AI-generated picture to show the idea. Yours will look handmade.

Elphaba from Wicked

A DIY Elphaba costume starts with something you probably own: a dark, long dress. Add a tall black hat made from card, green face paint and a plain dark cloak or cardigan, and you have the green witch from Wicked. It costs about $18, needs no sewing and takes around an hour, mostly spent on the make-up.

TIME: 60 min
COST: about $18
SKILL: Some cutting

What you need

A long black or very dark dress, or a dark top and long skirt
Black card or a thin black craft sheet for the hat
Green cream make-up or face paint, plus a setting powder
A dark cardigan, shawl or old cape
Black tights and dark boots or flat shoes
A hair band and a roll of tape
A make-up sponge and a little black eyeliner

How to make it

1
Cut a half-circle of black card about 45 cm across. Curl it into a cone, check it sits on your head, then tape the seam on the inside.
2
Cut a wide circle of card about 40 cm across for the brim. Draw round the base of the cone on its middle, cut a hole slightly smaller, and cut little tabs round the hole.
3
Fold the tabs up, slide the cone through the brim and tape the tabs to the inside of the cone. Tape a hair band inside so the hat stays on.
4
Put on the dark dress, black tights and boots. Add the cardigan or shawl and fasten it at the neck so it hangs like a cloak.
5
Tie your hair back off your face. Dab green cream on your face, neck and the backs of your hands with the sponge, working from the middle outwards so it blends.
6
Press setting powder over the green so it does not mark your collar, then add a little darker green under the cheekbones.
7
Line your eyes with black and put the hat on last.

Make it better

Do your neck and hands too. Green face with pale hands is the thing people notice first.
A cheap black bin liner can be cut into a loose cloak if you have nothing dark to drape over your shoulders.
Do a patch test of the green on your wrist a day before. Face paint made for skin is gentler than craft paint, so use that.

Questions

How do I make an Elphaba costume from clothes I already own?

Use a long black dress or a dark top and skirt. Add a cardboard hat, green face make-up and a dark shawl. A dark navy or charcoal piece works too.

What is the easiest way to make the green skin?

Water-activated face paint or green cream make-up applied with a damp sponge. Cover face, neck and hands and set it with powder. Use skin-safe make-up only, never craft paint.

Is this an official Elphaba costume?

No. It is a homemade, unofficial costume made from everyday clothes and card, inspired by the witch from Wicked. Nothing here is official merchandise.

Can I wear this for UK fancy dress?

Yes. Everything is easy to find in the UK too, and the hat folds flat if you are taking it on the bus or train.

Unofficial. Elphaba and the Wicked names belong to their respective owners, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them. The names are used only to describe this homemade parody costume.

Wear it in front of your own haunted CCTV

Upload four photos of your house and Cursed Cam turns them into a night-time security monitor where something is very wrong. Put it on the TV by the door.

Make my monitor See how it works