Beauty & the Beast: How to Create a Belle Costume for Halloween

This Halloween, Belle costumes will be out in full force as devoted Beauty and the Beast fans represent the tale as old as time. Not only was the live-action version of the animated classic the top-grossing film of 2017 (so far), it's also likely to be a contender during awards season. If you're too swept up in all things Beauty, then a Belle costume may just be the look for you this Oct. 31.

As you know, Belle has two signature looks in the film: her blue village dress and her yellow ball gown. Between the two, her "provincial" look is much more practical for Halloween and with Emma Watson's version modified for movement, it's really a great choice for that Halloween party, office social, or night out.

Things You'll Need for Belle's Village Dress

Compared to the animated version, Emma Watson's village dress in Beauty and the Beast is better designed for the outdoors, exploration, and singing atop mountains (cue "Belle" reprisal).

As costume designer Jacqueline Durran explained to WWD, Belle's new provincial look represents Belle's "will for freedom."

• long sleeve white shirt
• blue dress (pinafore style)
• blue apron (checkered pattern)
• dish towels
• bloomers (pantaloons)
• brown boots (hiking style)
• striped socks
• ponytail holders
• curling iron
• hairspray
• ribbon
• blue ribbon
• piece of cord, beads (for Belle's necklace)

To recreate the 2017 version, you'll want to look for a long-sleeve white shirt with an open collar similar to hers (square). Next, for the dress which really makes Belle's costume, you'll need a blue pinafore-style dress that flares. Note that she tucks this dress into her apron's waistband, so as to show that she's wearing bloomers, which are basically trousers.

The apron is also different in 2017: a blue one with checkered detail versus the white from 1991. Also, note that her pockets are on the outside and she uses them "like a tool belt." She also wears hiking boots instead of ballet flats.

Twists to Belle's Updated Village Hairstyle

Another key to Belle's costume is her hair. When we first meet Belle, has her hair is famously tied back in a pretty low ponytail with a blue bow. But in 2017, it's not simply pulled back and tied as it was in 1991. Instead, there are rolls on the side and actually two ponytails. YouTuber's CGH shows us how to replicate this look in no time.

First, take a bit of your front hair, enough for about 1/3 a braid, and pin it away. Then, create a half-ponytail with the remaining hair, about 1/3 the way down your head. Make this a loose tie.

Create a hole above the ponytail holder. Gather the half-ponytail's tail and tuck it up and through the hole you made. This loop will create a twist. Next, from one side, take the hair you've pinned away and do another loop, pulling it up and through the half-ponytail, only through a side hole instead of the center. Then, with the remaining side hair, pull it through the half-ponytail one more time, this time through the center hole. This creates two side twists. Repeat this on the other side.

Leave wispys around your ears. Tie the rest of your hair in a low ponytail and pull this tail through a new hole made in between the half-ponytail and the low ponytail. Again, loop it up and through the hole. Finish it off with a blue ribbon tied in a bow. Note that the bow is actually more 1991 than 2017. In Beauty and the Beast, Emma Watson forgoes the bright, giant bow for a thin, dark ribbon. For the curls, you can either curl it before you style your hair or after. It doesn't matter.

Belle's Costume & Hair Complete

Getting the hair right really can pull together a Belle costume, and while her village or provincial look is perfect for her daily life in her "little town," it's also pretty perfect for your everyday. A guarantee: You will wear your hair like this at another time after Halloween (minus the bow).

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