I am going to a party this Friday and it has a gods and goddesses theme. Each person who RSVPs gets assigned a god/goddess to be at the party. I was assigned Hekate the goddess of magic. The costume does not have to be exactly like the god was supposed to look, but it is supposed to be somewhat representative. I am not really sure what to do. Any ideas?
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Hekate (or Hecate, depending on how you spell it) seems to have had many different functions over time. The one I see most described on the various pages I hit was the Light-Bringer. I'd do a white toga-style dress and a torch, maybe a laurel headband.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Yeah, toga and torches, fun!
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
oh and email me
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
What I found said she's described as "golden" and "radiant". So maybe dress in gold? She's almost always depicted holding a torch; she is a guide. She has power over birth and death, so maybe something representing that. And of course, magic. A spindle is a symbol of birth/death/life cycle and also of magic; why not a torch and a spindle?
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
I have a gold top you could wear...
If only you lived a lot closer.
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
What would be the best way to make or buy a toga or a torch?
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
IM david for toga info, he did it really correctly for latin class. i just wrapped a pink sheet around myself. A torch, hmm i know how to make a real one, boyscout style, but that doesn't work without fire.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Togas are easy; just drape fabric. Not authentic, but you'll get the "look". But a toga is a Roman garment, and Hekate is Greek. Also, the only women who wore togas in ancient Rome (with almost no exceptions) were prostitutes. A goddess would not be depicted in one.
What you really want is a drapey kind of dress.
A torch can be made from aluminum foil, construction paper, and spray paint. Unless you want a real torch, with real fire. Those can be bought at Home Depot.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
*was in charge of costumes for her Latin Club one year*
*did authentic ones and got special recognition from the JCL*
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
Dress in Harry Potter-style robes and tell people that "Hekate got with the times."
--Enigmatic
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
But this is college, wearing a toga is part of it, the "greek" life does it all the time. Of course everyone else will be doing that too.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
White sheets work well for togas. Drape it to your satisfaction (use pins or not).
My father once made a great torch (for one Halloween when I was the statue of liberty). I'm not sure exactly how he made it, but it was made of foam (the soft squishy kind) and formed around a flashlight. The foam was spray painted and colored acrylic was cut in flamey shapes and inserted into the top of the foam torch (so with the flashlight on it illuminated the flames). It was a very cool thing. I wonder what happened to it and the crown....
On this page is a cool statue of Hekate whose dress you may be able to duplicate (scroll about half way down the page).
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Right, but this isn't a toga party costume. This is a goddess costume.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
A dress would be better, but it would also be harder to find.
Would fabric from a fabric store better then a sheet?
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
Wow, if I had a reason to get that dress besides the party I would so go for it!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yes!!!
Go to the fabric store and see if they have any suitable fabric on sale. You can make a very easy Greek-style dress by folding the correct length of fabric into a tube and sewing up the side (or sewing two seams to make a tube), then pinning at the shoulders (preferably with broaches or something pretty, like sparkly pins.) Then drape the neck as desired, add a girdle at empire-waist height and voilà! Add a stole if desired.
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
I do not have a sewing machine and my hand stitching is a bit bad. It would look more authentic then a toga though...
Posted by MandyM (Member # 8375) on :
Ideas from this site could be a pregnant woman (godess of childbirth), a ghost (queen of the ghosts), a three headed woman (the triplicate godess), a she-dog (her animal companion), a witch (for her associations with Wicca), a street sign (godess of the crossroads),
It also says
quote: Traditionally, Hecate is represented as carrying torches, very often has a knife, and may appear holding a rope, a key, a phial, flowers, or a pomegranate.
so maybe you could just drape these items on your costume.
You could also just cover yourself in leaves (that might be fun)
quote:The yew, cypress, hazel, black poplar and willow are all sacred to Hecate. The leaves of the black poplar are dark on one side and light on the other, symbolizing the boundary between the worlds. [part of her queen of the ghosts title]
The reference to Hecate in Shakespeare is interesting too.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
But then it'll have unhemmed edges, Ok that's it, I'm not moving to a dorm without a sewing machine.
Oh and if that Gold dress would be hemmable after you wore it, I'd buy it for Fair queen contest, because I'm almost positive we'd wear the same size, just I'm a foot shorter.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
No, you hem it to length.
You can use safety pins instead if you don't have a sewing machine, but really, basting does fine. It wouldn't take more than an afternoon to do it, even by hand.
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
If I make a fabric tube how do I connect it to the drapey neck part?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Do you have YIM? I can explain it better in IM.
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
Yep, it is Allegra Hale
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
I know you hem dresses to length, but that one just doesn't seem like it would work because of the bottom (and oh well it's not like we could get it ordered in time for her, or I've decided I need a formal anyway)
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Buying a sheet would probably be cheaper than buying fabric from a store (unless you have fabulously good luck). Also, you wouldn't have to worry about unhemmed edges - just do the procedure kq described with pins and you won't have to do any sewing.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
No, I was talking about the home-made one, dear.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Allegra, are you on right now? I'm not getting you.
Can you IM me? roguejaina
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
A torch could just be one of those teki torches from Wal Mart
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
It says that you are off line
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
oh ok, sorry I got touchy, it's been a long day, two three hour classes with papers due.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Allegra, I'm online, but I'll re-log in just in case.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Try again, please.
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
Said the same thing. This is odd.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
That's really wierd.
I IMed you three times and got no response.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Can you hear me now?
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
I am going to try to make the dress that KQ is describing. If I can't pull it off I will just wear the fabric as a toga. What color should I get? What should I do with my hair? Shoes? Jewelry?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I think gold or bronze if available would be a fun twist on the "idea" of the goddess. But they can be expensive, so go with what you find that looks good. (Fabric stores often have wonderful sales just before Halloween.)
Wear sandals; they should be strappy and elegant, if possible. Hair up, maybe piled on your head? Perhaps rather messily? Jewelry, I don't know... Maybe something symbolic of light or birth or death or magic in some way, or a stone associated with her, or just something that looks good.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
If you can't find any bronze or gold fabric get unbleached muslin, and wear lots of gold jewelry (bonus of unbleached muslin is it comes in a ton of widths)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, and unbleached muslin has an off-white color that would be perfect with lots of gold jewelry; on the other hand, bleached muslin would be more reflective and "radiant". Good call, bryerchic!
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
And its usually pretty cheap!
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
But a dark brown fabric, that isn't metalic, if you can find it would look good, with your skintone (since the ones I just listed may or may not show up )
You know my brown graduation dress, with strappy gold sandals and a torch would do, not quite costumey, but it would work
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, wide, unbleached muslin usually goes for between 99 cents and $1.25 a yard (depending on width and weave.) You can sometimes get it on sale for around 60 to 66 cents a yard, though-- dirt cheap! Bleached tends to hover between $1.30 and $2 a yard, again depending on width and quality and such, but goes for as little as 75 to 80 cents a yard on sale. Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Glittery gold for her skin would look cool too, on shoulders, cheeks, lips and eyelids. Long gold eyelashes would complete the costume look and should be easy to find this time of year. Then wrap a flashlight in gold paper for a torch.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
yeah, wear way too much makeup in a good way
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Hemming without a sewing machine - get a roll of WonderUnder. It's fusible webbing that comes in 3/4 inch widths. You lay it between two layers of fabric (like between the folded over part of a hem) and iron it in. You can also use it for the side seams in the same way. Lay the front and back together - right sides together - so the edges match, lay the WonderUnder in between, and iron. It may not hold up for more than a night (never seems to last long for me, so I only use it as a temporary fix), but it should be enough for the party, at least.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
That's the name of the stuff! I suggested that to her in e-mail, actually. Thanks, Goody!
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Good call, bryerchic!
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