How do you dress up as the Cheshire Cat?

Answer 1

If you want to look like the 1951 Disney Cheshire Cat, the key to your costume has to be pink and purple stripes. You could use a search engine to look for items of clothing with pink and purple stripes; or search for 'Cheshire Cat costume' - there are lots of examples of costumes you can buy outright, but there are also lots of accessories you can purchase, like pink and purple arm warmers for instance.

If you can't find anything you like with pink and purple stripes, pink and BRIGHT pink stripes is just as good, and pink and black stripes isn't bad.

If you don't have any luck looking for stripy clothing, you could get something in pink and add the purple stripes yourself either by sewing on purple fabric or using purple fabric paint.

The best way to make a tail is to sew a fabric tube to the right length, turn it inside out and then stuff it. Sew, safety pin or Velcro it to your costume.

So, what to do about the head? I would suggest either a mask, make up or both. You could draw the cat's face onto a large piece of card, attach ribbon or tape to tie it on your head and cut out eyeholes. You will probably also want to cut around your own nose shape in the card, so the mask doesn't squash your nose.

OR you could just concentrate on the grin (which is the CC's most important feature, after all.) Copy the Cheshire Cat's smile onto a piece of card (make sure it's nice and big) Then glue and/or tape it onto a sturdy handle - a piece of wooden doweling would work well. Hold it up to your face to make the cat grin. This gives you a certain amount of freedom, as it means you don't have to wear the mask all the time, but it does mean you'll have to carry it around with you. But it's a fun prop, and I suggest you leave it behind wherever it is that your going in your costume, so that you give the effect of having disappeared, leaving just a 'grin without a cat'.

You might want to wear some eye make up with your grin mask, and anything that you feel comfortable with in pink and purple will be fine, but I have included a link to a how to video where someone does some quite dramatic Cheshire Cat make up. (See Related Link below)

If you make a full face mask you can include ears, but if you just make the grin, or choose to just wear make up, you're going to need some ears. You could just by some from a costume store or you could make your own. I have included a link (see below) to a page giving instructions on how to make cat ears, but remember to make them in your pink and purple colour scheme. You could base your ear design on the original Disney Cheshire Cat - I have included a link where he is very obligingly lifting his ears to you so you can see what they look like. (See below)

Answer 2

wear a forties brim hat

wear a sport coat, but no full suit

pants your own

mustach, drawn with eyeliner

and then, gel up your hair into a boy hair or tye it up with a ponytail