gregory ferrand: Halloween Freaks

For those of you who didn’t know it, yes, my wife and I are Halloween Freaks. My wife has a good excuse: Seeing how she grew up in a country where Halloween is not celebrated, she is now making up for the almost 30 years she didn’t get to put on a costume (she’s also an actress, so that helps too)! What’s my excuse? Uuuuuh. I like candy?

Last year we were too busy to make costumes, so this year we went a little crazy making costumes for the “El Ocho” (Day of the Dead) party at Jared and Kate’s. While sitting on our balcony discussing possible costumes, my wife hit on the winner: Las Catrinas, (based on the 1913 zinc etching by Mexican printmaker Jose Guadalupe Posada). We chose to be the skeletal bride and groom that are part of the Dia de los Muertos cast of characters.

So once we agreed on the plan, I got to work making the half-masks using plaster covered gauze strips and wadded up pieces of towels, we picked up the perfect wedding dress for my wife (made for a production of Camelot) and a really nice black suit for me at the annual Arena Stage costume sale, and stopped by the neighborhood Dollar Store to buy fake flowers.

Because we are such Halloween freaks, we put on the costumes again on the 31st and were definitely a hit as we walked up and down our street being stopped over and over again to pose for photos. And to our delight (my wife’s in particular) we walked away with the neighborhood’s “Scariest Costume” award and later won the best costume prize at Asylum in Adams Morgan.