ALABAMA WHITMAN WORLEY

You’re So Cool!

If you wanna be a badass bitch for Halloween, how about Alabama Worley from the movie True Romance?

Played brilliantly by Patricia Arquette, this character is super sexy, super sweet and can pack a punch! Best of all, this look is super easy to pull together.

It’s so much fun to find just the right items to pull off this kind of Halloween costume. For me, I love the challenge of making the costume as cost-effectively as possible. Ya know. CHEAP! 😂

One of the best parts of Halloween is the opportunity to dress up. How fun it is to become someone else for a bit. Why not?!

WHERE TO START

There are many ways to go about creating a Halloween costume. First thing’s first. Look around your home and see what you already have that will work or could be used to create something.

Then you can shop online, in-store (more challenging with COVID), hit up thrift stores, borrow from others, etc.  Getting a Halloween costume just right is so much fun. I’ve loved it since my mom helped me create my very first look of Princess Leia.

For me, thrift stores are a great place to start, as my goal. Not only can you find things for your costume, but you might also find a cool record or nicknack. Who knows! Second-hand stores have always been fun to me.

And of course, there’s always Amazon or other stores if something needs to be purchased new. If you’re a Prime member it’s free shipping as well. (Using smile.amazon.com is basically the same thing, while also donating to charity.)

I’ve included links in each section, as well as a complete list as the end for easy shopping. Have fun!

Let’s take this look from top to bottom

Alabama Worley has a short sassy, bleached blonde hairdo. If your hair is that length, go bold and go blonde for a bit IRL! If not, a wig will do just fine. 

Next is a gauzy aqua blouse with an aqua bra underneath. Then there’s a wide, blue belt over hot pink leopard leggings.

Finish it up with high pumps and a cute bag, along with some oversized heart earrings and there you have it!

Here’s what it took for this Halloween look. And BONUS! My hubby agreed to be Clarence that year. SO FUN! 

THE HAIR

For the hair, the wig was the only way I could go for this look. Amazon was the place for this wig and I didn’t have to do any cutting or curling to it. It worked right out of the bag. 

THE BLOUSE

This top was one of the hardest things I’ve had to find over the years. I spent four Saturdays visiting two different thrift shops each, and still couldn’t find one that made me happy.

Not only do I go for cheap, I also try to get as close as I can to recreating the look exactly. (This can also be a nightmare for someone with OCD / anxiety. Perfection is something I strive for way too often. Anywhoooooo…….)

After several trips with no luck, it was time to call in my favorite master seamstress. Sue to the rescue! She visited one morning and we chatted and caught up while she took current measurements.

The blouse is a sheer fabric, which is challenging. It’s also an off the shoulder look with separate arms. I’m sure it was frustrating but as always, Sue came through with a win. It was perfect and fit perfectly too! Not only did Sue create another perfect part of a costume, but she is teaching me to sew. (Slowly but surely, thanks to COVID.) Thanks, Sue!

Here’s a link to the closest thing I could find on smile.amazon.com. Finding the right style and color is the challenge here. I’m SEW lucky to have someone I can call in this cases. Ha! Yes, I did!

Another challenging part of the top is that it has an interesting pattern on it, one that I couldn’t find close in a sticker or patch. 

For that, I ended up using Canva to design something that was pretty close. I printed it on sticker paper and cut several out, then stuck them on at the last minute to take photos and videos. More on that in another post.

Now, throw that blouse on top of an aqua bra and you’re all set there!

THE BELT

Alabama’s belt is a wide, patent leather looking material, that cinches tight around her waist.

Typically, a second-hand store has lots of belts. At Goodwill, they are typically on the end caps close to the shoes. I’ve never been much of a belt person but it’s fun to go through that section as most of the women’s belts are just funky and fun.

While I can usually find belts used, for this costume, it was Amazon again for the win.

THE LEGGINGS

Oh my gosh can we talk about how fun these leggings are?! Something I wouldn’t wear out myself (I wish, but I’m shy y’all), but for Halloween, hell yes and why not?!

Hot pink leopard leggings? Yes, please! 

For these, I lucked out and found these at Goodwill in a stack of gloves and scarves, still on the little hanger with the cardboard in them. I was so excited about the pattern, as they were so close!

Funny story. Got home, tried them on, realized it was a pair of tights and not leggings so they were completely see-through, ha! To fix this, I also got a pair of cheap tan tights to wear under these super hawt leggings. Yay!

Here’s a link for a nice pair on Amazon.

THE SEXY SHOES

Can we agree that open-toed shoes are just sexy?! Okay, well, unless there are some questionable toes peeking out. tee hee

These shoes are hard to find as well! You can get close. Typically it takes several trips to the thrift store to get lucky enough to find just the right footwear for a costume. I got lucky and found these at TJ Maxx one afternoon. Score!

If you can’t find them out, check out these links to Amazon. These options are close. Black shoes are an option as well.

Shoes 1
Shoes 2 (black)
Shoes 3

TIME TO ACCESSORIZE!

Alabama has a cute little square bag, bright aqua shades, and big, heart-shaped earrings. 

I searched and searched for earrings that were close. At brick and mortar stores as well as thrift shops. Eventually, I made them with my cutting machine, using glitter vinyl. I thought the vinyl itself would be rigit enough to play along and be earrings for a short bit but they needed the backing, so admittedly, the earrings look a bit rough! There are some that will do on Amazon here.

For the bag, I used one of my own that was tucked away in my closet, covering it with fabric to make it match her bag. 

And finally, those iconic aqua shades. Those can be found lots of places, from new to second hand stores.

TAKE IT OVER THE TOP

I preferred the cute and sassy Alabama, but you can take this look to the next level by adding a black eye and bloody face, along with a certain wine tool in your hand.

In order to ‘prepare’ to step in to the role of Alabama for the day I watched True Romance a couple of times during October. I can recite most of the lines but its still fun to watch it start to finish and just feel it. Such a great movie!

EVEN FURTHER

If you’ve got a partner in crime that’s willing to be your Clarence, that’s fun too! Thanks to my husband for playing the part, which he rarely cares to do. I mean, Brian IS so cool, just like Clarence, so it was easy for him to step into the role. For Clarence, grab a white tee, Hawaiian shirt and gold sunglasses. 

Heck, grab some friends and do all the characters. There are some great ones.

Hope this helped inspire your best Alabama Worley costume!!! Happy Halloween. You’re so cool!

Here are links to each of the items on smile.amazon.com – a way to purchase items you want from Amazon while also giving a bit to charity. Try it out. Easy peasy.

Wig
Blouse
Belt
Leggings
Shoes 1
Shoes 2 (black)
Shoes 3
Earrings
Sunglasses

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