One week before all of the major costume contests, I tested my costume out at an early party. Although I had tried the costume on in pieces along the way (pics included here), the party was the first time I put everything together. I learned several things.



1. The tail is too long.



Oops. I thought about shortening the straps, but I would have needed to shorten them too much and it would have messed up the illusion. (The fake legs would have been awkwardly sticking out of my chest.)



I thought about building stilts using this great tutorial on YouTube, but then realized that the some of the Halloween parties I planned on attending were in a places that required lots of stairs. I'm a complete klutz, and half of the reason I build my own costumes is the fact that most store-bought girl costumes require uncomfortable shoes. No thanks.



This costume is awkward enough without adding the possibility of falling down stairs on stilts. So... the tail will drag. It may fall off. I am at peace with that.



UPDATE: After TWO parties, including one VERY crowded nightclub where the costume kept getting stepped on and bumped into, the tail is still attached.



2. The position of the wire for the wings is a little awkward.



The wings aren't heavy, but they're not exactly light either. To make them expand, they need to be pulled back or up. Pulling back is impossible (because you're in the costume), and pulling up is a weird motion. This can't be fixed in my costume and it's not a big deal. However, if you're building this, you may want to think about putting pulleys somewhere in the dragon to make this easier.



3. This costume is nearly impossible to put on alone.



I sort of expected this, but I didn't really understand until I tried to get the dragon and the shirt on. Putting the dragon on alone is difficult, but do-able. However, if the shirt is on the floor once you are in the dragon, it may as well be in China.



With two friends, it's much easier. They just need to hold the costume high enough for you to climb under it and stand up. Once you're up, the two pieces of shirt are easy enough to position. So... plan on Halloweening in a group or making friends with strangers while in line for the bathroom. You're going to need them.



4. The costume doesn't fit in a car.



I wish I would have gotten a picture of this ordeal, but it was drizzling outside and dark when I tried to put the costume into a Honda Civic. In short, there is zero way this fits into a car. It does, however, BARELY fit into a hatchback (in our case, a Chevy Sonic). Sadly, all of the horns on the face (hot glued on) popped off. I'm going to make more before next weekend and bring super glue gel to attach them AFTER we get to our destination.





I would be happy to answer any questions and I would appreciate your vote in the Halloween Contest!