Growing up in the ’80s, one of my favorite books was In a Dark Dark Room by Alvin Schwartz . It’s a collection of scary stories and poems for kids. I checked it out of the library quite a few times before my mom bought me my own copy.
My favorite story in the book was “The Green Ribbon,” a story about a young woman named Jenny who from childhood always wore a green ribbon around her neck. She refused to tell anyone the reason why, and she even refused to tell her husband, Alfred, after their wedding. After many years, Jenny became ill and told Alfred the time had come to show him the reason. The ribbon was all that kept her head attached, and it fell off as soon as he untied it. I enjoyed showing people this story and seeing their reactions to the page where Jenny’s head hits the floor.
A couple of years ago, I decided the time had come to make myself a Jenny cosplay. I felt it would be a good entry-level outfit because it’s composed of regular clothing. There are several pictures of Jenny at different ages in the story, and I chose the one of teenage Jenny in the park because it seemed to be made of simple components, and there was no way that I was going to be cosplaying in a wedding dress.
The outfit has a long red skirt, a light blue cardigan with a lace collar, and cowboy boots. I was lucky to find a red dress of the right length and the light blue cardigan both on clearance; I probably spent $35-40 total for both pieces. I knitted the lace collar myself and tacked it onto the sweater. I already owned the boots, which saved me what would have been the largest expense.
The most important accessory for Jenny was of course the green ribbon. I picked up a roll at the craft store that was a close match for the green in the illustrations. The ribbon was the wire enforced type, so it stayed in place pretty well. I wrapped it around my neck twice, tied a small knot, and tucked the ends under to hide them.
Jenny’s hair and makeup were simple, too, which is good because this is the hardest part for me. We both have straight brown hair, so that minimizes the work needed for me to achieve her look. Jenny had bangs, and I bought a set of clip-on bangs at the drugstore and covered the seam with a headband. The makeup is along the lines of 19th century tubercular (very pale face with flushed cheeks). Jenny is some sort of walking undead, after all.
It was a fun costume to put together, and very comfortable. I could walk around at the con all day in it and even wore it to work on Halloween. It’s not as recognizable as some other cosplays, but it’s a really fun one.
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