Happy Holly-ween (Part One)!

I will admit, I am one of those people that usually has their Halloween costume picked out months in advance. But this year, knowing I wanted to have an extra special matching costume with Holly (since it would be our first Halloween together), I was stumped.

We considered a lot of options that I may use again in later Halloweens, like "Here Comes Holly Boo Boo (and Mama June)" or "Fur-gina George and The Plastics." That was until I stopped into Petco one day to pick up some necessary supplies and saw a 1950s style pink poodle skirt in Holly's size.

There is a significance to the poodle skirt. When I was growing up, I had a horse named Aida who I was extremely close with. Our first Halloween together, the barn where I kept her had a horse and human costume contest. Since I already had a poodle skirt and my mom had a pattern to make one fairly easily, we decided that Aida and I would go as 1950s girls. Since she was a black horse my mom made her a pink skirt, and I paired my black skirt with a pink sweater. Everybody was shocked when Aida, a green broke Arabian mare, trotted merrily through the obstacle course in full 1950s gear (jaunty chiffon hair sash and all)!

Then and now: Aida and I in our poodle girl costumes, and Holly showing off the modern version.

 So I knew the second I saw the poodle skirt that Holly and I had to be Fabulous 50s Grrls. I had a few issues with the standard skirt and scarf combo, though. Holly wears a harness when I walk her or take her anywhere with me, and the harness would be exposed by the costume as it was sold. My solution? Since I would be wearing my skirt with a fur-collared cardi, I sewed the skirt to a Smoochie Pooch Coral Leopard Dog Sweater and added a Smoochie Pooch Pink Faux Fur Dog Scarf to the neck. The combo elevated the costume from Pink Lady to Marilyn Monroe, made even more appropriate by the fact that Holly and the blonde bombshell share a birthday!

Holly showing off her costume. She clearly felt fabulous!

To glam up my 1950s look, I paired my skirt with a Banana Republic Faux Fur trimmed cardigan (similar style here), and my own glasses, which are gold flecked cat eyed frames by Miu Miu. For once my terrible vision actually came in handy; the glasses really pulled the whole theme together!

We took our looks to the Halloween Howl, aka the "Healthy Hound Festival" at Carl Schurz Park, an annual Halloween celebration that features booths with activities and samples from local businesses and brands. Holly and I took advantage of every booth that offered photography, of course!

Care.com was one of many vendors who offered complimentary pet photos at the Festival.

 The Festival culminated in a puppy costume contest, which was divided into several categories (kids & dogs, group costume, small dog, New York themed, and big dog). Holly and I competed in the small dog competition, which was the largest group of the day.

Our fab ensembles, just before competition.

Even though we didn't win, Holly and I got a lot of love and laughs for going all out with our costumes.

Until Next Time, Darlings!