DIY Halloween Costume Idea: Jerri Blank from Strangers with Candy

* I'm participating in Blogtober, and blogging every day in October! Expect lots of costume ideas, scary movie suggestions, and cozy fall inspiration!

In honor of my favorite month and holiday (Halloween, duh) I'm bringing you a bunch of DIY Halloween costume ideas in the hope that you’ll find just the inspiration you need. There's nothing like a homemade Halloween costume brainstorming session to get that blood flowing!

Jerri Blank, lover of turtlenecks and bad decisions, is one of television’s finest cult icons, featured in the show Strangers with Candy. I hope you know her and love her, but if not, what are you doing reading this? Go watch Strangers with Candy stat!

Okay, we’re back. Assuming you’ve now fallen in love with Jerri’s adorably clueless fashions and ability to make pretty much everyone feel uncomfortable around her, you’re probably eager to dress as this late 90s standout in a mess of vintage jeans and bulky sweater vests. Some inspiration:

Jerri favors high-waisted denim, as well as layered looks almost always anchored by a turtleneck. She loves colors like rust, 80s-inspired boots, and long necklaces. You can’t go wrong with a backpack, either; after all, Jerri is a 46-year-old high school freshman!

For the hair, I suggest finding a cheap wig and customizing it, or twisting your own hair into a swoop and adding hair paint for the streak. Important: remember to pop those front teeth over your bottom lip at all photo opportunities!

There are many Jerri looks to choose from (wannabe cheerleader Jerri with a Flatpoint High t-shirt, school-assignment-mom Jerri with crimped hair, or cult member Jerri with a yellow gown and paper flowers), but classic Jerri is all about outdated, oddly colored clothes that are distinctly drab and unflattering. Go ahead - tuck that sweater vest into your jeans…Jerri would want it that way.

Here’s a suggested outfit to get your started:

Turtleneck: Amazon • Vintage Sweater Vest: Etsy • Necklace: Ebay • Fanny Pack: Amazon • Vintage Jeans: Ebay • Vintage Boots: Ebay • Earrings: Etsy

This costume really lends itself to a couple or group option, too - go with your own Orlando, Tammi, Geoffrey Jellineck, Chuck Noblet or frozen dad for a group costume that says “hi, we’re all insane!” What’s better than that?

ETC: My Christmas Wish List

1. Frida Kahlo Floral Throw Pillow

2. Makeup Geek Eyeshadows in Dirty Martini (matte olive), Blacklight (duochrome purple) & Fortune Teller (foiled gold) 

3. 18K Gold Ravioli Necklace

4. Hot Dog iPhone Case

5. Eye Print Bedding

6. Donut Print Oven Mitt & Pot Holder

7. Kitchen Kitsch Art Print

8. Rose Gold Pineapple Tumbler

9. Benefit Watt's Up! Highlighter

10. Donna Martin Graduates Enamel Pin, Blanche Devereaux Enamel Pin, Peggy Bundy Enamel Pin, Heart Lollipop Enamel Pin & Glitter Troll Enamel Pin

11. Jerri Blank T-Shirt

12. False Lashes Enamel Pin Set

13. Watermelon Cooler Bag

14. Soy Candle Making Kit

15. Full Moon Baseball T-Shirt

16. I Like You Just The Way I Am by Jenny Mollen

17. Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman by Lindy West

18. Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham

19. You Can't Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson

20. You'll Grow Out Of It by Jessi Klein

What's on your wish list this year? Making any fun DIY things for presents? Did the holidays completely sneak up on you this year too? 

ROUNDUP: Funny Stuff Edition

Happy April Fools' Day! In honor of this most important of holidays and to kick off National Humor Month, I've decided to cram this Roundup full of stuff that makes me laugh. Hopefully it makes you laugh too, but either way I'll be too busy guffawing to realize. Also, I finally got to use the word guffawing in a sentence! Here are some clips from some of my favorite shows past and present:

Strangers With Candy

Strangers With Candy is my favorite TV show of all time! Of all time! Amy Sedaris is to be worshipped and adored and her Jerri Blank character from SWC is the funniest (and moistest) character to ever grace the silver screen. All 3 seasons are available on DVD, but you can get acquainted with the perverted, troubled and lovable Jerri right here.

Community

Lucky for us, Community has recently returned to its Thursdays @ 8PM time slot after a unexplained brief hiatus (I'm lookin' at you NBC) and we can once again join in the hilarious discussions between the best study group at Greendale Community College. This is a majorly character driven show so if you don't watch know that a) you should start and b) you will fall in love/get obsessed with each of them.

Candy Tails from Tim & Eric

Tim & Eric are so weird and so great and so full of ridiculous gems like this one. This is actually one of their more "normal" scenes, but the way it reminds me of girls sucking on their hair in elementary school (what the hell was that about?!) has endeared it to me.

Arrested Development

Best known as 'the best show you're not watching' or 'the show that should never have been cancelled', Arrested Development has posthumously become one of the most popular comedies in the last decade. It's maybe literally the smartest (super subtle things pop up again seasons later) and funniest (just watch if you don't know) show ever. Every character is perfectly cast and there are actually new episodes being made again!

Party Down

I tend to have major crushes on hilarious shows that get cancelled way too early. Too often, I've been the (only?) one watching a great show during the original airing and then it gets cancelled and then it gets popular on DVD. That can be said for Party Down (and actually a lot of this list now that I think of it), but both seasons are on DVD and streaming and whatnot. The more you watch the more you love these characters (douchey haircuts and all).

I love all of these shows, but it was very hard to choose between these and others (I'm sorry Conan, Undeclared, Freaks & Geeks, The State, Todd Margaret...the list continues). What is your favorite show/movie/funny person of all time?

xoxo,

Michelle