Awesome French Escargot (Snail) Costume

The theme was “French” but I didn’t want to do the usual French maid or Mary Antoinette, so thought I would go in a French Escargot (Snail) costume.

Firstly I brought some aluminum ducting pipe and rolled it up into a shell like shape and stuck it together with parcel tape. I added a square empty tissue box at one end to make the shape where the snails body comes out of. Then I started to put paper mache all over it. This took a few days to do because you had to do one side and leave it dry before you could do the other. I gave it a final coat of brown crepe paper and layered over some PVA glue to give it a shine.

To attach it to my back, I cut off the straps off an old rucksack and stitched this onto the shell using a large darning needle. This made is easy to put on and you could tighten the straps nice and tight so that it sat well on my back.

The rest of the suit was made from a Lycra suit which I already owned and some deelly boppers on my head. The outfit created a great laugh and the French guests that had attended the party thought it was great and very funny.