Design

DIY Tropicana Girl Costume

By Carmen Collins

This colorful costume was definitely our favorite to put together! We fell in love with the bright colors, bold patterns, and fun accessories. Our chiquita costume can be executed in so many different ways that it suites any body type and any form of personal style. We went crazy with an abundance of accessories and props which really completed the look. I can still hearing the sound of maracas rattling in my ears…

photographed by kate lesueur at shdw studios

THE COSTUMES:

We started with light-weight sarongs in a variety of patterns and colors. Chanel and Laura paired theirs with white ruffle tops; Camille slipped on a black body suit underneath; and Jenn Rose, Landrie, and I sported our favorite one-piece swimmies. All of the girls created skirts by tying their sarongs around their waists. I crossed mine in front and knotted it behind my neck to create a dress. Scroll through Pinterest to find even more unique ways to tie a sarong.

 

THE HEADBANDS:

We created these fun headbands by attaching faux fruit onto plastic headbands. The trick is to choose a thick headband (we used 2″) and use lots of hot glue. Remember to build up, rather that out, for more fruit to be visible. We sourced silk tropical flowers to fill in the gaps on our headbands. Before putting on our fruit headbands, we slipped on stretchy fabric headbands to create the illusion of a head wrap. Be careful not to make any crazy sudden movements – you don’t want to lose a pineapple!

THE ACCESSORIES:

The little details are what brought this costume to a whole new level. We adorned ourselves with large hoop earrings and thick ceramic bangles in bold colors. Woven baskets full of faux fruit completed the look, and colorful maracas turned our photo shoot into a party! We all agreed that we’re looking forward to recreating this costume come October 31st.

Click here to check out more Halloween costumes to pull off with your girl gang!