If you have ever looked for store-bought costumes for your little ones, you know that most costumes consist of a sweater-type piece and a hat or mask. It’s very rare that the shirt is included in the costume for two reasons: 1, most children would not fit in a one-size-fits-all top, and 2, a costume that your child will only wear one time would cost way too much if a shirt was included.
Even knowing this, when my son wanted to be a prince one year, I searched high and low to find a full prince costume for him. And just as I mentioned above, what I found was either outrageous in price, or not worth a penny.
Years before, I had purchased a material crown and cape for the boys for pretend play. It was good quality and still fit my son, so all I needed to pull off the costume was a fancy prince shirt. Pants were out of the question because I knew he was going to wear his most comfortable pants for his Halloween party and there was no need to dress them up.
Here’s what you need to make the prince shirt:
- 1 white dress shirt from a less expensive store (I found this one at my grocery store)
- Fabric glue
- Needle and thread (no sewing knowledge required, honest!)
- Decorative embellishments in gold or silver, depending on your colours (found in any crafts section of a large department store)
The key to look like royalty, is to embellish at the creases; the top of the shoulders, the wrist, and the pockets, as well as the buttons. I let my little one decide what he wanted where and we looked at Disney’s Prince Charming for inspiration.
All I needed to do was cut, glue and sew a few areas so they wouldn’t fall off.
He was the beau of the ball!
The costume came together so well that he ended up wearing it many times after for pretend play.
Have you dabbled in DIY costumes? I’d love to know.
Happy Halloween everyone!