all hallow's workday

[tyrsalvia]

People are dressing up at work tomorrow, and management has specifically asked my team to so they don't feel alone in their costumes. What should I wear?

I could wear the costume I just made, but I really don't want to explain 'self-transforming machine elf' to people at work. I could call it "being from another dimension." I dunno, it feels like it might be a little too weird for work.

Another choice is to go as a calavera, a Mexican Dia de los Muertos skeleton person. If I did that, I guess I'd just wear a big floofy dress and a skull mask, and maybe my pink Burning Man skeleton hat. Is that a cop out?

The real cop out costumes are gypsy or witch. Which is to say, normal clothes, though things I probably wouldn't wear to the office normally. Is "gypsy" an offensive costume now?

Bah. I am going to start making the three of us very good pirate costumes. Everyone needs a pirate costume, and it's simple and good to wear to work. Next year, piracy! This year... I dunno.

Advice welcome.

Edit: Because I know you're all dying to know, I went as a calavera. The machine elf costume is really amazingly awesome, but it just felt like opening too much of myself to work. I'm pretty open about who I am in general, but it felt ... vulnerable. I suppose it's worth considering why.

Comments

[onetarot.livejournal.com]

This may come a bit late, but how about a Mad Hatter? So long as you have a top hat and the "In This Style 10/6" tag, you can go wild with whatever eccentric garments/make-up/accessories you'd care to use.

Worked like a charm for me a couple of years ago.

Edit: I had to look up "self-transforming machine elf". Good ol' Wikipedia.

[sammhain.livejournal.com]

Considering the word gypsy itself is often thought of as a pejorative, one would guess that dressing up as an ethnic stereotype could be construed as offensive.

[uncacreamy.livejournal.com]

Dressing like a Gypsy for Halloween is an old staple, like witch or pirate.

When we brought Griffin to Wegmans to do their trick or treat thing there Saturday, I got to see what people could do with very little. One woman did a great ladybug thing with a red polka dot shirt and tiny wings. For a work thing, unless you -want- to go all out, a token costume piece might suffice.

I don't think the mask and dress idea is a cop out, it is kind of cool.

[roboturtle.livejournal.com]

Are there photos of your machine elf costume anywhere? That sounds awesome.