Best Costume Ever: Purim 2014

I know,  my living room is about as messy and disjointed as my face here.

Alright, so I admit it. This post is 100% self-promotion. But after a snap-shot of my Purim costume this year went viral, I realized it was time to write about it!

Okay- I'll prove the viralness, and then we can get on with it.

That's right, the photo you see to the left (or above, if you've entered the full-post) is me in my Picasso costume.

Now, let me give credit where it's due:
Facepaint: Me (mirrors are amazing! and, yes- I went to work like this)
Clothing Design: Me (handsewn at late hours of the evening)
Total Price: $20 (70 NIS) for costume materials including 2 shirts that I sewed together, 1-meter square of felt, leggings, and plastic necklace.

How did I do it? Where did I get my inspiration?
Well, let me start from the beginning.

Rachel Gets Creative
My love for all things costumed began at a very young age, probably before I could really walk properly. I remember playing dress-up with my mothers old clothing, and I loved watching my mother "put her face on" - what she used to call doing her makeup. (For some of my earliest works, see fig.1 and fig 3).

figure 1: Inspector Rachel, age 1

figure 3: Fairy Princess Rachel, age 3 1/2

Rachel Moves to Tel Aviv- Inspiration Abounds!
But while I always loved costumes, I only started to take it seriously after I moved to Tel Aviv at the ripe age of 24 and was exposed to the magic of Purim in Israel. I've posted about Purim in Israel before and even uploaded some videos of the street-parties, but I still don't think that it completely captures the fun and excitement of the holiday.  Purim isn't just a day of celebrations- somehow, here, it's turned into 1-2 weeks of parties:
Street Parties
Nature Parties
House Parties
Parties in Bars
Parties in Clubs
Parties in Restaurants

On Purim, the entire city of Tel Aviv becomes one big party. And the party is powered by a vibe of carefree fun- something that most other holidays in Israel, and around the world, don't really have.

It's a holiday that isn't political, isn't terribly religious, and what's more, those who are observant follow the "today, it's not only okay to get drunk, but you're commanded to get drunk" rule!

It's a wonderland for creativity. There's no limitations. Unlike Halloween, there's no scare-factor, and unlike Carnival, there's no real theme. It's just, dress up however you like as much as you like, and enjoy yourself. And that's what really inspired me to take things as far as I could. Because you can- and you can really have fun with it!

Rachel's Purim Costumes: A History!
I decided to put together a short history of purim costumes from the first year after I moved.
Keep in mind, I usually have more than one costume each year...and I added a few other costumes in here for the fun of it :)
#1: Mario, #2: Stairway to Heaven, #3: Bottle-Opening Super hero (great for parties, where no one has a bottle opener!), #4: Baby Jesus by the Christmas tree, #5: Goldfinger's dead golden girl from James Bond, #6: Green, fuzzy monster!, #7: Fun festival facepaint,  #8: Pixel Pixie, #9: Day of the Dead, #10: Medusa, #11: Picasso!



Rachel's Purim Costumes by Slidely Slideshow

So, there you have it.
And here's a final picasso snapshot for your enjoyment!

At our Purim work event