I wear costumes. In my community it is most appropriate to make your own, or there might even be a box of different fitting sizes and scarves and accoutrements at whatever party or event you are at, just in case you forgot, or did not know there was a theme. The photo above is a halloween party. The ears & tail were some standard set I probably bought off Amazon for us, and I custom made the temporary tattoos on our faces. The dress is something that I had had in my closet for 10 years that is a Lane Bryant/Venezia size 26, and bring out now and then to wear, it is short and I wore it with stockings.
Torrid is not really selling costumes this year. More parts to costumes, which I actually like, but many people do not.
BigGals Lingerie will custom make your costume up to a size 12X. They are also VERY expensive, but it is good to know what your options are. I do not know how late you can order a costume to guarantee delivery before Halloween, I could not actually get them to give me a date on the phone, but I would say beyond October 10th you might be pushing. They told me today that if I ordered a costume today it would arrive on October 20th. They generally have a six week delivery time, but that seems to be compressed for Halloween.
Sanctuarie has costumes that run to a 9X that are very cute, and some of them are less than half-price, so if I were interested in one of their looks I would purchase it right away, I cannot imagine they will last very long. They also have some Halloween t-shirts.
BIGcostumes also has a variety of custom made costumes at varying prices. They even have a few bargains that are previously made. Please read their BIGcostume Return Policies carefully.
Plus-Size Costume Shop carries handmade costumes up to a 7X. They are having a sale through Friday the 22nd of September and they suggest that you place orders by October 10th.
Haloween Costumes carries a few 5X costumes. It is worth the effort to check out what they are offering.
Etsy has lots of options. A spiderweb shrug for $37 or a flirty hostess apron for around the same price. At the upper price range there is a full Harlequin made-to-measure costume for over $200, that requires lead time to order. Each seller will have a different policy so be sure check that out.
eBay of course has a variety of choices in both quality and fit. This is what I came up with when I searched for Costume 5X.
If you are looking for costumes through a 1/2X 3/4X or 1X – 3X, there are many options. Almost all of the plus size stores carry some costumes, i.e. LaneBryant, Sonsi and most Halloween Costume vendors, like Halloween Express often carry up to a 3X, the list is quite long and you only have to Google “plus size costumes” to see the list of choices. I have Malefiecent and it runs VERY large for a 3X.
Most costumes tend to run a little smaller than standard sizes so be careful when you are ordering.
Making Your Own Costume: And last but not least, there is making your own costume. Go through your closet and see if there is anything that would work as the base of the outfit. Is there a black outfit that could be witch-like, or something gauzy for a princess or large sleeved for a pirate wench, the list is endless. There are a ton of tutorials out there on how to make a headband or accessory to fill out the illusion. Or you can purchase some accessories, like our leopard ears (above). The tattoos were more expensive than needed but sometimes my urge to try something outweighs my good sense. A little eye make-up and a couple of spots drawn with eyeliner would have done just as well. In my experience everyone wants to believe in your costume and it only takes a little sleight of hand to make it fun and festive for Halloween. I hope you find this useful and as always if you have additional suggestions please comment. In addition, I would love to see some photos if you do decide to dress up for Halloween, or any time. Ciao Bellas…affinity
September 28, 2012: A new addition, Lady Strange Erotic Lingerie (toward the bottom of the page) costumes to an 8X.
September 27, 2013: The 2013 update for 4X Plus Size Costumes is HERE.
I posted recently about the Cult of California purchases I made and that my favorite was the stripe tank, that even has a little pocket, how cute is that? When I went to volunteer at the Burning Man office this week I decided to try something a little different. I am still looking for a racerback t-shirt to wear under the shadow stripe tank that will complement it and make the outfit look a little more put together.
