Week 5: Happy Hunger Games!

So, I’m a newly obsessed Hunger Games-ian.  Finished the book while delayed in the airport terminal earlier this week and now can’t wait to see the big screen version.  If you had asked me a few weeks ago my thoughts on all the hoopla, I would have said no big deal.  Now you ask me that same question…I say I already bought my movie tix for this weekend.

It's here!

Fabulous reader Janet submitted some ridiculously amazing Hunger Games costumes that she made to tie into a fun school fashion show with her students and I just had to share on the eve of the movie event!  I wish Janet was my teacher when I was in school!

“Your blog has been a constant inspiration and my students are about to come to school in their ensembles.

I started with my inspiration: a character name Effie Trinket, played by Elizabeth Banks.  In the futuristic society of these books, the wealthy Capitol inhabitants take fashion to the extreme and for the movie, they chose to go with exaggerated proportions in the costumes.  When it came time for me to plan my costume, I took my cue from the film… 

Effie & Katniss

…and decided to hunt for vintage 80s pieces with shoulder pads and puffy sleeves.  In my quest, I found a pink dress for a few dollars at a local Savers.  It had stripes that reminded me of the moire fabric of Effie’s jacket and was a fun shade of pink.  I cut the bib down the middle and couldn’t detach it without undoing the fabulously shoulder padded shoulders, so I let the halves hang until I figured out what to do with them.  I knew I wanted a V neck top, so taking a trick from your blog, I cut the top down the center, folded in the sides how I wanted and stitched it down.

Janet - Before

Next, I played with the bib remnants until I decided they’d make a fabulous oversized collar.  I just tacked them in place along one point near each shoulder as well as in the middle.  I used the fabric left over from the skirt to make the three flowers, attached them to a ribbon scrap, added some snaps and voilà - a necklace!

Janet - After

I paired the pieces with a thrift store JC Penney wool skirt, black textured tights and some high heels and to make the fascinator type head flower, I bought two artificial flowers, dis-assembled them and then hot-glued the petals onto a piece of felt to make one giant flower.”

Oh and PS…this costume won Ms. Janet second place in a contest run by E! to win premiere tickets.  (You can check out all the finalists here!)  She would have gotten my vote!!

Another costumes she magnificently created…

Golden Effie!

..inspired by this…

Banksy

…and there’s more!!  This one rocked too…

More Effie!

She even shared a look into her Effie Trinket dressing room!!

Where the crafty magic happens!

Not only were Janet’s costumes amazing, her students did a killer job as well!  They received $20 gift certificates to Savers to put their outfits together with – love that everyone was thrifting to create their pieces!!

The winner…

The Hunger Games winner! (steampunk meets Panem masterpiece)

…the runner up…

The runner up! (she made the flowers and the bow closure!!)

It’s like they both had their own personal Cinnas styling them!   There’s nothing like a costume party, especially when it’s at school

Janet, thank you SO much for sharing the creativity of you and your students.  “And may the odds be ever in your favor.”