October 26, 2012

Blind Melon Bee Girl Costume

Halloween really snuck up me this year, but I'm not worried about it because I'm going to be reusing a costume I made a few years ago. It probably won't surprise you, but I've never owned a store-bought Halloween costume. When I was younger my mother whipped up some really fabulous costumes for my siblings and I, and as I got older I began to make them for myself. This costume is definitely one of my favorites because it was really fun to make, really fun to wear, and it was inspired by my favorite song ever ... No Rain by Blind Melon! The iconic "Bee Girl" was made famous in the No Rain music video, a 90's classic.  

To really pull off the Bee Girl look, these pieces were all necessary.

1. Bee Girl Hat - I made this little hat by cutting the leg off a pair of black and yellow striped tights, sewing the top shut, and then attaching a heart that I made with a pipe cleaner. I also stretched the tights out before wearing the hat so that it wouldn't be too tight on my head. 

2. Signature Bee Girl Glasses - I bought these lensless glasses for a whopping $2.

3. Bee Girl Corset - I sewed this top from scratch and used sequined trim for the embellishment. If you look the photo below, it may appear that my top strayed from the exact look of the bee girl, but that's not the case! My costume was based on the Bee Girl from the music video. That Bee Girl was inspired by Blind Melon drummer Glen Graham's sister, the girl pictured on the self-titled album cover.

4. Bee Sleeves - I made these sleeves by cutting and sewing pieces from the same tights I used to make the hat.

5. Black Leggings - These I already owned. 

6. Bee Girl Tutu - Making this tutu was quite an experience as I'd never made one before. I made my own trim using the same fabric that I made my corset with. I applied the trim to pieces of tulle then layered and sewed them to make the final product. 

7. Bee Girl Tap Shoes - unfortunately I didn't have any tap shoes so I settled for black flats. 

Album Cover from Blind Melon Facebook Page

Handmade costumes are a tough job, but someone's gotta do it! I'm so excited to wear this costume again this weekend and to dance my little heart out to my favorite song...


     

3 comments:

  1. I love this! So creative - you look great.

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  2. Thank you so much for this Amy! For years I have wanted to dress up as this bee girl but did not know how to make the costume. Thanks to your instructions I was able to do it for this Halloween! I swapped the corset out for a yellow tank to which I applied some black trim. I found an awesome tutu skirt on Amazon which looks exactly like the original. Can't want to give this costume a whirl tonight! Incidentally I think this is the 20th anniversary of the song. And RIP Shannon Hoon.

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