Hallowe'en, Demi... soon me?
How The Substance yellow coat may finally have me excited about Hallowe'en
There’s much – so much - to be said about the movie The Substance (and I will go into it more another time). But for now, I’m going to be as superficial as the misogynist TV bosses it depicts and talk looks. Not people, but clothes. Even more specifically, a coat: a bright egg yolk-yellow coat that’s worn by Demi Moore’s character throughout the film (and though I haven’t read any interviews with the costume designer, I expect the shade of yolk was very carefully chosen to suggest new life or rebirth: we see egg yolks duplicating at the beginning, as part of the experiment to create a better – eg younger – self).
But I’m not even here to get philosophical about costume design. Rather, that as someone who doesn’t’ really like Hallowe’en – I’ve always much preferred Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night and fireworks over women dressing like crones and children encouraged to eat endless Milky Ways (other chocolate is available) and play mean tricks on people if they don’t get what they want. And I’ve never really been big on fancy dress parties either: I never have enough money to buy the clothes I really want never mind spend it on clothes I don’t even like and plan to only wear once at a costume party. Not that I can’t see the fun in it – I’m not a total killjoy – but I’m only really interested in dressing up in something I want to wear, and if there’s a dress-up. theme I just want to wear something I already own but can just wear it a bit differently. My friend Mikey, for instance, is brilliant at doing this. One year, in a stroke of genius, he donned a grey hoodie, white shorts, grabbed a green golfing umbrella and went out as…… Britney. That’s Hallowe’en dressing I can get on board with: imaginative, fun, inexpensive, doesn’t involve buying future landfill – and still has me chortling years later.
This year though, should I be asked to a Hallowe’en party, I think Demi may have made me excited about attending for pretty much the first time ever. A friend told me over lunch on Friday that apparently dressing like Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi’s character) is expected to be the hottest Hallowe’en costume in New York this year. And it’s so easy! Find a yellow coat (ok, not that many about but not an impossible task), and grab a brown cardboard box and carefully stencil 503 in black figures on it and really job’s done (for those that haven’t seen the film I will say no more about the box).
The box (above)
If you can add sunglasses, ideally a wig of long, black, straight hair, some fresh chestnut brown leather gloves, even a purple blouse and some dark bootleg trousers even better. But between the coat and the box the horror impact is taken care of. Not since Don’t Look Now gave red duffle coats an edge has a coat been loaded with so much menace.
If a yellow coat isn’t you – and you may find that you never thought it was or would be but the film has convinced you otherwise – then I wouldn’t spend too much money on it. The website famousjackets.co.uk has very thoughtfully got a close replica of the Sparkle coat and, even more thoughtfully, says it can get it to you in the UK in time for Hallowe’en; it’s on sale at £85. A lot for a coat if you don’t think you’ll ever wear it again but not bad if you think you will.
Of course you could just search on ebay – this one is on for £12.99 and is near enough for a Hallowe’en outing (especially with an accompanying cardboard box) and you can re-sell or donate to a charity shop come November:
If, however, a designer yellow coat has now become your dream, then there’s this much more expensive but vintage option – Prada 2021 – currently online. It’s a slightly different vibe but it still gets the Substance point across and leaves you with a coat you actually love:
A super bold alternative option in shiny, quilted polyamide is at Wolf and Badger for £468 (on sale from £780)
Or if you’re a faux fur fan you could go for a texture change that way too with this number for sale on ebay (not used and comes in other colours):
To clarify, I haven’t seen any of these coats in real life but I do quite fancy getting one of them. And even if I don’t go to Hallowe’en shindig, you never know…you might find me lingering around a bonfire on November 5th with a very definite note of Sparkle about me…. two birds, one coat …..
I haven’t seen the film but on my list :)
The yellow coat intrigues me ! Who knew so much to say about a yellow coat :) 💛
Lucky me ,I have a yellow parade raincoat bought 16 years ago in Hong Kong ! Does butter yellow count?! 🥳