J Thoughts

May the female pop star reign supreme. At least in my head anyway. After Aaliyah, Beyonce, Janet and Whitney it took me weeks to choose another icon for my costume this year. Thankfully I decided just in time–Chilli!

Here’s what you need:

• Sleeveless Turtleneck Leotard
• Black Cargo Pants
• Removable Buckle Belt
• Oval-shaped Belt Buckle
• Black Boots
• Red Puffy Paint
• Needle and Thread
• Scissors
• Piece of Chalk
• Straight pins

Time: 3-4 Hrs (for hand sewing)

I’ll skip the details on the chalk, scissors, straight pins, needle and thread, AND the black boots (I wore my uggs, they were perfect!). The most difficult piece of the costume is the leotard.

I searched EVERYWHERE for a black body harness/black bra combo that would do the trick, to no avail. (If anyone is able to find one please leave the details in the comments section!) I decided to make it a DIY project and create my own. I bought a sleeveless black turtleneck leotard (Amazon – $20). It was great quality.

How to Customize the Leotard: While trying on the leotard, I outlined what sections to cut and sew with chalk (see image below).  From there (one at a time) I cut out each section, and used a simple backstitch to sew along the edge of the cutout for a polished look. Note: After sewing up each section, it is helpful to try on the leotard and confirm your chalk outlines are still accurate — I had to resize some of them based on the additional stretch of the material.

I chose not to cut out the back of the leotard (moreso because I ran out of time!), however you can create the same “T” shape, by using the same method.

With the leotard in good shape, only a few additional items needed!

The black cargo pants can be found at your local large retail store, I found mine at Target (Wrangler – $20). Make sure to get them a size or two bigger than your preferred size so you have the 90’s “sag.”

To recreate the belt, I bought a removable buckle belt (Amazon – $5), and a belt buckle (Amazon – $9). Though I had to buy the belt buckle from Amazon (again, last minute decisions!), I found an even cheaper one Etsy. I then used red puffy paint (also known as fabric paint) (Michaels – $1) to fill in the belt buckle for that neon red look.

And that’s it! Please feel free to add any additional suggestions for the costume in the comments section below.