Greetings! My name is Cathy Ricobaldi and I am a costumer. I mention this because I have been led to believe that some of you fine folks would like to save some cash discreetly while attending the Browncoat Ball in style. I can help with that.

While by no means a trained professional, I do have 20+ years of costuming experience. I started by making Halloween costumes for family and friends. I also made costumes for the same group for various Renaissance faires, fan conventions, and one steampunk event. I expanded my experience by volunteering in the public schools, community theater, and historic associations where I live. I have some sewing skills but my best talent is building costumes with next to no money to do it with. My resources? Thrift stores, dollar stores, yard sales, and consignment shops. You won’t need a boatload of cash but you will need TIME. So that is why we are starting NOW.

Before you go on the hunt you need some ideas about what you’re looking for. A photo of the kind of costume you want to put together and a list of the pieces are essential. The photo and the list will help you spot stuff in the racks and piles of clothes you will be looking at. Where to get good ideas for costumes for the Ball? The first place to go is the “Shindig” episode itself. Remember, you are looking at the “pretties,” not watching Mal, Inara, and Kaylee. (You’ll probably get distracted anyway and have to go back several times. I did.) Use the pause button and take note of the styles and colors of clothes, accessories like jewelry, scarves, shoes, etc. The Firefly “Verse is very much late 19th century with Chinese and Indian mixed in.

Since clothing hasn’t changed too drastically in the last 100 years or so, you should be able to find some things that will work. The traditional Asian styles are all still around as well.

Let’s start with our main characters.

Inara’s dress is two pieces and the skirt is actually part of a wedding dress so there’s an idea for items to look for. Prom and wedding season is in full swing right now so thrift stores are putting that stuff out now. You will also find right afterwards people are donating dresses they aren’t going to wear any more. Also, notice her gloves and jewelry. There’s a lot of fashion and costume stuff in the department and discount stores right now that should give that opulent look. Watch for end of season sales, too.

 

As for Mal, he has dark pants, a dress shirt, a vest, a cutaway jacket, and a string tie. Not much of the shirt shows so try for a simple cotton one, no button down collars here. A piece of ribbon or a narrow cloth belt will do for the tie. Keep the pants very simple, no cuffs. A tuxedo jacket is often made in the cutaway style. There are also videos online that demonstrate how to take an ordinary men’s suit coat and alter it very quickly to make it more 19th century style.

 

Kaylee’s “layer cake” is definitely Civil War style. If you choose something like this (think wedding dress or prom dress as a possibility) you will need a hoop slip to go under it. You can also find these in thrift stores, too. If you need to buy one brand new, the website “Light in the Box” sells them at a very inexpensive price. But, don’t forget to PRACTICE sitting down in one of these things as well as going through doors and so forth. There are videos online to teach you the etiquette for wearing a hoop skirt so be sure to watch one ahead of time. Note the gloves and the purse Kaylee is carrying. Nice accessories for the ensemble. By the way, you can dye a wedding dress if you don’t want to wear white. You should be able to find the instructions online. I’ve never done it myself but I have seen dresses that were done that way. Very nice.

 

Atherton Wing is wearing a sherwani, traditional Indian style men’s coat. You might be able to find something like this in a thrift store depending on where you live. Sometimes import shops can be inexpensive. This style was very popular in the 1960’s so ask around. Someone may have something in the back of a closet. You can find more styles and colors for these coats by searching online as there are numerous websites that sell them.

 

For additional photos for inspiration I recommend two websites: Victoriana Magazine and the Gentlemen’s Emporium. Not only will you find plenty of photos but there are also descriptions of the clothes. There things for the ladies on both of these sites, too.  These two websites are also excellent sources for those with the funds to purchase these fine goods.

 

More vests and ties (Gentlemen’s Emporium). Notice the tietack in the tie on the left. A stickpin would work, too. If you wear a string tie, make sure it is long enough to go around your neck twice. When Mal takes his coat off you get a good look at his vest, shirt and tie. You will see what I’m talking about.

For the ladies who fancy an Eastern look, there is the “Hanfu,” a traditional style of Chinese dress.

Another traditional style, the ruqun. (both from chineseclothing online.com)

Another Asian style suitable for the ball: the traditional Indian sari. Both the Chinese and the Indian styles would be easy to sew as well. No buttons, buttonholes, or zippers.

So you can see there are lots of options for dressing for this grand affair. Watch the Shindig episode, and visit the websites I recommended or, do some research on your own. Get your favorite photos in hand, make your list, and start looking. The sooner you start, the luckier you will be in finding what you want. Remember the three rules for costuming: you can have it fast, you can have it cheap, you can have it perfect. But, you only get two out of the three so if you want to look great but don’t have a lot of cash to spend, you will need the time. Have fun and good hunting!

 

Costumes from the thrift stores: