THE MUMMY COSTUME

We don't really celebrate Halloween here in India, but when it came up in conversation, we couldn't resist using it as an excuse to brainstorm cosplay and face-painting ideas anyway. We went back and forth on a few looks before my 11-year-old brother suggested the idea of a mummy — and honestly, who better to wrap up than the one who suggested it? So, we raided the closet — old white t-shirts, a spare dupatta, an extra pyjama, a couple of toilet paper rolls — and turned him into one under half an hour, most of which went into experimenting with the wrap until it actually looked right.

1) Old white upper garments (t-shirts/kurtas) — cut into strips and rings

2) 1 white dupatta — cut into strips/rings

3) 1 white pyjama (bottoms)

4) 2 rolls of toilet paper

5) Scissors

6) White poster/craft paint

7) Paintbrush

8) Stapler

First, we cut the old garments and dupatta into long strips and rings. Rings work especially well because they can be slipped straight onto arms and legs and then tightened, instead of tying every single strip from scratch.

I made my brother put on the white pyjama as a base layer. This keeps the wrap from being too revealing and gives the fabric strips something to anchor to as we build up the layers.

Cross the fabric strips diagonally across the chest and stomach, knotting where needed to hold the shape. Then wind strips around the forearms, fingers, and legs — leave some ragged, loose ends trailing here and there for effect, and don't wrap too neatly. Gaps between strips are good; they let skin show through later.

Wind a strip around the head and down over the lower face, leaving a gap for the eyes. Toilet paper works really well for this part — it's lighter and gives a more textured, papery finish than fabric. My brother said no- to using toilet paper on his face, heheee. So, we used the white dupatta.

Let a few ends hang loose at the arms and ankles for that "unraveling" mummy look. Mess up one or two of the wraps so the whole thing doesn't look too neat or deliberate — a slightly chaotic finish actually makes the costume look better.

Once the wrapping is fully done, dab white paint onto the exposed skin — chest, stomach, hands — to mimic the embalming paste/resin used in real mummification. Doing this last (instead of before wrapping) helps us see exactly where the fabric gaps are and paint precisely where skin is visible, for maximum effect with minimum paint.

We burnt a few incense sticks to bring this eerie, horror, smoky look.

Total time: about half an hour, mostly spent experimenting with how the wraps should cross and where to leave gaps for the paint to show through.

If you avoid experimenting, it will take around 15-20 minutes.

THANK YOU

HAPPY HALLOWEEN