Ah, it’s that time of the year again, my friends. Welcome to Spooks Night! 
Okay, let’s be real—most of y’all probably already celebrated this past weekend, so today’s just another Monday to you—but I, for one, will cling to the pumpkin spirit until the clock strikes twelve and it becomes November. This year’s costume is actually a cop-out if I may say so myself. It’s practically no different from my usual outfit and you’ve probably seen me wearing this exact outfit several times already (lol). The thing with all-hallow’s-eve is that every year I think I should’ve planned the costume months beforehand and every year I fail to do so, leaving myself scrambling for a last-minute costume. This year, especially though, was a tough one because I had a grueling deadline just yesterday. But let’s put that aside for now.
Ah, it’s that time of the year again, my friends. Welcome to Spooks Night! Okay, let’s be real—most of y’all probably already celebrated this past weekend, so today’s just another Monday to you—but I, for one, will cling to the pumpkin spirit until the clock strikes twelve and it becomes November. This year’s costume is actually a cop-out if I may say so myself. It’s practically no different from my usual outfit and you’ve probably seen me wearing this exact outfit several times already (lol). The thing with all-hallow’s-eve is that every year I think I should’ve planned the costume months beforehand and every year I fail to do so, leaving myself scrambling for a last-minute costume. This year, especially though, was a tough one because I had a grueling deadline just yesterday. But let’s put that aside for now.
Click Your Heels and Wish for Me
The inspiration for this year’s costume actually came from a friend from work who got my work costume wrong. You see, there was a Halloween shindig at the office last Friday—which I could barely focus on, since my mind was completely preoccupied by the daunting deadline I mentioned earlier. I decided to go for a last-minute, effortless option—which was Anne of Green Gables. It felt to me like a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, not a lot of people at work knew Anne of Green Gables and one of them thought I was Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. That’s when I kicked myself in the head for not thinking of her at all. It suddenly felt obvious to me! Needless to say, that’s what I ended up becoming for the blog and asked Agung to take my photos on Saturday.
You may have noticed from my previous Halloween posts that I tend to prefer a conceptual costume to a resorting to cosplay. Conceptual costumes allow me to really explore the idea and create my own version—which doesn’t really apply when embodying an existing character. However, beggars can’t be choosers, so here we are.
As far as characters go, Dorothy isn’t even particularly my favourite—in fact, I’m not a huge fan of Wizard of Oz at all. I feel like Dorothy is the kind of main character who gets by through sheer dumb luck, if nothing else. I prefer the spin-off version of the story, Wicked with its interesting main character Elphaba—who is the Wicked Witch of the West. Can’t say that story didn’t cloud my judgment of Dorothy’s ordeal.
The inspiration for this year’s costume actually came from a friend from work who got my work costume wrong. You see, there was a Halloween shindig at the office last Friday—which I could barely focus on, since my mind was completely preoccupied by the daunting deadline I mentioned earlier. I decided to go for a last-minute, effortless option—which was Anne of Green Gables. It felt to me like a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, not a lot of people at work knew Anne of Green Gables and one of them thought I was Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. That’s when I kicked myself in the head for not thinking of her at all. It suddenly felt obvious to me! Needless to say, that’s what I ended up becoming for the blog and asked Agung to take my photos on Saturday.
You may have noticed from my previous Halloween posts that I tend to prefer a conceptual costume to a resorting to cosplay. Conceptual costumes allow me to really explore the idea and create my own version—which doesn’t really apply when embodying an existing character. However, beggars can’t be choosers, so here we are.
As far as characters go, Dorothy isn’t even particularly my favourite—in fact, I’m not a huge fan of Wizard of Oz at all. I feel like Dorothy is the kind of main character who gets by through sheer dumb luck, if nothing else. I prefer the spin-off version of the story, Wicked with its interesting main character Elphaba—who is the Wicked Witch of the West. Can’t say that story didn’t cloud my judgment of Dorothy’s ordeal.
Let’s talk a little bit about the costume itself! The hero of this outfit is, of course, this cute number by Book of Deer that I napped ages ago. It’s still one of my favourite pieces and I’m so happy it still fits me to this day—Eilidh is such a sweetheart too, on top of that, so I’m always happy to wear it. The highlight of Dorothy’s outfit, however, should be her red shoes. Unfortunately, I don’t own any red shoes—at least not since I left Germany anyway. But I do own a burgundy pair—close enough, right?—so that’ll have to do. Then there’s the hair ribbon, which I somehow thought was red—but also didn’t have any blue ribbons on hand.
Last but not least, aside from what I’m actually wearing myself, Dorothy is always in her dog Toto’s company. Now, since I don’t actually have a dog, at first I thought I’d ask my cat Bobon to have this photoshoot with me. But because a) we did it in a public place and it would be a complete hazard for Bobon and b) it will most likely be a disaster to get Bobon to cooperate for this, I decided to just bring my Snowy plushie with me. Agung said I decidedly looked like I belonged in a mental hospital. A 30-year-old woman dressing up like a little kid and seemingly engaging with her doll? Yep, that’ll do it.
Hand-me-down shirt // Book of Deer dress // old socks // Nappa Milano loafers // Snowy plushie from La Boutique Tintin // photos of me by Agung
Let’s talk a little bit about the costume itself! The hero of this outfit is, of course, this cute number by Book of Deer that I napped ages ago. It’s still one of my favourite pieces and I’m so happy it still fits me to this day—Eilidh is such a sweetheart too, on top of that, so I’m always happy to wear it. The highlight of Dorothy’s outfit, however, should be her red shoes. Unfortunately, I don’t own any red shoes—at least not since I left Germany anyway. But I do own a burgundy pair—close enough, right?—so that’ll have to do. Then there’s the hair ribbon, which I somehow thought was red—but also didn’t have any blue ribbons on hand.
Last but not least, aside from what I’m actually wearing myself, Dorothy is always in her dog Toto’s company. Now, since I don’t actually have a dog, at first I thought I’d ask my cat Bobon to have this photoshoot with me. But because a) we did it in a public place and it would be a complete hazard for Bobon and b) it will most likely be a disaster to get Bobon to cooperate for this, I decided to just bring my Snowy plushie with me. Agung said I decidedly looked like I belonged in a mental hospital. A 30-year-old woman dressing up like a little kid and seemingly engaging with her doll? Yep, that’ll do it.
Hand-me-down shirt // Book of Deer dress // old socks // Nappa Milano loafers // Snowy plushie from La Boutique Tintin // photos of me by Agung
There's No Place Like Nowhere
If you’re not into horror much, I’ve got a terrifying thriller you should watch. I Came By is a story about a guy who breaks into rich people’s homes to leave graffitis up on their wall as a social justice statement. One day he found the home of an ex-judge with horrifying secrets and he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Honestly, one of the most heartbreaking films I’ve ever watched.
Teen horror-comedy is also a genre that I’ve ventured into lately. Freaky explores a time when a teenage girl switches body with a serial killer. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty enjoyable—also very, very gore. Spontaneous is a story of an epidemic of exploding teenagers that plagued a high school. It ended up more heartwrenching than I was prepared for.
Aside from the Halloween party at the office, we didn’t really do anything special this Halloween. The whole of October has felt kind of uninspiring to me, in a way, which is sad because it was supposed to be the best month of the entire year. Nevertheless, I would like to leave of you off with some recommendations as always.
First off, there are films and series. What Agung and I very recently watched is Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. We’ve been up to episode 4 so far, so no spoilers please! Each story is different, so each leaves different impressions on us. Personally, I find it more and more terrifying as you progress. My favourite, so far, is obviously episode 4 “The Outside.”
Aside from the Halloween party at the office, we didn’t really do anything special this Halloween. The whole of October has felt kind of uninspiring to me, in a way, which is sad because it was supposed to be the best month of the entire year. Nevertheless, I would like to leave of you off with some recommendations as always.
First off, there are films and series. What Agung and I very recently watched is Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. We’ve been up to episode 4 so far, so no spoilers please! Each story is different, so each leaves different impressions on us. Personally, I find it more and more terrifying as you progress. My favourite, so far, is obviously episode 4 “The Outside.”
If you’re not into horror much, I’ve got a terrifying thriller you should watch. I Came By is a story about a guy who breaks into rich people’s homes to leave graffitis up on their wall as a social justice statement. One day he found the home of an ex-judge with horrifying secrets and he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. Honestly, one of the most heartbreaking films I’ve ever watched.
Teen horror-comedy is also a genre that I’ve ventured into lately. Freaky explores a time when a teenage girl switches body with a serial killer. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty enjoyable—also very, very gore. Spontaneous is a story of an epidemic of exploding teenagers that plagued a high school. It ended up more heartwrenching than I was prepared for.
As for books, I haven’t actually read that many fiction books lately. However, I did stumble upon some books that I believe could qualify as spooky. First off, there is Rebecca—which I read mostly because the Netflix film butchered the story so completely. To me, the spookiest part isn’t exactly what transpired in Manderley, so much as the main character’s mystique—we never know her name!—and her retelling of it all. There’s also Der Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, which I read in its original German language. This book follows the life of a lone wolf and it gradually becomes creepy in a psychedelic kind of way towards the end. Other than that, I haven’t really ventured into horror reading at all lately, but I would always recommend Interview with the Vampire—such a classic!
What did or will you do for Halloween? Leave me spooky recommendations, please!
As for books, I haven’t actually read that many fiction books lately. However, I did stumble upon some books that I believe could qualify as spooky. First off, there is Rebecca—which I read mostly because the Netflix film butchered the story so completely. To me, the spookiest part isn’t exactly what transpired in Manderley, so much as the main character’s mystique—we never know her name!—and her retelling of it all. There’s also Der Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, which I read in its original German language. This book follows the life of a lone wolf and it gradually becomes creepy in a psychedelic kind of way towards the end. Other than that, I haven’t really ventured into horror reading at all lately, but I would always recommend Interview with the Vampire—such a classic!
What did or will you do for Halloween? Leave me spooky recommendations, please!