Okay so this Six costume hunt started because my kid decided last minute she needed to be Anne Boleyn for her school’s history fair thing. Panic mode, obviously. Who wants to spend hundreds on something worn once? Me neither. Total disaster trying to find ready-made stuff that didn’t look or feel cheap.
Step 1: Reality Check & Thrift Store Raid
First, I took a deep breath and looked at pictures of the actual show costumes. Crazy detailed, loads of sparkle, way outta my league budget-wise. So, compromise time. I decided to focus just on getting the main color and vibe right for each queen, not perfection. Hit up my local thrift stores HARD, looking for base pieces.
- Found this almost-black cheap blazer in the men’s section for Cromwell/Catherine Parr.
- Snagged a bright yellow sleeveless top for Anne Boleyn – needed work, but it was sunshine yellow!
- Stumbled on a faded orangey-red skirt that screamed Catherine of Aragon potential (after washing!).
Step 2: The Magical World of Cheap Sparkle
Next stop: the craft stores during sales. Needed maximum impact for minimum bucks. Forget actual sequin fabric, too pricey. Focused on trim, appliques, and iron-ons.
- Grabbed loads of different trims – gold braid, silver rickrack, some chunky glittery fringe. Like $1-$3 per spool.
- Found these weird shiny iron-on patches meant for sneakers – hearts and stars in silver/gold. Perfect tiny accents.
- Even used some gold cupcake liners I found at the dollar store for little collar details – crazy, but worked!
Step 3: Building Anne Boleyn (My First Victim)
Started with that yellow top. Wanted that iconic green-and-black vibe without sewing a whole corset. Plan:
- Covered the plain neckline with glued-on black stretch velvet ribbon (from an old Halloween decoration).
- Used wide black sparkly ribbon (a sale bin find!) glued vertically down the center front to fake panels.
- Glued cheap green sequin trim around the armholes and along the bottom edge. Messy? Yes. Effective? Surprisingly.
- That gold fringe trim? Piled it thick around the neck and shoulders for the necklace effect. Glue gun was smoking!
Was it perfect? No way. Did it scream Tudor Pop Princess? Loud and proud! Total spent on Anne: maybe $12 including the base top.
Step 4: Quick Wins & Lessons Learned
Tried simpler things for the others:
- Catherine Howard (Pink): Found a cheap hot pink slip dress. Went nuts gluing on every silver heart applique and sequin trim I had leftover. Used silver duct tape (!) cut into shapes for a punk vibe belt/armband thing. Tacky? Probably. Fun? Absolutely.
- Jane Seymour (White/Red): A plain white off-shoulder tee became the base. Cut triangles from red sequin trim to make a simple V-shaped necklace glued on front. Folded red satin ribbon like a sash.
The main thing? Don’t sweat the small details. From across the room (or on a stage), it’s the color and big sparkly bits that read. Nobody saw the glue strands in the auditorium lights!
The Final Takeaway
Honestly, the biggest cost was my time rummaging and gluing. But seeing the kids rock their budget Queens? Priceless. It looked way more expensive than it was. The key is hunting for colorful base items and then going wild with glue and cheap sparkle. Forget perfection, embrace the messy, joyful chaos!
