Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett - Halloween?

Last year (BEFORE the hurricane) I was thinking of my husband and I going as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. We wanted to go to Boo on the Boardwalk in Kemah, as it caters to everybody (not just children!) and Halloween is more a season than just a day. Those plans obviously got ruined, so I think I'm going to plan early and make sure it works out this year!

Christian already has a gothic red double-breasted Victorian vest from the wedding. All he needs are striped trousers (Goodwill, anyone?) and the wig and razor blades. (I'm still trying to talk him out of bringing real ones....grrrr....)

I've been searching for some ideas for Mrs. Lovett. It's actually very hard to find any costume at all, as all commercial manufacturers make the non-gothic Mrs. Lovett costumes from the play, which is actually pathetic, since they are so light-colored and happy-looking. They really don't set the correct tone of the play at all. Plus, they're late 18th century, in contrast to mid-19th for the movie, which is way more cool.

So far I've found some black paisley on eBay though a quilting store, and some kind-of expensive black swiss (I really want to keep the swiss!) I've found out the hard way that swiss is hard to find these days, as it is considered "vintage" and isn't popularly used anymore. Bummer. I'm not going to buy anything just yet, as I have to create a mock-up and figure out how much I need, as this project will be based very loosely on a few patterns.

As for the wig, I'm totally at a loss. I can't find one at all. I really don't want to mess up my hair, as it is waist-length, and it would be difficult to get it back from being all tangled up. Looks like there's not one in sight, and it's been a few years since the movie.

However, I should be able to easily find red and black stockings. (Horozontal, not vertical like in the movie. Another bummer.)

I decided not to go with a real waist cincher, since I'm a petite 34G and it would just make the girls look bad. Instead, in order to keep the look, I'll have a faux cloth one with very little boning to wear over the dress; it just won't highlight the waist like a real one would.

I'm also thinking I need a body-suit for the top since it's transparent, or I need to line everything in flesh-colored fabric. More work for me.

Also needed: cheap little meat pies (50 cents at Walmart), some fake roaches, and a basket!