Moulin Rouge Costumes

Brief History of Moulin Rouge Costumes

Catherine Martin, the Academy Award-winning (with Angus Strathie) costume designer of Moulin Rouge! combed through the history and designs of the costumes well before she and Strathie sat down with pencils, paper and fabric.

As she describes them, the original can-can dresses, and particularly the bloomers that were worn underneath them, were designed to be much racier than commonly believed. As the film was PG-13, the effect was achieved with layers and layers of petticoats, straight out of a Toulouse Lautrec painting. This is a boon to anyone wanting to dress as a Moulin Rouge girl, because petticoats are not only fun to swirl, they also instantly flatter any figure, giving you curvy hips and accentuating your waist. Worn with a corset that tightens that waist and hefts the bosom, you’ve got yourself an hourglass figure, all thanks to a few layers of chiffon.

Buying Moulin Rouge Costumes

Moulin Rouge Can Can Costume

Any half-decent costume shop will offer can-can and saloon girl costumes of varying quality. Unless you have an excellent rental shop near you, if you want a good costume, you’ll have to shop online.

The online store offering the widest range of Moulin Rouge-style costumes at fairly reasonable prices is Zoogster Costumes. They carry adult and plus sizes, which is a real boon as many of these costumes suit the larger lady very well.

Seventeen costumes can be found on their Moulin Rouge page, although several of them, such as the Flapper costume, are not of the era. However, they have several showgirl, can-can and saloon girl costumes in varying color patterns, ranging from $45 to $90 and sure to turn some heads.

If you just want accessories, like gloves, masks or feathered headpieces, the UK site All 4 Parties has several fun things at good prices, even with a rotten exchange rate.

Racy costumes can be found at 3 Wishes, where you can get a red and black costume with a feathered headpiece, sequin-trimmed dress and incredibly sexy striped stockings. The costume is $64 and the shipping is free. They also offer a Saloon Gal costume.

Making Your Own Costume

The basic look of a Moulin Rouge costume is a breeze to create yourself. You may not necessarily save a lot of money, unless you’re very good at sewing, but you’ll have a costume that is pretty, sexy and individual.

To achieve a Moulin Rouge look, you will need:

• A corset or bustier
• A petticoat or crinoline
• A feathered headdress, although even just a few well-placed feathers or fake flowers will work just as well
• Fishnet stockings or tights
• Accessories to your liking

All these things can be found in thrift shops, costume shops, or on eBay. You can wear plain black tap pants or even short leggings under the skirt, and drape a piece of bright silk over the petticoat for extra color and interest. Plain black high heels are fine, but dance shops will also carry character shoes or Victorian-style boots that would be very right for the period. These can be worn with modern clothes as well, so they can prove a very good investment. Add a choker and some fingerless gloves and you’re good to go.

The Moulin Rouge Community

If you want to get serious about your Moulin Rouge look, check out the Windmill, where "obsessive discussion of Moulin Rouge costumery is all the rage."

Discussions include “how long to make a can-can skirt” and specific queries about lace. They can be hard-core, but you can rest assured you’ll get the exact answer you need and the high-kicking look you’re craving when you follow their advice.