Glamour and glitter
Fashion and fame
Jem, is truly outrageous,
Truly, truly, truly outrageous!
I was not prepared for the fact that April Fool’s Day was slated to include a costume party. Well, that is, I was not prepared to the extent that I usually am for such things. I usually plan my costumes months in advance, well before I join the ship for which they’re required…I’m not really a “just throw something together” kind of girl…
But since I only found out once I boarded that there was a costume party on board, and that I would be required to attend, and since by that time there was no way that anything store-bought would arrive (ever tried to ship something to Dubai?? Hint: it’s not easy!)…which left me with limited options.
Thankfully, Jersey came to the rescue, and loaned me the brightest pink wig you’ve ever seen, and picked up a pair of crazy floral jeggings in Singapore for me…I then proceeded to pick up a super-cheap t-shirt at the shops, and slice it to heck and gone to turn it into a side-tie (I had forgotten there is no other way to covert a t-shirt to a side-tie, which is probably why I never did it as a kid). And then I put everything in the cupboard for a while and tried not to think of what it would look like when I put it all together.
Until tonight, when I did put it all together. First, it’s been a long time since I wore a wig, looking in the mirror and seeing a hot pink bob-cut does give one pause, second, I wasn’t one of the “cool kids” in grade school, so I never wore the eighties in the eighties. But… Figuring I may as well go big or stay home, I did full show make-up, and dug around into the bottom of my make-up bag until I found my near-black purple lipstick.
I found myself looking in the mirror staring at a version of myself that certainly never actually existed in the 80s.
It’s amazing how many people don’t recognize you when you happen to be wearing a wig. Had I gone with a side-ponytail instead I’m sure I would have remained instantly recognizable, but apparently no one expects the librarian to have electric-shock-pink hair. There were so many people who didn’t have the faintest clue who I was until I spoke! Apparently I can pull of the whole “Jem and the Holograms” look much better now than I would have been able to when it was actually in fashion.
Rule of me: Never do a costume by half-measures.
Did I mention that I love my job??