Costume Changes

Sometimes it's not necessarily your fault.  Perhaps, someone inputted your measurements incorrectly, so you ended up with a waistband that's way too big or too small, you got the wrong bra size, the underwear is not what you paid for and so forth.

The question is, what do you do now?  You've spent all that time in the line at the mascamp, speaking, yelling, getting frustrated because it now looks as though there is nothing else that can be done.  The seamstress is backed up in the work of other things to do, you probably have a social engagement to attend in the next little while which of course means that you cannot stay much longer lamenting over the situation, oh yea, and you also arrived on the Island on Carnival Saturday, and it's torture to try and get anything thing done in regards to this. 

Shhhh, don't cry, where there's a will, there's always a way!

Now, it's not an easy thing to take your costume back to the hotel and or home and then redo with all the jewels and what-have you, and worse yet, when you are not prepared for all the reconstruction that's to be made.  But, for sure, you have some creative friend who can make a tent out of mango leaves, who knows, and she is able to help you and save your Carnival from sudden disaster.

What can you do to ensure that your costume fits perfectly?

• Make sure to properly measure yourself.  If you are unaware of how to do this, go to a lingerie store, (the good ones have associates who will properly measure you and let you know your exact size, bra, bustier etc.)
• If you know you plan to lose weight, make sure and do not order a waistband that will be more than at least an inch and a half to 2 inches smaller.  So, if you measure yourself now where you would want your waistband to rest and it measures 37, when you register you should have put down at least 35 1/2 *and as an added security, ask the band if they can incorporate and elastic band for your comfort as a way of safe guarding your waistband fit.*
• Do not fool yourself into thinking you are a size and you are no where near that.  You will cry and or cuss when you get that costume.  Just remember to blame yourself when it does not fit.
• Maintain your fitness routine.
• If you can afford to get home and to the mas camp and be measured and have the changes implemented now, that would be a great thing.  If you can't get home, if there is a friend or family member who is your size, they can be your "stand in" to be used for measurements.
• Remember that these costumes are "MADE ESPECIALLY FOR YOU."

 What do you do when you collect your costume and it does not LOOK LIKE WHAT WAS ADVERTISED?

If you are like some masqueraders you can:

• Throw a major tantrum in the mascamp, hopefully this will cause a major scene and the or a committee member and or the owner may give your a costume for free and or say hard luck.
• You can take the costume home and make some changes to it.  I have some friends who have cut materials out of the side of bras added extra jewels, and what have you to make their costumes look even more fab and apart but somehow the same.

Remember to enjoy yourself.  As the song goes, "ah pay fuh dis, ah pay fuh dat, nobody cyah tell meh nuttin!!!"  Have a blast!