Dress Like A Good Witch

What's with wicked witches? Not all witches are bad, as the witch of the North told Dorothy when she first blew into Oz more than a century ago and announced that she thought all witches were wicked. Oh, those stereotypes...

Today's witches, too, can be more nice than naughty. And they can move beyond the stereotypical! True, you can often tell by a witch's attitude by her outfit and accessories, but it's not always a simple matter of "Good guys wear pink". Glinda immortalized the witch-in-pink look in the 1939 movie, but some Oz witches wear white. And some good witches wear charcoal black -- or a combination of charcoal black and funky patterns.

Interested in being a good witch on Halloween? There are quite a few looks that a good witch can pull off. Let's take a look at some of the options...

Save vs Death, Flickr Creative Commons (Attribution/ Share Alike)

This card dates back to the Edwardian era. It shows a colorful witch with a lace-up bodice -- not such an uncommon witch look.

Image Credit

Here we find a mom and daughters hosting a good witch tea party. You wouldn't mistake these girls for flower fairies! They have traditionally styled witch hats in a variety of colors. Their outfits incorporate both blacks and brights. You'll find some traditional Halloween décor lurking about...

Isn't the storybook book witch witch with the funky clothes good? Here is a witch costume that is more funky than scary. Still, it's obvious this is a witch and not a fairy! It's not quite your typical "pink princess" look, though it does combine pink with green and black. Stripes galore!

When I first looked at photos of girl's in funky good witch costumes, I thought of a book from childhood, but couldn't rememember the character's name. Here she is: Dorrie the little witch whose socks never matched.

Inspired by Dorrie? It looks like the basics would be easy to put together: a plain black dress or robe, two long stockings with mismatched stockings. Her witch's hat is crumpled.

Obviously a witch witch with the cone shaped hat and the black accents... but I do think a good one!

It says the wand is not included. I guess that means no spider either!

I am not sure whether she is better served by a wand or a broom, actually. Maybe both! Maybe... a hot pink dust broom!

What is it about a tutu that suggests this is not your ordinary wicked witch? A search for make-it-yourself good witch costumes yielded several with tutu tulle in staring roles.

Tutus are relatively easy to make, and you can select the color scheme.

There are plenty of tutorials for making a witch hat. Once you've got the basics, you can make some simple modifications for the good witch look you want. Use the color (or pattern) that you like -- or start with plain ol' black and add accents later. (How bout some great big construction paper daisies?)

These are all hats that I can imagine good witches wearing. What do think is the most appropriate headgear?

Most of the good witch makeup tutorials I have seen have been inspired by Glinda.

The first is a traditional look: pink, blue, and sparkly.

The second is a stylized look with a butterfly. (Who says you have to be a wicked witch to change the color of your face?)

The Wizard of Oz movie really played it up: ugly wicked witch, pretty good witch. The images have been modified a bit in the time since, but a lot of us picture the wicked witch as green and wart-covered.

What do you think? Does it give children the idea that homeliness is associated with evil and beauty good?

Is there danger in portraying bad witches as ugly and good witches beautiful?

Glinda has been illustrated -- and envisioned -- many times. The opening picture shows her as she appeared in Frank Baum's day.

In this trailer to the new Wizard of Oz movie, we catch a glimpse her in a cream-colored gown that (I think) has a bit of a Renaissance look.