Clown Costumes

I am now going to talk to you about clown costumes. When you first start out as a clown you have a few options for costumes. They are :

a) use something you already own or can easily buy,

b)to have something made for you or

c) make something on your own.

When I first started clowning I used option (a). I was able to do this because in highschool I had a fairly odd sense of fashion. Basically what that means is that every clown costume I wore proir to getting my first moosburger I had worn to a school dance. These outfits included a light blue plaid pants and vest set, many different oversized pinstripe suits and white pants, red vest and a grey tailcoat. All of these items where purchased at a theft store for under $25. So, if you like to go to threft stores or have fashion problems this is the way to go when you start off.

The next option is to have a costume made by someone. There are a few places on the web where you can get decent costumes made. One of these places is Mooseburger Originals , I have two of their costumes and I love both of them. My first one I bought while I was at Moosecamp. I wore it as well as my other costumes for about four years before I decided I needed a change. I ordered a custom made mooseburger costume. It was one of the best things I have done for my clowning. It is a costume made to fit me and it has really helped me further my ideas of my clown costume. You will notice from the pictures that I also got a new clown wig when I ordered that costume. Between my new costume and wig it was as if I had become a new clown.

The last option is one that I am just now exploring. Thanks to my wife Sarah I have re-discoverd sewing, something I learned as a child and haven’t done for more then a decade. I started by making Sarah a clown costume for her to use as she starts clowning. I went to the fabric store bought a pattern for some overalls and Sarah picked out fabrics. Once we got home I went to work. You can see the progress here start at the bottom to see from start to finish.

A few other notes on other aspects of costuming.

Shoes: wear them. Shoes do not have to be to big for you or look funny. They can be simple brown or black dress shoes. You can also spend big money on professional clown shoes. I have been clowning for 8 years or so and have never purchased clown shoes. I used white and red adidas sneakers for the past seven years and recently have switched to brown dress shoes that I also wear to my real job. I have seen people decorate converse allstars both fitted and oversized. My grandpa got a cobbler in his town to make haim a pair by sewing an extension on a pair of shoes that he already had.

Wigs: With wigs it is up to you whether you wear one or not. This decision is based on your charector and you hair. If like Bello your hair lends itself to being clownish then don’t wear a wig. If, however you are likem most of us, you will need a wig. Ladies if you have long hair, you might have a hard time with a wig but you might be able to just but your hair in pigtails poke some holes in a hat and have your look. If you do a wig, get it trimmed. There is nothing worse then seeing a clown with fantastic makeup and a fantastic costume, with an unruly wig. You want people to be able to see the makeup you wil spend a long time developing.

Hats: While a lot of clowns and clown books insist that your clown charector can come from you hat, I find that you don’t need a hat to be a clown. I have found that most hats that are for sell at clown stores both online and off are pretty flimsy. They look good but they lack the sturdiness of a hat that can really perform. If you are looking for a hat that you can do manipulation with check out dube or renegade, both of which are both excellent juggling suppky companies. I use a hat that I bought at a dillards or other department store and I have been using and abusing for quite a while.