a beaded necklace found at Michael’s.

All in all, it was a pretty successful costume. I rather enjoyed wearing it and am considering incorporating some of it into my everyday wear.