At Kreepsville, we're some of Elvira's biggest fans! We love her campy wisecracking humor, her perky-goth vibes, and her gothic and sultry wardrobe. And since Halloween is almost here, what better way to celebrate the season than taking a look at the gothic fashion and spooky styling that makes the Queen of Halloween so iconic?
Get Inspiration from the Archives
And because Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson) has graciously invited us to poke around in her creepy crypt (well, it is actually a storage unit), we've unearthed some amazing treasures from her archives to share!
So, if you've been on the hunt to find out how to make the perfect costume (or find your new favorite 80s goth every day outfit), your search is over! We've put together this guide on how to dress like Elvira with some real insider tips!
The Signature Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Costume
When you think of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, do you instantly think of her sexy black dress with the plunging neckline, jeweled dagger belt, and tattered sleeves and hem, and towering black high heeled shoes? We love this look so much, we've even got her wearing it as the focal point of the mural on the front of our flagship store, Monster-a-GoGo!
Dress to Possess
According to Cassandra Peterson, in an interview in Vogue from last Halloween, she still uses the original 1980s pattern for her dress! The inspiration for the Elvira look came from her best friend at the time, Robert Redding.
They dreamed up and created a dress as sexy and tight as possible. And if you love Rockabilly, you'll love this bit of trivia! Her towering beehive hairdo was inspired by Ronnie Spector from the Ronettes. Elvira's dramatic cat eye makeup was borrowed from Robert's portrayal of a witch in Macbeth.
Killer Accessories
Elvira's signature dagger belt was added to the ensemble in 1983 after Robert designed it and Cassandra had it custom made and bejeweled. At Kreepsville, we love the tight waist look so much, our team of diabolical designers even created a dagger belt modelled after this one! This belt is a real accessory to die for!
Now that you know the witchy and 1960s inspiration for the Mistress of the Dark look, it's time to get creative, have fun, and put together an Elvira costume of your very own!
Elvira in the 80s
Now, if you're thinking of dressing like Elvira, but want to wear something a little more unique, wait until you see what we found in Elvira's archives! Why not put together an Elvira costume based on this 1980s photo shoot?
Rad Outfits
We thought this look was so rad and retro-chic, we've recreated the Elvira 80s shirt in a variety of styles for both men and women including t-shirts, sleeveless tees, and raglan shirts. Put this on top of a pair of slinky black leggings, add some black legwarmers, a pair of black high heel shoes, and you've got a costume of the real Elvira in the 80s.
Bodacious Accessories
Find some big dangling earrings, tease a tall black beehive wig and do fabulous cat-eye makeup to complete your costume. We know you'll love this retro look so much, you'll be ready to celebrate 80s Halloween all year long!
Elvira Clothing for Everyone
If you're putting together an Elvira costume with your own unique spin, check out our line of official Elvira merch. You might just find costumes to buy for the whole family!
We've got clothing and accessories to make costumes for everyone including t-shirts, western shirts, tank tops, blouses, skirts, purses, wallets, earrings, and more! Remember to stay safe and stay spooky and get a matching face mask. You can even finish up your signature look with a macabre mobile purse and wallet and get ready to party in style.
Makeup Tips
We consulted Elvira's makeup artist and stylist and got some tips on how to finish up your look to really pull together your Elvira costume. And of course, for some of us, these goth makeup tips are good for every day!
Step-by-step Guide to Elvira's Makeup
Give yourself a corpse-like pallor, a touch of blush, red lips, and dramatic eyeliner and shadow. Then, don't forget to:
- Apply Elvira base make-up evenly to entire face and chest with a sponge. Apply white powder to set.
- Apply fuchsia (powder) blush to cheeks, dark maroon (powder) blush beneath cheekbones. Blend in.
- With a small brush, or eye shadow applicator, apply bright blue powder eye shadow from center of top eyelid to hairline.
- With a clean brush, apply bright fuchsia powder eye shadow beneath and around entire eye to hairline.
- Using a dark purple pencil, apply a thick line just above the eyelid's natural crease.
- Darken eyebrows and exaggerate arch with dark brown eyebrow pencil.
- Apply black mascara to upper lashes.
- With a fine brush, add a small amount of water to black cake eyeliner and apply above and below eyes as shown. Black eyeliner will cover almost the entire top lid.
- Fill in space at the inner corner of the eye with white pencil.
- With black eyeliner, add a black beauty mark beneath the right eye.
- Using dark-tone eyelash glue, apply heavy false demi-lashers from center of upper eyelash line, slanting outward and upward toward outer end of eyebrow.
- Line inside of eyelids, from center of eye outward, with midnight blue eye pencil.
- Apply dark red lip-liner, fill in with blood red lipstick. Blot. Add clear lip gloss in center of bottom lip only.
And voila! Your look is complete and we know you'll have the most rad Elvira costume at your Halloween party or every day of the year.
