The Updated and All-Inclusive Costume Thread

[Herding_Cats]

CQOTD (costume question of the day): How long do you try out your costume for before race day?

I took my Mickey skirt out for a 60-minute run this morning and everything was good. Is that enough to say it will be fine for the marathon? Or do I need to try it for a longer run?

How long I test a costume for depends on the race, and how high the potential is for it to irritate me. And how susceptible to things like chaffing, because we all have different skin. I will do a 2nd test on a long run (2+hrs) if I find any fiddly bits during a test on a shorter run (40-60min.

For example, a sparkle athletic skirt is one layer, smooth (ish) on the inside, and not too long. It has few things to become a problem, especially in a shorter race.
But a tulle tutu, made with a few hundred strips of tulle? On a marathon? Different story. I had a tutu like that last year that I tested 2x on my tread trimmed it, wore for a turkey trot and then trimmed it again before wearing it for the full during MW.

When the costume is more fiddly, especially around your legs:
-Does it try to bunch between your thighs?
-Ride up/down at your waist? (which WILL effect how much your thighs eat the skirt)
-Where does your arm-swing fall with the costume? Anything rubbing?
-How will you make a bathroom stop? How will you keep your costume off the floor of a porta if you NEED to use one? Have you tried pulling your sweaty undershorts/leggings up when they are all sweaty? (like you would need to do at a bathroom stop.)
-How does your fuels system with with it? Are you using a belt, or filling your pockets? Have you tried those with this costume, because that could cause changes with the top questions about what is happening with your lower body (does your belt make your skirt ride down/up?)

My newest dottie skirt is not the same dimensions as my other one, so I wore it on a 3hr run because it's going to be worn for either the half or the full and I knew I would have to figure out how high to wear it, and if I would need to trim the under-tulle. Since costume-testing season is also treadmill season for me, if things go REALLY badly I can stop and change, but that hasn't been something I've needed to do yet. It was fiddly. I had to figure out if I should pin it to my t-shirt or to my undershorts to keep it in place, and then if the shirt would bunch up or the shorts would ride down and where things wanted to be after running for a long time.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

When the costume is more fiddly, especially around your legs:
-Does it try to bunch between your thighs?
-Ride up/down at your waist? (which WILL effect how much your thighs eat the skirt)
-Where does your arm-swing fall with the costume? Anything rubbing?
-How will you make a bathroom stop? How will you keep your costume off the floor of a porta if you NEED to use one? Have you tried pulling your sweaty undershorts/leggings up when they are all sweaty? (like you would need to do at a bathroom stop.)
-How does your fuels system with with it? Are you using a belt, or filling your pockets? Have you tried those with this costume, because that could cause changes with the top questions about what is happening with your lower body (does your belt make your skirt ride down/up?)

Great list of questions! I need to save these somewhere for future costuming.

 

[Naomeri]

-How will you make a bathroom stop? How will you keep your costume off the floor of a porta if you NEED to use one? Have you tried pulling your sweaty undershorts/leggings up when they are all sweaty? (like you would need to do at a bathroom stop.)

Yeah, that’s an important one that I didn’t think of for my W&D 5K—wearing a costume over a body suit with a back-zip=no porta use. Of course, it wouldn’t have been an issue if I hadn’t downed my whole bottle of water before getting in line for slow-as-molasses-Mirabel after the race

 

[Herding_Cats]

I legit put K-tape in my SPI belt just in case I started chaffing around my sports bra (didn't end up needing it.) And took vaseline from the med tents for my thighs (as a preventative) starting at around half way of the full because I was sooooo much more sweaty than I had managed to be during HA training at home.

I also had a moment of sheer panic (I think at around the AK banana stops? maybe sooner) because I was SO SWEATY at that point and the mesh from the back of my crowned tank was starting to rub under the waistband of the skirt and I was terrified it was going to be like a cheesegrater on my lower back for the next 90min. But it wasn't. Crisis averted.


I make a lot of bathroom stops, so the whole set of logistics around those are important to me.

 

[flav]

CQOTD: I usually choose costumes based on length of race. For Dopey 2020, we could not test our 5k costumes for more than a km because once the plushies were attached, we could not wash the T-shirts. We had ran in the T-shirts before though. The risk was not big, we could always have stopped and cut the threads. For the 10k, we tested our Minnie Ears and the way to secure them on our head. For the HM, I had added vinyl to a already used tank top. For the M, I went with comfort and pockets above elaborate costumes.

 

[azrivest]

-Does it try to bunch between your thighs?

Yup, that's what happened with my Encanto Dottie skirt during the W&D HM. During each walking interval, I would have to fish the tulle out from between my thighs. I was willing to put up with that for the sake of being pretty, but if I had raced it, I would have been so annoyed.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Yup, that's what happened with my Encanto Dottie skirt during the W&D HM. During each walking interval, I would have to fish the tulle out from between my thighs. I was willing to put up with that for the sake of being pretty, but if I had raced it, I would have been so annoyed.

I have to wear my dotties pretty high so that the tulle doesn't bunch. (There's a lady that orders all of her dotties 3in shorter than normal so she can wear them on her hips and they won't bunch (she just sold a BUNCH of stuff and put that disclaimer into all her posts so buyers weren't surprised)


As an alternative, enchanted athletics co makes skirts pretty similar to a dottie (no bow) and does customs really reasonably and offers some pre-order/in-stock skirts without tulle. And it's way less stressful than trying to get a dottie during a stocking or stalking the bst boards for the one you want in your size. I got my jasmine skirt from her like 3 weeks after pre-ordering, which is kind of amazing. I will say that they run a little longer (maybe an inch) than dotties for similar waist sizing, and the tulle is usually longer than the skirt fabric---I need to trim the tulle before January.

 

[azrivest]

And it's way less stressful than trying to get a dottie during a stocking

Yeah, I have 3 Dottie skirts and I don't think I'll order anymore because of that stress. It's good practice for runDisney signup.

(Not to mention I was so disappointed with the Ariel/On The Rocks skirt.)

I bought my first ever Sparkle Athletic skirt for my Vanellope costume and agree with you that it's so much more comfortable for a race. And so much more affordable.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Just need to figure out hair for this 10k costume. I got some of the gold hair “cuffs” but I haven’t gotten them out to practice with yet. DH has an Aladdin shirt and a magic carpet cape (which we need to figure out arm attachments for him and possibly hem.) And you can DEFINITELY see why I need to trim the tulle.

Crowned tank and enchanted athletics co skirt. .

 

[The Expert]

Yup, that's what happened with my Encanto Dottie skirt during the W&D HM. During each walking interval, I would have to fish the tulle out from between my thighs. I was willing to put up with that for the sake of being pretty, but if I had raced it, I would have been so annoyed.

Not sure if you sew or have access to someone who does, but I've found that adding a short, lightweight satin lining INSIDE the tulle helps keep it from bunching and doesn't interfere too much with the volume.

 

[Livelovedance]

Yeah, I have 3 Dottie skirts and I don't think I'll order anymore because of that stress. It's good practice for runDisney signup.

(Not to mention I was so disappointed with the Ariel/On The Rocks skirt.)

I bought my first ever Sparkle Athletic skirt for my Vanellope costume and agree with you that it's so much more comfortable for a race. And so much more affordable.

I feel the same way. I have a few Dotties, and I love them. They’re great for runDisney costumes and BEAUTIFUL, but I think I’ll be taking a bit of a break from buying any new ones for awhile.

In my opinion, Sparkle Athletic skirts are more versatile, a little easier to run in, take up much less space when packed, and are more affordable.

I’m sticking with Sparkle Athletic for MW. I pack all of my race gear, including costumes, in my carryon. With 4 costumes and 2 pairs of running sneakers, I need to condense as much as possible! I’ll definitely be using at least one Dottie for PW though.

 

[cburnett11]

For you experienced costume runners... would either or both of these be considered masks? I've never done a costume in a race, so curious if these are considered masks for adults or would they just be hats/hoodies, whatever.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

For you experienced costume runners... would either or both of these be considered masks? I've never done a costume in a race, so curious if these are considered masks for adults or would they just be hats/hoodies, whatever.

View attachment 722401

View attachment 722402

I'd considered them as hats/hoodies as they don't hide facial features.

 

[cburnett11]

Thanks @gosalyn_mallard , I just want to make sure that runDisney doesn’t tell me I’m breaking a costume rule if they deem either a mask. I can’t really picture the various headpieces I’ve seen in past races.

 

[Herding_Cats]

5k costume testing complete. DH is running as Buzz Lightyear. Well, testing was 90% complete. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this hat. It sits so weird on my head and my head is kind of too big for it so it makes the brim in the front hook up aggressively and it looks like a bonnet. And there’s no glitter on the underside of the brims which is the only part anyone facing you sees. I’ll probably end up carrying it for the race since we are planning to walk most of it. Also not pictured but tested are yellow/gold sequined gauntlets. Looks super cute. Sooooo itchy at the armpits. Probably because I need to be 10# lighter for this dress to fit better, but that’s not happening at this point. Sequins: cute, but not in your armpits. I’m also going to make a steers-head belt buckle cover out of felt or something.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

5k costume testing complete. DH is running as Buzz Lightyear. Well, testing was 90% complete. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this hat. It sits so weird on my head and my head is kind of too big for it so it makes the brim in the front hook up aggressively and it looks like a bonnet. And there’s no glitter on the underside of the brims which is the only part anyone facing you sees. I’ll probably end up carrying it for the race since we are planning to walk most of it. Also not pictured but tested are yellow/gold sequined gauntlets. Looks super cute. Sooooo itchy at the armpits. Probably because I need to be 10# lighter for this dress to fit better, but that’s not happening at this point. Sequins: cute, but not in your armpits. I’m also going to make a steers-head belt buckle cover out of felt or something.
View attachment 723338

Fun! I'm dressing as Jessie for the Princess 5K and I'm not even trying a cowgirl hat. Nope. Not gonna happen. I'm going with a Sparkle Athletic red visor.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Fun! I'm dressing as Jessie for the Princess 5K and I'm not even trying a cowgirl hat. Nope. Not gonna happen. I'm going with a Sparkle Athletic red visor.

if it were ANYTHING other than the 5k I wouldn't have bothered with the hat at all (and I would be panicking and getting a different costume right now.) But I also got it for a really good price, so that helps

 

[kps7795]

How long I test a costume for depends on the race, and how high the potential is for it to irritate me. And how susceptible to things like chaffing, because we all have different skin. I will do a 2nd test on a long run (2+hrs) if I find any fiddly bits during a test on a shorter run (40-60min.

For example, a sparkle athletic skirt is one layer, smooth (ish) on the inside, and not too long. It has few things to become a problem, especially in a shorter race.
But a tulle tutu, made with a few hundred strips of tulle? On a marathon? Different story. I had a tutu like that last year that I tested 2x on my tread trimmed it, wore for a turkey trot and then trimmed it again before wearing it for the full during MW.

When the costume is more fiddly, especially around your legs:
-Does it try to bunch between your thighs?
-Ride up/down at your waist? (which WILL effect how much your thighs eat the skirt)
-Where does your arm-swing fall with the costume? Anything rubbing?
-How will you make a bathroom stop? How will you keep your costume off the floor of a porta if you NEED to use one? Have you tried pulling your sweaty undershorts/leggings up when they are all sweaty? (like you would need to do at a bathroom stop.)
-How does your fuels system with with it? Are you using a belt, or filling your pockets? Have you tried those with this costume, because that could cause changes with the top questions about what is happening with your lower body (does your belt make your skirt ride down/up?)

My newest dottie skirt is not the same dimensions as my other one, so I wore it on a 3hr run because it's going to be worn for either the half or the full and I knew I would have to figure out how high to wear it, and if I would need to trim the under-tulle. Since costume-testing season is also treadmill season for me, if things go REALLY badly I can stop and change, but that hasn't been something I've needed to do yet. It was fiddly. I had to figure out if I should pin it to my t-shirt or to my undershorts to keep it in place, and then if the shirt would bunch up or the shorts would ride down and where things wanted to be after running for a long time.

This reminds me of my initial interest in dressing up in a Tigger costume with using one of my kids' Tigger tails. I actually tried it out on a mile or so run. It would have been so cute if the tail acted like I imagined it would where it would stick out behind me. Unfortunately, it crept between my legs and tried to trip me constantly.

 

[The Expert]

5k costume testing complete. DH is running as Buzz Lightyear. Well, testing was 90% complete. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this hat. It sits so weird on my head and my head is kind of too big for it so it makes the brim in the front hook up aggressively and it looks like a bonnet. And there’s no glitter on the underside of the brims which is the only part anyone facing you sees. I’ll probably end up carrying it for the race since we are planning to walk most of it. Also not pictured but tested are yellow/gold sequined gauntlets. Looks super cute. Sooooo itchy at the armpits. Probably because I need to be 10# lighter for this dress to fit better, but that’s not happening at this point. Sequins: cute, but not in your armpits. I’m also going to make a steers-head belt buckle cover out of felt or something.
View attachment 723338

I feel you on the sequins. I once borrowed a sequined dress for a holiday party and my arms were scarred for days!

As for the hat, one trick I've used is to attach the hat with short elastic loops to a lightweight headband. You could also punch a small hole in it, loop some string or twine, and attach it to a skinny belt with a carabiner if you don't want to carry it. Then it's still handy for photos.

 

[flav]

Cool we will have a lot of Jessie in 2023! Since this will be for our last race, we are advancing the other ones. Shirts are finished for the Springtime 5k, we have Minnie Ears to do.

Then I had a few encounters with a serger. I lost the first battle and the second one was nil. I will listen to more videos and keep trying. This is so much harder than it has to be!