July 5, 2021
If your character wanted to wear a disguise, how would they dress?
I giggled as Lando adjusted the support stockings. They hid the thick bandages he had wrapped each leg with to make them appear fatter. “Luckily it’s getting chilly outside,” he said, handing me a heavy sweater. “The more layers of clothing you wear the less you resemble yourself.”
With the foam form strapped around my belly, I thought I had plenty of padding already. It was designed to give a man the concept of the extra weight women carry when they are pregnant, but mostly it made me look fat. The over-sized dress with the huge Hawaiian flower pattern exaggerated the effect. Under all the foam and extra layers of clothing, it wouldn’t be long before I started to sweat.
The gray wig was a nice touch too. It was hard getting all my hair to stay under it, and thank heavens the curly hair hid the lump my bun made. Lando worried the makeup he had applied didn’t fill my face out enough, but he did the best job possible with his limited supplies. He hoped the huge glasses he’d found would help. The plain thick glass meant I still needed my contacts. The ugly white nurse’s shoes were a size too big, but with the thick socks they fit just about right.
A cane was the last accessory. To put any weight on it, I had to lean forward. He stood back, nodding and admiring his work. “Well, I think that’s it, Aunt Martha,” he said grinning.
I smiled back and pointed the end of the cane at him. “That’s enough out of you, sonny.”
From The Marquesa’s Necklace
That’s the first time we got to see Harmony Duprie in disguise. It wasn’t an outfit she picked, but it worked. Several times, actually, until it got a bit too well-known and she had to abandon it.
Photo by Antonio Friedemann from Pexels
Where did her friend Lando get his knowledge of makeup and camouflage? He’s a cosplayer, and had build several elaborate costumes. I like to think he got his start doing theatre in high school, trying to impress a cute girl.
It wasn’t the last disguise Harmony adopted in the series. She soon discovered how useful changing her appearance was when to went to local bars to do ‘research’ on whatever mystery she was investigating. She also found out how many tutorials there are on the internet to give her step-by-step instructions on applying makeup, wigs, and other essentials for becoming someone new.
Most of my camouflage came from thrift shops in Pittsburgh. Old jeans, tank tops, and plaid shirts, paid for in cash, to make the purchases untraceable. All except for the bright red wig. It came from a costume store. Still, it looked real.
And I’d spent far too much time watching on-line videos on techniques for applying makeup. My makeup supplies had swelled to never-before-seen proportions. I hadn’t owned this many colors of eye shadows and lipsticks even in high school.
For a finishing touch, I knotted the pink plaid shirt under my breasts, exposing the black tank top underneath it. With a final fluff of the wig, I nodded in satisfaction. In the harsh lights of my bathroom, I looked sufficiently unlike myself to suit my purposes. And in the typical dim lighting of a typical bar, my alter-ego should fool everyone.
From The Baron’s Cufflinks
Harmony is aware that going in disguise isn’t the answer to all situations. That doesn’t stop her from planning elaborate costumes and scenarios to get the answers she’s needs. It’s a challenge, and one she enjoys.
What about the other authors on this hop? Do their characters utilize disguises? Find out by following the links below. And, until next time, please stay safe!
July 5, 2021
If your character wanted to wear a disguise, how would they dress?
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I love those descriptions, they bring the new-look character to life.
Thanks!
I don’t remember a disguise from her first book, and it was fun to read some of her further adventures.
Harmony caught the “bug” and kept trying new techniques in her later adventures.
This is a great post, Patricia. I enjoyed reading about Harmony’s disguise.
She got to ‘recycle” it several times, but later needed to switch to something different.
Um…uh… Yeah. He said grinning. My main protagonist shops at thrift stores, mostly by choice.
Harmony is fond of pawn shops and bargaining.
Jackson likes old school bowling shirts, even after the makeover, and never buys new jeans.
The stores have plastered the label vintage on those old jeans and and now they cost more than new ones!
I know! My daughter went through that phase in the mid 90s, I’d take her to Houston with me so she could go to all the vintage rag stores in the arts district. The prices they were charging then for stuff I’d thrown in a donation bag were ridiculous.