In my universe, Halloween is the most inspirational time of the year. Pumpkin food and spooky decor trickle into stores. And there’s the all-important question: what costumes will you wear? Who will you dress up as?

My pick of the season is the new Alice in Wonderland Costume — a twisted, elegant interpretation by Heavy Red.

The inspiration is “Alice en Splendeur Dément” (French of “state of demented splendor”). Our Gothic heroine stumbles upon a tea party with the Mad Hatter. Through her adventures, she starts to question her state of mind — what is real and what is possible?

In this delirious shoot, Alice wanders through a haunted hospital, with blood on the walls and high tea on a gurney. All the photos are on Heavy Red’s site.

I’ve worn several of their garments, including a Goth Alice costume, and they’ve never let me down for quality, fit and detailing.

My favorite part: you can add arm straps to the elegant cream shrug, transforming it into a straight-jacket!

The corset is a Baroque dream, with gold and black brocade, and bloody heart in two pieces. The dress is deep blue with trimmings of eras past, like a ruffled bodice and corset-laced back.

The extra accessories – harlequin tights, lace gloves, teacup hat, pocket watches – are the finishing touch. If you’re loving this Alice costume (or more accurately, special edition designer outfit), you can find it at Heavy Red. Sizes run from S to 3XL.

What are your plans for Halloween? Have you ever dressed as Alice in Wonderland, or the Mad Hatter? (My Scottish Fold cat has quite the selection of mad hats!)

My favorite holiday, Halloween, is creeping closer… I’m so psyched that I’ve already started dressing up! Here’s a preview of my “elegant witch” costume, which I found at Halloween Express.

I’m quite picky about costumes, but I thought this one was remarkably well-designed. The long velvet gown with leg slit reminds me of Vampira. The purple shimmery cape adds a nice effect.

Cobweb tights (from the same store) are a must.

I’m not a fan of the stereotypical “wicked witch” look: green facepaint, bent nose and boils. Instead, I did dramatic purple-black makeup.

I outlined my lips in black, and filled them with lavender. I layered on eyeshadows, and used a black eyeliner pen to draw spider-like bottom lashes.

Witches are supposed to have black cats… but this yellow bear will do. Basil Farrow matched me with a purple mini-hat from my travel filmmaker, Melissa.

My Scottish Fold casts a spell of cuteness. (You can see more of his photos on his blog and Facebook.)

PS: Hugs for my friends at Glam Nail Studio, award-winning Japanese nail salon in Vancouver, for the kawaii nail art. It’s Bio Sculpture Gel (so it doesn’t damage my nails) with acrylic paint, gems and lace on top. I went with pandas because I’m making appearances in Hong Kong.

PPS: Thanks to Galz Love Music for interviewing me about my DNR music video debut.

Do you have a Halloween costume yet? Will you buy one, or DIY? What do you think of my witch interpretation?

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back for more All Hallow’s Eve inspiration.