I posted earlier to say that as of June 9th I will no longer be a Teacher Asst. due to budget cuts. So I am working toward clowning. I was so stressed out worrying about what I was going to do about make up and a costume. I bought a pattern and most of the fabric I need to do a costume (although I don't have a sewing machine and can't sew much anyway- I do plan to buy a machine or find help).

Anyhoo- I met the person who is mentoring me Friday night at a restaurant to shadow him as he did his reg. Friday night gig. I was surprised when he showed up without makeup and his costume- just black pants a white shirt and a vest/ tie/ hat set that matched with lots of cute buttons. He says that he usually does that for restaurants because the make up scares kids sometimes and it is easier to get in and out of the look minus the makeup and costume.

He is offering to let me pick up some of his Friday nights but I have to come up with a bright shirt/ hat/ whatever... I need some suggestions or photos/ ideas.

Thanks guys.

Well, I did a non-clown character about a week ago for a party where the mom did not want me in clown. There's pictures of Cadenza in my photo albums.... basically I just made myself a dress from a Dorothy (from the Wizard of Oz) pattern, but out of brightly coloured fabric... changing the fabric does it all. My usual costume is a Raggedy Ann pattern in different colours.

Pick an outfit pattern that you like the lines of and make it in bright colours... you can keep it coordinated, just bright.

Check - Goodwill, Salvation Army, Hot Topic, Value City (if any are still around in your area) and any other more ethnic stores. I have found some great colorful pieces this way.

Some restaurants I do as a clown (Fitzwilly) in full battle gear, in others I come as a "festive artist." Usually dressed in a bright shirt and coordinated vest with a derby. Nothing too elaborate, if I am going as an artist I am not wearing my full clown outfil. I am going for a professional look with a flourish.

My entertainer garb consists of a brightly colored dress shirt (most of the time I pick the yellow one) under a solid black vest, black pants, a checkered skinny tie (either bright blue with black checks or bright green with black checks) a tophat and fun sneakers (my favorite right now are my converse that are printed with a playing card pattern. I call this one "Mr. Dazzle" if they want an entertainer then he goes like that. If they want a clown with less makeu, then I add on a nose... but thats it.

The two clowns i workedwith at thehospitle didn't usemake up they just wore the costume & a red nose & that was it. you dont need make up to bea good clown jsut a heart

get a red cap, a yellow shirt, suspenders, and sneakers for starters. if you wanna jazz it up some more, get a lot of buttons put it on your suspenders and hat, colorful shoelaces, colorful socks mismatch them, the possibilities are endless.

like willace said its not the costume but whats inside you.

enjoy and good luck!!!

I don't know that there is a right or wrong outfit to use when entertaining kids. You probably want something to set yourself apart from the general public, but how you do that is up to you. I would say that loud or mismatched colors might work well. I have become a big fan of the local Salvation Army store. I found a great Hawaiian shirt a few weeks ago.

oh i forgot, jumpers are also good starter costumes! :D

they have LOTS of jumpers at thrift shops!!!

When working at a restaurant as a balloon artist (net necessarily a clown) you want to achieve a couple of things with your appearance.
1) You want to create a professional appearance.
2) You want to create a unique look so that you stand out not only from the clientele, but also from the wait-staff.
3) You want to have enough pockets to hold your cards, popped balloons, business cards, stickers, markers and anything else you might need.
4) You don't want an outfit that is so large, baggy or frilly that it is going to get in your way while you are working or that of the people around you.
5) Insert your own reason here that I forgot.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful advice. Looks like I am off to some of our 2nd hand stores to see what they may have. Will check in and let you guys know what I come up with. It is Spring Break week so no work and no school which means work work work to get some of these details worked out.

Jenifer

I like to wear military pants (tons of pockets) and a shirt with suspenders and buttons when I'm "plain clothes".

Product Page (http://bewild.amazonwebstore.com/B000NUYQZW/M/B000NUYQZW.htm)

^mine are like those but black.

So, in plainclothes/mimimum costume, should one wear oversized shoes? *Great, just as I get 90% of my clown costume set up, now I have to think about minimal/plainclothes entertainer outfit! LOL*

LAsw Vegas is the :and of Black and Whites. We challenged each ither once to see if we could walk into a Starbucks in plain clothes and be entertaining. AT FIRST the people thoght I was a neighborhood looney-bird ( partky true, anyway! LOL!) but I went in there propless, etc. I have a nearly shaved head, so I don't exactly LOOK normal. Anyway, it was tough. After tht we got some restaurant gigs and we always went DRESSED UP....BECAUSE we had seen some people from amother entertainment company in the same places dressed in casual clothes and it just didn't look so great. These folks were also talking on their cel phones while twisting balloons. ANYWAY.
Funny Lady Las Vegas (http://funnylady.honeybunchlasvegas.com) is where you can see my sister's alternate costime ( one of them anyway_ for a restaurant twister. BUT HERE is what I do. There is a store here called Susie's Deals. Nothing over $6. I bought CAPRIS in pink, lime, denim, blue and black and added a little trim. A teeshirt and a vest and some converse lowtops or a pair of Skechers thick sole black work boots and I am good to go. I just wear street make up. I know some who wear aprons...bit I dkn[t like that look for me. Wprlomg om restaurants is sometimes hard, but you learn and you have got to make friends with the SERVERS! You have to learn to be aware of where the servers and the people waling in or out ARE all the time and NEVER turn around fast! HAts with a large brim can get you into trouble!! Keep it colorful and simple. If the place you are working has narroqw paths between tables make sure you don't ave any hanging ribbons, chains or loops OR ANYTHING ELSE that can get caught on chairs. One final thought...look at the servers footwear...you may want similar! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOh, and I have a decirated container for my props and balloons. I FOUND in a bargain bin, these one dollar lights htat look lfourescent and look like that little bitty book light thing...buck each...throw away when they burn out. I clip 2 on my balloon container. I would rather dress up thanNOT cause people will remember you by what you wear. We had one place we made clothes to mach the restaurant theme , but by the same tolen I would not want to wear what the servers wear cause you would not stand out as an entertainer.
Onemore thing about the servers...if you are working for tips only, make sure you keep your eyes open. I have seen soe though not often, allow a diner to write your tip on their check and you never see the tip or get paid half or whatever. I know because repeat custimers would ask if I had received my tip. That can add up if tips are $10 or more.
Gig

... Wprlomg om restaurants is sometimes hard, ...Gig

Gig, I'm not sure if i can agree with you or not on the above quote because I'm not honestly sure I've EVER "wprlomg-ed om restaurants"!

(Normally, I don't pick on typos, but I just couldn't resist that one! Can't quite pronounce it, much less translate it! lol:) )

You mean you never tried it! You don't know what you're missing!! LOL!!

I'll have you know young man typos are part of my chrm. BLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK! Oh dang, sorry, I hit the wall again! You should see me dance, I guarantee you'd wjk in your pdfh, snort snicker, wink wkajkjhdj!! pken
I WONDER, If I had a tube of toothpaste and was blindfolded in the ledge of a tall building...........Geronimo! Splat! Instant art!
Gig
The Galloping Typographer
P.S.
My cat Misu NEVER stands near the garbae disposal or the toilet!!

So, in plainclothes/mimimum costume, should one wear oversized shoes?

why not? LOL! there's this guy in my evening class who wears BIG shoes. and he's not even a clown, cracks me up everytime!

I love the responses I am getting. You guys are wonderful. Lots of great ideas and a lot to process. I am heading to the 2nd hand stores today to see what treasures I can find ;o)

I went shopping today at a couple of thrift stores & Target. Here is part of what I came up with.

I plan to add to the vest (buttons and patches).

I also have a pair of beige denim shorts/ overalls that I bought to doll up a bit.

Do you guys think something like this will work for a restaurant???
Honesty please. Thanks.

I think that something more (stripes, perhaps?) to break up the shirt would help. As it is, the top just kind of communicates a normal lady dressed in a pink blouse and vest, but nothing all that special. The vest certainly needs something to break up the plain denim. But I like your ideas of adding buttons and patches. I'd like to see how it all looks with that decked out. I really like your hat, pants, socks, and shoes. I'd say keep that aspect of the costume and run with it - using it as a building point.

You have a fair start, I'd say. Will it be a casual or upscale place. I have done both. For the upscale one I got a silber tissue lame shirt, black belvet pants and a silver lame hat. Still wore the sketchers work boots tho cause of all the walking. //////////for the casual place I had what I said in my former post....Allllllllllllllmost like a European look, but not quiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite unless I was all the way dressedout in clownm. Balloon twistger only is so much easier!! Ya gptta gp with where you are like wearing a jersey and a baseball cap if you are in a sports bar! One I worked in a motorcycle place with a restaurant abd bar just as a twister and Iwore these RIDICULOUs Halloween costume arm socks that look like tattoos ( made of like pantyhose with stamped on designs...bit surely denim overall should be really comfortable
Gig

I like to wear something colorful and a little zany -- so I stand out in a crowd. I don't want anybody thinking for a second that I'm a waitress or just another customer. Make sure it's comfy too. Note the hat -- just a subtle hint of "clown."


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3387570856_907c9a90b4_m.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2873635209_bab42cc887_m.jpg

a really long tome ago when we first started wprking restaurants I approaced a table of a family who I would have thought had seen that I was working table to table for a lillte while. They were VERY reticent to speak and finally the dad leaned over and said " Listen are you supossed to be in here?" I said yes that I was and they called a server over to verify it. It was only THEN that tey would even let me speak to their kids. The dad thought "I had come in off the street to bum money" ( those are HIS words), but it was an isolated incident out of a three year gig in that particular location and I still work for them sometimes. SO my sister made us vests in company colors for that particu;ar place. The comapny manager LOVED IT although the franchise owner didn't seem to care. This location had a real thing about tattoos and piercings. The servers could NOT show tats though tey are not so frowned on anyonre like years past. But they could sow all their bizare oiercings. This one kid had a really long animal tooth ALL THE WAY through one ear. BUT, I have a nearly shaved head when I wear my own hair!! Like 1/8" all over...BY choice. I wear wigs when I want to look different. WELL, the storee manager saw me once at the supermarket and was shocked I had no hair. He gently and polutely asked me not to come to work like that!! HE said he didn't think it was apropriate!! So you just don't ever know! I have a number of wigs that are REAL trendy and those are what I wear.
Gig