FF2023 - Costume Prep

While some folks have already made their way to gorgeous Key West, I still have over a week to go. Like many Fantasy Fest 2023 attendees, I am counting down each day, hour, minute until I can join the party. One of the biggest parts of FF is the costumes. As I mentioned in my Fantasy Fest Review, body painting is huge! But I get itchy and it’s an expensive investment. I’m looking to party on the cheap. I also have to take into account that I’m 51. This means 51 years of experience, but it also means I have a bad ankle, previous melanomas, and I need my glasses to read. These things all factor into my costume planning. I want to be sexy, but not limping, burned, and blind.

I start my week in Key West with Fetish Monday! Way to kick off the week. The shiny, black boots are key to the success of Monday night. Given the bad ankle and poor overall coordination, I do not wear heels. Heels are perfect for fetish night, but that’s just not comfortable or safe for me. I always get a giggle on rainy days when I wear these boots to work as they are my go-to BDSM looking footwear, but work doesn’t need to know that.

The skirt, top, fluffy wrist straps, whip, rose choker, mask, and fanny pack all came from SheIn. It’s an online store that is very affordable and offers “normal” clothing to some of the wildest stuff you can imagine. Note that we are not talking high quality pieces. In fact, I predict a lot of boob sweat since that top is basically made of plastic and I’ll be in a warm location, but how cute is that?

The panties and socks were Amazon purchases. There are few places I can get knee-high socks for thick calves and Amazon is one of them. If you know of any other places, please let me know in the comments. I debated going with fishnets, but let’s be real - we will be drinking and I will need to pee frequently - another blessing of aging. Fishnets are sexy, but a struggle when your coordination is down even more and your bladder is ready to blow. I’m not going for the best outfit on Duvall. I’m going for the best outfit for me and as we know, when we feel good, we look even better.

The fanny pack is a necessity for my stuff. This outfit has no pockets. I need my ID, money, credit card, lipstick, tiny bottle of Motrin, tissue, and glasses. I also have some cute little giveaways for random people - it’s a great way to strike up a conversation. “Hey, would you like a unicorn sticker?”

Tuesday is a double header! During the day, there is Tutu Crawl. Everyone gathers in their tutus and walks, bikes, or scooters in a bit of an informal parade. I’m going with my unicorn uniform for this year’s Tutu Tuesday. Again, the majority of this look is from SheIn. The only items that are not from that fabulous online store (by the way, they have a fantastic return policy and typically you can get free shipping) are the necklace, earrings, sneakers, and socks. Again, thank you Amazon, for having thick calf socks.

The earrings and necklace were both gifts. My sweet friend gave me my favorite unicorn earrings while we were at Hedonism II and the necklace was from our group that used to travel to that same destination. Many folks that are in that group go to Fantasy Fest and I want to meet more of them, so I’ve tagged myself with the group emblem. Shout out to the Krewe de Krazy!

Let’s talk about the shoes. They aren’t sexy. But they are incredibly comfortable. This will be a walking heavy day and I’m in this week for the long hall. Plus they kind of fit my look of Team Unicorn like it’s some sort of athletic team. Well, there are some athletics involved.

My daytime outfits usually include a hat of some sort. I have had a couple of melanomas in the past and I am about as fair as they come. Tons of sunscreen and a hat help me stay protected from those UV rays.

Oh, and I’m debating wearing just the unicorn panties or sporting the lime green shorts under the tutu. Any opinions on that?

As I said, Tuesday is a double header with Tuesday night being plaid night. I know that the plaid look typically leans into the whole sexy school girl thing, but I like to be a little different. My plaid look is based on a picnic.

I crafted the mask myself, which I’m super proud of since I am not a crafty person, but you can do a lot with a glue gun. Let’s chat about masks for a moment. You will see a lot of masks at FF. This is because this is a very public and highly photographed event. Yes, some people will ask your permission to be photographed, but you cannot rely on that. If you are a power attorney from a conservative town and you plan to get wild and maybe let some of it hang out, I recommend a mask. The alternative is just wear your normal clothes, but that sucks the fun right out of it.

You may notice there is no top with this outfit. The pasties are the top. I just haven’t decided to go with the strawberries or the unicorns. One goes with my outfit and one goes with the FF theme. Feel free to let me know which one you think I should rock on my tatas.

Again, the majority of this look is from SheIn. The bag is so cute. It has a bit of meaning as well as being practical. Pineapples are a symbol of the Lifestyle community. Typically, it’s an upside down pineapple, but those are harder to find through most shopping venues. There is a large contingent of Lifestyle friendly people attending FF. Lifestyle would be the equivalent of Swingers. I’ve heard the terms used interchangeably, but one seems a bit more modern.

There’s a contest held every year at FF. Well, there are a lot of contests, but my friends usually attend the ABC Contest on Wednesday. ABC means Anything But Clothing. The year after COVID, there were a lot of COVID masks being repurposed as FF outfits. With the recent passing of the amazing Jimmy Buffett, my ABC costume is dedicated to him and his classic song, Margaritaville. The linchpin of this entire costume are those Busties. I found them on Amazon. They are double-sided clothing and body tape. I haven’t used them yet, but the reviews were pretty good. I hope they work as my entire costume is based on being able to stick these items to my skin. I have an overall vision of what I hope this costume will look like, but I suspect it will be an “in the moment” kind of thing where my helpers will have a say over where everything ends up. Can I get a column of limes down my ass crack? We shall see.

Arrgh, matey, it’s time for Wednesday’s theme of Pirates and Wenches. As I mentioned, I like to plan my costumes on the cheap. So anytime there is a chance to dress up, I raid my own closet. I’m also a borderline hoarder with stuff like this, so when my kid got over his love of Pirates of the Caribbean dress-up, I grabbed his Captain Jack Sparrow headband and added it to my costume box. All these years later, it’s coming with me to FF.

For my last night at FF, I have gathered items to really address the week’s theme - Uniforms and Unicorns with a nod to Jimmy Buffett. Here I will embody the unicorn sailor look. I love Jimmy Buffett’s song, Son of Son of a Sailor. And of course, I shopped at SheIn for the majority of this.

This sailor outfit is actually a plus size item. One of the problems with shopping from overseas companies is that the sizing is incredibly small. I am by no means a skinny chic, but as an average American, slightly curvy woman with a pronounced pear shape, I have to find a lot of my lower half outfit pieces in the plus size section. And there is no shame in that game! My biggest problem is finding something that works with my small chest and giant booty. Hence, I usually buy separates. But this outfit worked! I mean both pieces have very little structure, so it’s a good choice for a variety of sizes.

If you see me at Fantasy Fest, please give me a hug. Like I said, I have a little giveaway and would love to meet my readers.

How do you plan for your festivals and costumed events? Let me know in the comments.