Even before it came time to make plans for this year's Halloween celebration, I knew exactly who I wanted to dress up as this year: my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe character, SSR Agent Peggy Carter. Peggy is a fair-skinned brunette, which makes things a little easier for me, but more importantly, she is a total action hero. Since I'm a nerd, my Halloween costumes have been verging more and more into the realm of cosplay over the past few years as my quest for accuracy gets a little bit out of control. Today, I wanted to share my Peggy Carter costume with you, because I really loved how everything turned out and had a blast celebrating Halloween with my friends as Agent Carter.
This is the movie still I used most of all for hair and makeup reference. While Googling "Peggy Carter makeup," I found out that Hayley Atwell has shared Peggy's exact lipstick and nail polish on Twitter. I couldn't resist picking up OPI nail polish in "Cinnamon Sweet" even though I don't usually wear red makeup. I was a little more hesitant about the red lipstick - I wasn't sure I could pull it off, and the real deal (Besame's "Red Velvet") is definitely more expensive than my usual drugstore picks. Then I discovered something really cool: Besame makes lipstick matchbooks! They're less of a shot to the wallet and seemed like a great way to try a color before investing in the full-sized version, plus the little matchbook is adorable.
I tried on the lipstick a few times before Halloween and was surprised that it didn't look totally crazy on me. I didn't do a lot of other makeup - just a little more powder than usual and a hint of blush to mimic Hayley's porcelain complexion, and a dash of Falsies mascara. I used Cosplay Complexion's hair tutorial on YouTube to achieve the 1940's pulled-back look (combs are kind of amazing, especially when paired with Freeze It hairspray) and victory roll (the secret, I found, is to use a lot more hair for the bangs than you think you'll need!).
Accurate, movie-style Peggy Carter costumes are quite expensive, but I found a decent olive green uniform - the "Wartime Officer" costume made by a company called Smiffy's and available from Amazon. It had some patches sewn on that I was afraid to attempt removing but could probably be done with a seam ripper, a mock collar and bowtie that I pinned to look a little more like Peggy's necktie, and real buttons rather than velcro. I snagged a couple of my school's gold eagle reward pins (our mascot) to stand in as SSR lapel pins for the weekend (one of the perks of being a coach, I suppose).
I was thrilled to find brown t-strap shoes with a kitten heel at Peeble's (they are Aerosoles), and I also decided that I needed a toy gun, primarily just so I could recreate my favorite action pose from Captain America: The First Avenger. Do you know how hard it is to find a toy gun these days that isn't a ridiculous color or shape? Thanks, Dollar General, for keepin' it real.
I also have this personal belief that Peggy Carter could lift Mjolnir, but that's just me. I originally ordered the costume in a size large and it was very oversized in the shoulders and arms. The medium was a bit snug but much more flattering overall - if I wear it again I will probably take the time to hem the sleeves. For a 100% polyester suit, it seemed quite well made and I'm tempted to incorporate the skirt into my fall wardrobe.
Since I was Peggy, Mr. Q pretty much had no choice but to be Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers, for Halloween - honestly, it didn't take much convincing, especially when his work buddy decided to be Hawkeye...
Which led to this ridiculous(ly awesome) photoshoot in their warehouse. Your tax dollars at work, America. We ended up going to two Halloween celebrations, so I decided to try a different spin on Peggy's uniform on Saturday night. I paired the jacket with a brown a-line skirt that I already owned, and ended up preferring that look to the olive pencil skirt that came with the costume.
Josh went for a Halloween bike ride that I think will become a neighborhood tradition - it's no motorcycle, but with Captain America's shield on his back I thought he looked pretty cool (and so did a lot of small children who were out trick-or-treating). One of the highlights of the night was a friend asking who I was supposed to be and his friend saying, "Did you not see the Captain America running around? She's Agent Carter! She has her own show and everything!" Even if people didn't always recognize my costume, I knew my value ;)
My last pose request of the night was recreating the famous WWII kiss in Time's Square - and I have to say, I like it a lot better with Steve and Peggy! I hope that you all had a great Halloween and enjoyed this peek at our shenanigans.
