Hocus Pocus: My Mermaid Halloween Costume
You may have seen hints on my Instagram and in past blog posts, but the time has finally come to reveal my Halloween costume for this year. And it is…drumroll…
…a mermaid!
Thank you to all who voted to help me choose! Mermaid just narrowly beat out Ringleader by two percent in our poll. Even though I had already bought Chloe her lion costume, I’m glad Mermaid won because my DIY costume turned out pretty flippin’ cute (pun intended). Here’s a step-by-step guide to how I created this year’s costume…
DIY Mermaid Costume
Here’s what you will need:
- two large scallop seashells
- your choice of mixed seashells (my favorite were tiny starfish!)
- corset or strapless bra
- shimmery green fabric with some stretch
- dark green or turquoise sequined fabric
- tulle in different shades of turquoise and blue
- needle and thread
- straight pins
- scissors
- hot glue gun
- a dress form (or in my case, a cute intern!)
Instructions:
For the seashell bra:
- Lay the bra on a flat surface and arrange the seashells to your liking.
- Use your hot glue gun to secure all of the seashells onto the bra. I went through them individually to make sure each shell was intact.
For the mermaid tail:
- Wrap the shimmery green fabric around your dress form, making sure that the fabric is inside out.
- Pin the fabric in place with your straight pins so that you know where to go back and sew it together.
- Remove the shimmery green fabric once it is all pinned. Remove the straight pins as you sew and use your scissors to cut off excess fabric. This will be the layer underneath your dark sequined fabric.
- Wrap the dark green sequined fabric around your dress form and secure it with straight pins just like your first layer of fabric.
- Pin the fabric just below where your bottom will be in the mermaid tail. I wanted to make sure that I was able to comfortably take off my mermaid costume without it ripping, so I sewed just the bottom of the tail together and safety pinned the top portion for when I wear it on Halloween.
- Grab the multi-colored tulle and began layering them to add volume to your mermaid tail. To sew the tulle tufts onto my tail, I took the needle and thread and pulled it through the center of my tulle layers and sewed it to the inside of the dark sequined fabric.
- I wanted my tail to look extra glamorous so I sewed on a few extra layers of tulle. (Tip: Sewing tulle under the front of the tail made it easier for me to walk.)
- Once you sew the final tulle tufts onto your mermaid tail, the only thing left to do is try on the completed costume. I wore my mermaid skirt so that it just hit above my seashell top. That way, it looks like the costume is one piece.
I am so excited to wear this costume this weekend!
What are you dressing up as this year?
Let me know in the comments below. And be sure to share your photos if you decide to recreate this mermaid costume!
XO Lauren
Photos: Yoni Goldberg for LaurenConrad.com
Wow that is so smart and so beautiful!
I LOVE this! I’ve always wanted to be a mermaid for Halloween, but have only ever come across super cheesy costumes. This is gorgeous! The seashell bra is everything.
PJ
www.thegetting.com
We adore how Lauren created her seashell bra, plus it was super easy!
Where did the bra come from? I have never seen one like that in stores
the best mermaid costume i’ve seen so far
xo,
alysamadisun.blogspot.com
By far the best mermaid costume!!
Amazing!
-Adrienne. xo
Citizen of the World
Citizen of the World
Check out my new online boutique!!
Wanderlust Boutique
It looks fantastic!
Oh my gosh! This I so pretty! Definitely the best DIY mermaid costume
XO Kelly
www.dettecakes.com
Gorgeous!!! I wish I was this crafty/talented
Wow, I love how elegant this is!
I’m excited to see the finished styling/hair/makeup as well
Stay tuned, Halloween is only a few days away!
This is amazing! Love!
www.britishbeautyaddict.com
I just stumbled across this and the process was almost identical to what I did for my mermaid costume this year!
This looks amazing! Great job!
xo, Shantell
www.getyourchicon.com
Yours is nicer.
I don’t mean to call attention to your abs, but WHAT is your workout routine? Please share your secrets!
Ah this is SO SO great! meowemily.blogspot.com
It turned out so cute! Great tutorial too!
XX,
S. Roderick
www.currenthabits.com
Love it, what a great idea!
xo dana
thewonderforest.com
How interesting! It looks lovely! I love the effect the seashells have – brings us back to summer! 😀
Happy Halloween! <3
xoxo,
BerryBloomXO.com | Beauty & Lifestyle Blog
How amazing!!! It looks so great
XO Janina
janinafran.blogspot.ca
BRILLIANT!
xo, Shantell
www.getyourchicon.com
I love this!! Great costume!!
xoxo, Diana
www.TheNeonFactor.com
This is absolutely amazing! Such a cool idea
Melane | Pure Perspective
That is amazing!!!!!!! The seashell top is perfect
www.wickedchicblog.com
This is so cool!! I wish I was this creative but this is the coolest costume I think i’ve ever seen! My boyfriend and I are dressing up as Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick so this will be interesting!
poshprime.com
~~Megan~~
This is incredibly cute. I love it!
-Vanessa
www.studiomatsalla.com
Please post the photos from when you are wearing it! It looks amazing! <3
Reminds me of Kim Kardashian’s mermaid costume from a few years ago. Such a classy way to be a mermaid without showing too much skin.
YOU’RE PERFECT!
Oooo, this Mermaid costume is perfect!! I love it!
Lauren did an incredible job, didn’t she?!
OMG I love this it looks amazing xox
That is a stunning mermaid costume!x
This looks similar to the costume I made for my friends and I! Love this Lauren!
This looks similar to the costume I made for my friends and I! Love this Lauren!!
This is such a creative costume
Sensitive Epidermis | Rainbow
xxx
I am going as Disney’s Maleficent- Makeup Tutorial is up on YouTube and full costume reveal comes out on Friday. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this mermaid costume and especially that it is a DIY. Gorgeous!
Amber
Maleficent Makeup Tutorial
King & Kind
Love love love! You’re a genius Lauren
Great idea….my boobs would NEVER fit in that though!!! ;/
What a cute idea!! I would have never thought of it.
All I can see is Lauren’s abnormally beautiful hair 😀
And all the amazing sequins, of course, as I am a huge love of all things sparkling
Great work!