Halloween 2016: Dragon Slayer Costumes

Another wonderful Halloween has come and gone, and not going to lie, I’m glad it’s over.

Don’t get me wrong! Halloween is my and Chad’s favorite holiday. We met at a Halloween dance and had our first date on Halloween. It’s a very special holiday to us. But of course, that also means we go a bit…ah…overboard in the costume department. And from initial sketches to last-minute details, this year’s costumes took roughly 2 months.

What did we dress up as? Dragon slayers, of course!

Step 1: Sketched our ideas.

Step 2: Figured out what we could make, what we needed to buy, and what we already had.

Step 3: Bought what we couldn’t make (we love you, Taylor Maid!).

Step 4: Pillaged Harbor Freight, Home Depot, and Hobby Lobby.

Step 5: Trimmed and shaped a chainmail sheet into sleeves.

Step 6: Measured ourselves for armor, made paper templates, and transferred those templates onto EVA foam.

Step 7: Shaped and glued the EVA foam until it looked like armor and weapons instead of funky puzzle pieces.

Step 8: Attached foam details (mostly scales).

Faulds in the making!

Step 9: Heat sealed and Plasti Dip-ed the foam to waterproof and prep for painting.

Step 10: Painting. So much paint.

Step 11: Sealed the paint with polyurethane spray or Mod Podge.

Step 12: Assembled straps, harnesses, and glued on a crap ton of furniture tacks.

Step 13: Practiced makeup.

Step 14: Tested armor for wearability.

Step 15: Win the costume contest.

Do it Yourself!

Mariah’s costume: Fire Dragon Slayer

• khakis
• loose off-white shirt
• brown underbust corset
• leather boots
• gold pauldrons
• gold vambraces with maroon detail
• maroon dragon-scale falds with gold detail
• maroon dragon-scale helmet with gold detail
• maroon Roman-style cape with gold brooch
• 26″ platinum blonde wig with loose curls
• Tarteist Double Take eyeliner marker
• gold eyeshadow
• maroon spear with gold detail and steel blade

Chad’s costume: Shadow Dragon Slayer

• black pajama pants
• black long-sleeve shirt
• galvanized steel chain mail sleeves
• knight tunic
• black pauldrons with copper detail
• black Roman-style falds
• black sabattons
• black dragon-scale greaves with copper detail
• black dragon-scale vambraces with copper detail
• black helmet with copper detail and ram horns
• scar (made with liquid collodion)
• black eye patch
• black hooded cape
• battle axe with wood shaft, leather grip, and steel blade

**No reptiles were harmed in the making of these costumes!**