Day 291: My Favorite Types Of Costumes
Costumes are a huge part of what I do as a photographer. Ever since I began my career in fine art photography, I have been venturing into thrift stores and vintage stores in search of the best costumes. Whether you are just getting into this type of photography or you're looking for a little more information on the best kinds of costumes to wear in an image, this blog post is for you.
When it comes to costumes, I have several types of costumes that are my absolute favorite to works with. Here is a break down of my favorite costumes and why:
- Bridesmaid Dresses
Bridesmaid dresses are the go to costumes for me for multiple reasons. First of all, they are usually incredibly simple with maybe a tiny bit of flare on the top half while the bottom is simply flowing fabric. Because they are usually long and are made with a large amount of fabric, they can be moved about in a beautiful way for images. They are also usually a single color and have no patterns, which allows them to appear as if they don't belong to any specific time periods. I own three different bridesmaid dresses and they are the ones I gravitate towards every time.
- Nightgowns
Nightgowns, like a bridesmaid dress, is beautifully timeless. They don't usually have a lot of distracting details or patterns and if you're lucky, they are made with a lot of fabric. The best nightgowns in my opinion are the simple white ones that might be a couple sizes too big to allow for more fabric. You can also find some beautiful vintage nightgowns that are made out of quality fabric and pastel colors. Using nightgowns adds a dreamy feeling to any image which is why they are my second most used costume.
- Formal Gowns
There's something quite beautiful about a formal gown with intricate details and often a puffy skirt. While they can be a great choice, they can be more easily recognized than a plain dress which means you don't want to use them as often as other costumes. While they may not be your first choice, there's something magical about slipping on a ballgown and it can really help you develop the kind of character being portrayed in your photograph.
- Wedding Dresses
While this might not seem like the best costume, if you're lucky enough to find the right dress it can be an amazing costume. Look for wedding dresses without a lot of details that point to a specific era. Most dresses from the 70's and 80's for example are easily recognizable and might give your images a time period look that you were not going for. The simpler the better because then you'll be able to use it multiple times in your images.
Here is a little video of me going through some of my favorite costumes so you can see exactly what I mean!
Until Next Time,
Lillian Merritt