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What Wendy Wore: Happy Halloween From Adam Ant

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This Halloween eve, I’ve finally achieved my 30-year-old dream of dressing up like ’80s pop star Adam Ant. Oh my God! I have costume dreams that are older than many fashion bloggers.

Unplug the jukebox and do us all a favor!

What Wendy Wore
Jacket: ModCloth (2010)
Shirt and sash: A couple of websites that sell pirate clothes
Leggings: American Apparel latex-look leggings (2007)
Boots: Michael Kors (pre-2005)
Ring: My own Juana Peekaboo Skull Ring
Hair: Julie Matos
Makeup: By a talented friend

I always imagined I’d wear a vintage Future Ozbek jacket with this costume but the right one never showed up at the right time. I did some research on real and replica Hussar jackets, and some of them cost $2,000, so that was out of the question. Luckily, ModCloth came through for me in the glittery jacket department.

For hair and makeup, I was guided by this photo, among others.

Adam Ant. I wish I had his cheekbones.

If you don’t know Adam Ant from Adam, you can check out the post I did about him in 2007. And here’s the 1980 video that triggered my painted-face, pirate-outfit fantasies.

UPDATED TO ADD MORE PHOTOS:

From left: Julie as Marie Antoinette, random stranger as Pam Grier, WendyB as Adam Ant.

Stacy of taffetadarlings with Siouxsie Sioux eyebrows.

Here’s a 2009 article on Adam’s post-fame trials and tribulations. The photo of him with Jordan from Vivienne Westwood’s SEX boutique is a must-see.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I love it! You look great!

    Adam Ant has always been a favorite of mine and his music always brings a smile to my face.

  3. You look very fucking beautiful, madame ! Wow… !

    And don’t worry about cheekbones; your cheeks are pretty awesome. 😀

  9. You really got the costume perfect!

    Thanks for bringing me back to my teen years. I think I need to go listen to “Stand and Deliver”, “Desperate But Not Serious”, and of course, “Antmusic”, maybe watch a few of the old videos too… he was so yummy back then.

  15. Oooooh … love the Siouxsie makeup on Stacy!

    Oh, and speaking of Pam Grier, she was actually here in Louisville promoting her book last week. Wasn’t interested, but cool nonetheless.

    Anyway, now I have to pick an ’80s rocker to be for Halloween. Hmm…

    • Cameron… that took me two freakin’ hours and I still don’t look like her. Maybe because the bitch has perfect bone structure!
      xo

  28. Brilliant! I too have wanted to dress up as Adam Ant for decades, and not always for Halloween. You look fantastic.

  30. Oh, yes! I love your costume. Honestly, I don’t think I was alive when Adam Ant was popular, but his look is unmistakable — unforgettable, too. You did a great job recreating his outfit! 😀

  35. You look way cool, WendyB. Way cool. Thanks for appreciating my pumpkin work! By the way, I can’t ever remember seeing you in less than the reddest lipstick ever. What color/shade are you wearing as Adam Ant? One more thing–your legs look stupendous!

    • Just clear gloss! Though my lips are stained a little pink from the red lipstick I was wearing earlier in the day. Adam didn’t do red and I had to be true to his look.

  36. YEEEEEEAAAHHH!! I love Adam Ant, you look incredible.

    *so un-plug the jukebox, and do us all a fava-eeeerh!*

    I will be singing that song for the rest of the day now. I remember reading an old interiors magazine from the 80s with Adams house in it, in which he had done his bedroom up like an army campaign tent from the Napoleonic era. Amazing.

  38. you look amazing! i love the makeup and hair!

    (yes, you can use my picture for your facebook fan page! let me know if you want me to email it to you or feel free to just grab it off my blog.)

  42. Awesome costume Wendy! I love Adam Ant and to me his music still sounds great and has held up really well over the years. Puss ‘n Boots and Beat My Guest are my favorites.