A Dickensian Halloween

When it comes to Halloween costumes, I’m firmly in the camp of “practicality” over “accuracy”, meaning I would prefer to put together an outfit that I can wear on a normal day, using what I already have, and only inspired by the original, rather than putting together a cosplay look (see my Doctor Who costume or my “punk Eleven”-inspired outfit, for example.)

This year is no different. I knew there would be a gazillion Eddies, so even though I did wear my Hellfire shirt and leather jacket on Monday, I wanted to have a proper costume, and since my obsession with Joe Quinn is still very much alive and strong, I decided to go with another of his characters – Arthur Havisham from Dickensian. He has a lot of great Victorian dandy looks, but the show is so dark and dreary that you can’t see them properly most of the time. In the end, I went with this particular red jacket and floral waistcoat combo because you can actually see it in a behind-the-scene interview (I’m including the screenshot mostly because Joe’s smile is adorable) and I have items in my closet of similar colors. I know his trousers are dark gray, but these corduroy pants work better – again, practical over accurate – and I see them as a nod to his red velvet jacket too. Now, if I could only find a pocket watch and chain, it would be perfect.