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'Ghost Whisperer' Costume Designer gives great Halloween costume tips
By April MacIntyre Oct 13, 2009, 15:29 GMT
US actress Jennifer Love Hewitt The crew of CBS hit series "Ghost Whisperer" has worked together as a tight team for years now, delivering spooky tales that Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) gets to the bottom of each week. EPA/PAUL BUCK
The crew of CBS hit series "Ghost Whisperer" has worked together as a tight team for years now, delivering spooky tales that Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) gets to the bottom of each week.
It is that time of year, where the colors all around us are richer, the air is crisper and thoughts of what will we wear for Halloween crosses our minds.
Ghost Whisperer’s Halloween episode “Head Over Heels” airs Friday, October 30th at 8 pm on CBS.
When it comes to Halloween, "Ghost Whisperer" Costume Designer Dorothy Amos and Costume Supervisor Barbara Inglehart know a thing or two about creating original, spooky costumes.
For the past three years, they’ve designed more than 100 ghost originals for the popular Friday night CBS show.
“Every year at Halloween time, friends and family will come to us asking for advice with their costumes,” said Amos.
“My biggest advice when it comes to costumes is to just have fun. You can’t make a mistake!”
Most recently, Dorothy’s creations were on display during the 4th Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design Exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Museum.
Here are a few Ghost Whisperer trade secrets:
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR PERFECTING A GHOSTLY WARDROBE
Use old clothing or buy items from the local Thrift shop
*You’ll find great treasures and keep your costs low
Age the items by using pumice stones, sandpaper, paint or oil
*Different fabrics will have various results: chiffon ages wonderfully, while denim is harder to distress
Be eco-friendly by using safe products such as water-based paints, glues and glitter
Layer fabrics to create dimension and visual interest
*Try using dirt with glue to age the garment
Throw the dirt and glue on, let it dry and see what happens
CHILD’S PLAY
According to the Costumers, when preparing costumes for children, don’t assume the best costumes are in the store. As parents of small children themselves, Amos and Inglehart both advocate for original costumes.
Think outside the box and allow your child to create their own super hero and super powers,” said Inglehart. It allows the child to be creative and get involved in the process.”
*Make sure the costume is child-friendly
*Will they be able to take it off by themselves? Is it comfortable enough to wear to school?
*Make the costume fit over the child’s clothing
*This is helpful in case the teacher doesn’t allow the students to wear the costume all day
*Put the zipper in the front. Again, this makes it easy for kids to dress for themselves.
Two good examples of "Ghost Whisperer" ghosts whose costumes underwent many of these steps are Lorelei the Ghost and the Lake Spirit Ghost.
The vintage 1970’s evening gown worn by Lorelei the Ghost (played by Peyton List) appears in Episode 404 “Save Our Souls.” Lorelei died when she was thrown overboard on a cruise voyage, hence the discoloration and real seaweed that adorns her garment.
In Episode 413 “Body of Water” (directed by Jennifer Love Hewitt), the Lake Spirit Ghost died on her wedding day, and the dress was painted and distressed for the scene. For these costumes, Amos used the diluted paint and oil techniques.
Photos: Copyright Ghost Whisperer
