Easy and unique sad clown costume or Harlequin costume
Every year, my daughter and I start planning her Halloween costume together, and this year she didn’t even wait. She brought up the idea for this sad clown costume the day after Halloween the previous year. That’s how excited she was about it. And it paid off because she won first place at her school’s Halloween costume contest with this look.
Like all of her costumes, this one starts with a basic cotton shirt dress, which means it’s easy to recreate and comfortable to wear. We always make sure nobody else will look like her, and a sad clown with harlequin tights, a white wig, and clown face paint with teardrops definitely fits that bill.
Since the wig is an adult wig and the dress is just a basic cotton shirt dress, I ended up wearing the same costume to our adult neighborhood Halloween party that year. So whether you’re making this for a child or yourself, it works just as well for women, too.
How to put together this sad clown harlequin costume
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Growing up in the 80s, I was obsessed with Pierrot, the classic sad clown character, and even had a Pierrot poster hanging in my bedroom. (pictured below)
So when my daughter wanted to be a sad clown, I knew exactly where to take it. This is my own spin on that look, mixing the Pierrot inspiration with harlequin tights and bold clown makeup to create something that feels both classic and completely unique.
Every year the colors of our costumes end up being so similar and that’s just our preference. You could certainly make this costume with different primary colors or even pastels. Whatever floats your boat.
This time I started with a white shirt dress, which is really soft and comfy. They come in a variety of other colors, which makes them perfect for other costumes or just everyday wear. If you want to buy one, size down because it runs pretty big. I ended up washing and drying it to see if it would shrink, but it didn’t.
I made the red bow from a ribbon I had left over and also made the hat and pom-poms myself. You can read my pom-pom tips and tricks if you want to make your own.
Harlequin costume supplies and accessories
- tights (ours are sold out at the moment and here are some more: black and white Harlequin tights, Harlequin and red heart tights, or Harlequin leggings)
- bow tie (I made my own)Â
- I made my own pom-poms with this pom-pom maker and black wool
- white wig
- face paintÂ
- face paint brushes
- white shirt dress
- black cone hat (I made my own)
- gloves
Sad Clown or Harlequin makeup step-by-step
For this sad clown makeup, I used my favorite face paint again. It has really been worth buying this palette.
- Start with a clean face and braids
- Paint the entire face white and let it dry completely
- Paint an oversized red mouth and a little red nose
- Outline the mouth in black (I used an old eyeliner brush to apply the black face paint)
- Paint the bottom part of the black eyes
- Paint the upper black part of the eyes
- Paint three tears on the side of the face
- Pin up braids and put a wig cap over hair (comes with the wig)
- Put on a wig and pigtails
- Pin the hat on top of the big and slightly on an angle
She absolutely loves this wig, and it’s our own spin on this sad clown costume idea. It is really great quality! You can certainly rock your own hair if you don’t want to wear a wig.
If a sad clown isn’t your thing, then you could easily turn the make-up into a scary clown or evil clown costume, too.
Photos of finished sad clown costume or Harlequin costume
For the photos, we added the balloons, and they are definitely the perfect accessory. You could also add balloon animals.
She was really in character!
She is so happy with her costume, and as I mentioned at the beginning, she won first place at her school’s Halloween costume contest.
More of my Halloween costume ideas
If you are looking for more DIY Halloween costume ideas, you can find some more of my costume tutorials below.
- My Cruella Deville costume DIY version with my husband dressed as a Dalmatian
- DIY Maleficent costume with duct tape horns
- DIY post apocalyptic costume
- how to do zombie makeup
- Cheap and Easy Queen of Hearts Costume DIY
- DIY fallen angel costume
- Super easy DIY elf fairy costume
- DIY sugar skull costume
- some black and white costume ideas
- 4 easy sensory-friendly Halloween costumes
I hope this sad clown costume inspires you for this Halloween! Whether you are making it for a child or wearing it yourself, it’s one of those costumes that always gets a reaction. If you make it, I would love to see your version.
Tschüß,
She’s adorable how clever!!????????
Thank you Jill!
her costumes are always the best and this is no exception- it’s SOOO good! the makeup is incredible! and look how little she was when she was a witch….aaaaaw!
Yes she was tiny. It was such a simple outfit with her regular clothing but I still loved it. She’s a character. And thanks Cassie!
What a beautiful and classy costume!!! You always do such a wonderful job and this year is no exception. Don’t let all the negativity in the news tarnish yours and your daughters enjoyment. I think it is wonderful that you and your daughter can do this together.
Thank you! It was just such a bad timing for being a clown this year and you just never know what some people might say to a child.
so very clever!!!!
Thank you Lois
I always love her costumes! You are so creative! A couple years before the “Slenderman” attack on the little girl by her friends, MacKenzie dressed up as him for Halloween. Every year it’s a new challenge as she has never wanted a off the rack costume and always wants to be an internet meme of some sort. This year she is Rick from Rick and Morty. She made it easy, blue wig and lab coat.
I always love your daughter’s costumes! Tell her she’s the best looking clown I’ve seen in a while!
Costumes that aren’t off the rack are the best though, right? And thanks so much
OH man I love seeing here halloween costumes!!! This is awesome!
Thanks so much Summer. I love doing this with her and will miss it one day.
She is so adorable! Love the costume, looks amazing!
Well thanks so so much
You two are quite the creative team. She’s such a great little model, too!
Thanks Jennifer. It scares me sometimes how much she likes to model. I was never like that so it’s really not in my own comfort zone to model anything.
Julia you are so creative and I love seeing what you will come up with next! Great job friend! Amazing!
Thanks so much for he visit Darnetha. I feel the pressure for next year. Her wishes are a little odd already. She said a zombie soccer player or a vampire. Let’s see
Your daughter is gorgeous and the costume is amazing!
Thanks Sandra
wow…that’s a GREAT costume and makep job.
lucky her!
Thanks so much! I love doing it
I’m a total costume junkie. One of my favorite holidays is halloween. I love that it didn’t require anything too out of the ordianry to create. So cute!
I’ve been terrified of clowns since I was a small girl,
and my own kids won’t get that as a costume option.
But, that being said, your daughter’s costume is quite lovely, and in the light of day I can fully appreciate its whimsy.
Happy Trick or Treating!
Well thanks for appreciating it anyways 😉
This might be your best one yet! She looks amazing–great job!!
Thanks Gretchen! I just heard from someone that trick-or-treat was canceled in our town because of all the scary clown non-sense which would be so upsetting.
In an age of store bought, over the top costumes this clown costume is just plain wonderful! How creative, clever, cute, special, and unique! What a breath of fresh air! The cutest thing ever! Good job Julia!
You truly are the sweetest. Thanks so much.
I always look forward to your daughter’s costumes. They get better every year! I love the clown. Great find on the wig. It makes me so sad to hear that these evil clown people are ruining everyone’s fun. I commend you for going forward with the clown costume despite the current controversies.
They just canceled Halloween trick or treat in our town. It’s so lame. People are awful. I hope we can organize something in our neighborhood
I always look forward to your costumes every year and wondering how you could top the previous years. This one is no different!! I’m so sad that the recent news even cast a shadow on such a traditional and can-be fun costume. However, your creative rendering is over the top gorgeous, I’m not sure how anyone could try and ruin that. That wig is super fun and pretty!
Thanks so much Trisha, I hope that they will see it the same way at her school Halloween dance.
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