Budget Cruise Costumes – Sailor

Halloween is a great time to take a cruise.  It’s the off season so prices are lower, the kids are back in school and their parents are staying with them, making for a crowd that’s a little more primed to party than those aboard cruises during the height of summer vacation.  On top of all that the Caribbean is still warm in late October.

There will also be more chances to show off your costume.  In fact with contest and costume days you’ll probably have more reasons to want to impress with your costume than you would ashore.  It does pose a challenge, however.  Space is limited both aboard ship and in your bags.  Big, bulky costumes are going to hinder you when embarking and disembarking, and get in the way in your stateroom interfering with you enjoying your cruise.  The exact opposite of what a Halloween costume is supposed to do.  Fortunately, there is a costume you can put together that looks good, can be practical, and doesn’t cost too much.  While pirates are the common go to costume for a nautical Halloween there’s some things to recommend dressing as a law-abiding sailor of the sea.  At the very least they usually have both eyes.

Naval Dress and Pants

There is such a thing as nautical fashion.  Clothes in fabrics, patterns, and prints that automatically set the mind to thinking of the wide open horizons of a life lived upon the sea.  They’re also usually obtainable from thrift stores near where you live.  These can be used to put together a sailor outfit that ranges from sexy pin-up to actually practical for a day at sea in October.

Of the three parts of the costume the bottom is probably the easiest to find.  You can find skirts, shorts, and pants in patterns and colors that are distinctly naval pretty easily.  The cuts can vary, but in order to stay true to the theme they need to be high waisted, and fasten with buttons.  While the cut and pattern isn’t totally necessary to create the costume the little details will help avoid being misidentified as a nurse, or other profession that wears, or once wore, a tiny hat.  A common complaint of ladies piecing together sailor costumes.
In actual naval service sailors wear white and navy blue uniforms in the summer and winter months respectively.  As a civilian you have a lot more flexibility.  Navy blues and whites should probably be the main colors of your costume, but you have the option to brighten thing up with splashes of bright primary colors like red.  The other pattern that plainly states sailor is an alternating pattern of horizontal stripes.  It gives a chance to break up the monochromatic pattern of faux military uniforms with something a little brighter.  A red and white striped shirt can add a dash of fun to what can be an otherwise severe costume, and can be worn as a top on its own, or underneath a V-neck top.

Accessorize

What will really make the costume a cruise costume is of course the accessories, of which at a minimum there are two.  The first is the naval collar.  It’s likely you won’t be able to find a shirt with a collar that’s squared off in the back unless you specifically buy or make one, something that cuts against the spirit of making a bargain costume.  Luckily this isn’t really necessary.  A simple bandanna, kerchief, or patterned scarf tied correctly will mimic the lines well enough.  The instructions are available below.

1. Hold the cloth at the top two corners. Fold the material corner to corner to form a triangle.
2. Keeping the fabric taut, place the pointer and middle finger of your left hand on the point of the triangle. Place your thumb underneath, and roll the fabric over toward the top. Keep the point pinched.
3. Carefully replace your left hand fingers with your right fingers in the same position. Roll again. Replace the right fingers with the left, and roll again.
4. Remove your left hand fingers. Take hold of the roll, and continue rolling it toward the center. Continue rolling until you reach the long edge.
5. Drape the rolled fabric around your neck so that the right side hangs approximately four fingers’ width longer than the left side.
6. Cross the long end over the short to create a V. Pull the long end up and over into a knot. Draw it to the left.
7. Cross the long end over the short again. Draw the long end up and through the loop that forms under the first knot.
8. Pull the second knot tight, and adjust it so that it makes a square. The two tails should be of equal length.

Finally, the last thing you’ll need to make your costume unquestionably a sailor costume is a sailor’s hat.  They’re available online for an inexpensive price, but it’s probably just as quick and easy to make your own.  All you really need is poster board and coffee filters.

1. First measure out a four to six inch wide strip of poster board, and cut it out.
2. This strip of poster board forms the brim of your hat. Fold it in half.  For a taller cap cut a wider strip.
3. Wrap this strip of poster board around your head at approximately the height you want to wear it and adjust the circumference for a comfortable fit leaving about half-an-inch to overlap. Mark this length and cut it to fit.
4. Glue it into a circle.  Leave the two layers poster board separated so it forms a V-shaped profile.
5. Take a coffee filter, or two, and glue the edges to the inside layer of the poster board to form the crown of the cap.

Decorate the outer layer of the poster board to your taste.  Anchor stencils are available online, and the limit is really only set by your imagination.  Isn’t one of the main reasons we celebrate Halloween is in order to break out some glitter paint and go nuts?

A sailor costume has a lot of variety, and it can be tailored to suit the needs of the individual.  Whether your looking for something risqué or practical it can be tailored to suit the occasion, and at a reasonable price.