Hi Loves,
Happy Halloween! As much as I love Timothee Chalamet and Johnny Depp, they have nothing on Gene Wilder when it comes to Willy Wonka. The charm, quirkiness and eerie vibe he gives off is pure magic. He may be a little irrational and bizarre but all the best people are.
The hype revolving around the new Wonka movie had me inspired to recreate Gene’s iconic outfit for Halloween but with a modern twist. With the help of the Dollar Store, Hobby Lobby and some pure imagination, this costume proved to be a sweet treat.
Here’s how I created Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka costume:
Finding the right purple jacket was the hardest part of the entire look. There are so many different options online but none of them felt right to me. I ended up purchasing a men’s purple velvet blazer from Amazon. To my surprise, it was great quality and even lined in a material that was very complimentary of the chocolate factory.
To go a step further and make things a little more glam, I added metallic gold ric-rac trim to the lapels and pockets. Hand-sewing the trim onto the blazer helped me ensure everything was lined up correctly and not crooked. I wanted to prevent the thread from being visible from the outside.
With it being a men’s sized jacket, the sleeves were a little long for my liking so I hemmed them to fall right on my wrist. With the extra real estate, I added pleated purple trim and attached vintage lace underneath it.
Thanks to the button section at Hobby Lobby, I was able to secure several vintage and candy-inspired buttons. The placement of them was a little random, but if Wonka had some on his, I feel like they would look the same. Around the cuffs, the jacket originally had four small dark buttons but I swapped them out for two large multicolored diamond ones.
To finalize the look, I placed chocolate-covered pretzel stick ornaments in the handkerchief pocket. I didn’t end up tacking these down, but I wish that I would’ve.
This year, I tried to be financially savvy and use pieces in my wardrobe that I already had. The metallic mini skirt and lace shirt are both from For Love and Lemons. The bow was actually a scarf that I thrifted. There wasn’t much material to work with on it, so I sewed a brooch pin to the back of it and pinned it directly to the collar of my shirt.
Willy’s iconic brown hat popped out at me while I was thrifting pieces for my costume at Saver’s. I couldn’t believe the luck I had! My mom had some metallic gold fabric lying around her house that we ended up cutting and wrapping around the hat. We attached some faux purple-ish greenery and literal lollipops around the bow.
Would you believe me if I told you the scepter was made from a broom? My mom got the idea while she was perusing the aisles of the Dollar Store. With the help of ornaments and the Hobby Lobby Winter Wonderland Sweets section, we were able to turn a blank canvas into a sweet dream. My mom removed the bottom of the broom and spray-painted it gold. She was able to cut holes into the ornaments to slide them onto the top of the broomstick. The large, purple lollipop at the top was from Hobby Lobby.
Bryce’s shirt was purchased from Amazon. The patch that says, “Golden Ticket” was a customizable patch from Amazon as well.
Would you believe me if I told you that her wig and sweater were both thrifted? The wig was brand new and in pristine condition. Originally it was a few inches longer, so we chopped it into a bob. I sewed elastic underneath the cap so I could slide it under her chin, allowing for the wig to stay on her head.
If you have a question, I won’t leave you hanging until the end of the tour. However, “I’m Sorry, But All Questions Must Be Submitted In Writing” and preferably left in the comment section below or in my email inbox.
Until next time, Spread Kindness.
HW
by Twofold Media 
