Oh! Ok, here are some the promised photos and stories about this incredible pumpkin suit.
The package arrived just a couple days before Halloween. Perfect timing. As it turns out, on the day the suit arrived, I was doing a little makeup test for my Halloween costume. The scars on my face and coloring in my hair weren't intended to be photographed on this day, I was just experimenting to prep for the real costume. But since the makeup was on my face, I might as well put on the suit and take some photos, right?
Don't mind my mean mug, I was practicing my monster expressions. In reality, I was thrilled to receive this gift. Thanks again! I am super impressed with this suit. For what seems to be a bit of a "novelty" item, it's not made of cheap thin fabric. Oh no, it is a legit suit! And well put together too, with a flattering cut, good tall length, plenty of pockets, hip thin tie, and... I didn't get a photograph of it, but the inside is lined with a satiny smooth purple fabric. Stylin'!
So what did I do with this eye-popping attire? Well, it was very close to Halloween and my actual plans for the big day were already spoken for with
my Frankenstein costume. But believe me, I took every opportunity to wear it out in the day or so before Halloween. I visited a couple friends, ran some errands, and went shopping.
That's right... even though it was still a couple days before Halloween, I willingly walked around in pubic just as you see in these photos, complete with the face stitches and green tinted hair. Of course I did. If anyone has the right to wear a suit like this, I figure it would be me.
The Reactions:
And as you might expect, you get a lot of looks. I felt like a magnet for people's eyes, which only made me self conscious for a moment. Then I just embraced it.
While walking down a very public street, a car slowed down and the driver shouted out the window, "PUMPKINS RULE!"
In a parking lot, a young lady smiled and said, "Getting ready for Halloween?" I played dumb and replied, "Oh, is it close to Halloween? I didn't even realize. This is just my everyday clothing."
A convenience store was having a grand opening, where the mayor was appearing to do a ribbon cutting ceremony. Local press was there to photograph the event. But I stole some attention when I strolled by in my suit. I overheard the newspaper photographer saying, "We should have hired this guy for the ribbon cutting." He then proceeded to take photos of the shoppers browsing the new store, including me in my suit.
A man in the grocery store stopped me and asked if he could take my photo. He took a picture with his cell phone and immediately sent it to his wife. "She loves Halloween," he told me. We proceeded to chat for several minutes, about everything from costumes, pumpkin carving, and Halloween props.
A few other people stopped me too, which usually lead to a discussion of what I do. If you wanted to just slip in and out of a store quickly, this is not the suit to wear. Haha. It was nice to chat with random strangers about Halloween. Many ZP business cards were given out.
One girl was walking toward me in a store, briskly chattering away on her cell phone. Her speech stopped cold when he eyes were melted by my suit. Once she walked past me, I heard her quietly resume her phone conversation with, "Oh my god, there's this guy in the store with a crazy orange and black suit."
Several people said "Nice costume" to which I usually replied, "Thanks." But I really felt like quoting the punk character Suicide from
Return of the Living Dead, saying, "You think this is a costume? This is a way of life!"
Because truly it is, for me. To the strangers who engaged me in conversation, I explained that this wasn't actually my costume for Halloween. I claimed that it was my business suit, for work. One person said, "You wear that for work? You must have a very tolerant boss." You could say that.
For all the smiles and comments I received, there were at least as many people who seemed afraid to talk to me or even look at me. When you wear a suit like this in public, and you can quickly identify who is outgoing and who is more introverted. I caught many people glancing at me out of the corner of their eye, and then doing everything in their power to NOT make eye contact.
I purposefully stood right beside an old man who was browsing the store shelves, and he didn't even flinch at my scarred face. Maybe at his age, he's seen it all, and didn't want to encourage the antics of a young whipper snapper like me.
Soon I had to take off the suit and get back to work on the computer. The final days right before Halloween are the busiest, as you can imagine. But clearly I had fun with the suit already, and can't wait to wear it more next year. Whether worn to a Halloween party, some public appearance to promote ZP, or even just causing a scene while running errands, this will be a favorite part of my wardrobe.
