This is from 2003. I held off on uploading it here because it's the closest I've come to wearing a costume "off the shelf," something I don't normally do, but I've softened my own requirements for completeness' sake. Besides, I customized the crap out of the bought components.

I've dug the hell out of comedy horror rap group Insane Clown Posse since I was a disaffected teenager. In 2003 for New York City's Village Halloween Parade, my sister and I decided to throw together original costumes incorporating the band's characters and makeup designs.

Not too long before this, the band had done some promo photoshoots and videos for their new album "The Wraith: Shangri-La" dressed in intentionally cheesy angel costumes. (You can see a clip from that at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AlFql1yGbw .) I thought it'd be fun to take that look in the opposite direction, and go for a cheesy demon type of thing.

The robe was from some Halloween store clearance-section monster costume, and held closed by a badge with blue flames. The necklace came with the costume, but was an ugly plastic thing with some celtic knot type stuff and fake jewels on it. I flipped it around and painted on the logo of ICP's record label. I threw in some cheap studded fingerless gloves, one of my own belts, and did my hair and face paint in the style of ICP's Violent J.

The axe was another cheapie from a Halloween store. I customized it by wrapping the handle in a fabric belt which had come with the robe, and covering the "blade" with smashed CD fragments (thank you for those, AOL.)