The Addams Family movies are Halloween classics – obviously. So it’s really no wonder that many gals and ghouls are on the hunt for the perfect Morticia Addams costume each year.
I’m personally a huge fan of DIY costumes wherever possible. Not only are DIY costumes sustainable, but they also can save you a ton of cash. You’re also likely to look way more authentic to the character when you’re wearing “real” clothing as opposed to a purchased costume!
If you’re wanting to play the role of Addams Family matriarch this Halloween, let’s dive into how to create the perfect DIY Morticia Addams costume.
What makes Morticia, Morticia?
Her spooky AF name.
Can we just take a brief moment to appreciate how literally Morticia’s name is a spin off from “mortuary” and “mortician”? My spellcheck keeps trying to force me into one of those two words and I howl every time.
Iconic.
Her long black dress.
Morticia’s silhouette and shape are absolutely part of what makes her such a recognizable character – and we have her long black maxi dress to thank. Although the character of Morticia has seen different iterations of the outfit, the classic Morticia Addams dress is floor length, long sleeve, figure-hugging, and jet black. Morticia’s dress is fairly gothic in style, often with a very short train dragging sulkily across the floor behind her and slightly elongated cuffs on her sleeves.
Her bold red lip.
Morticia’s makeup is no small piece in the perfect DIY Morticia Addams costume. Morticia always sports a bold red lip. Morticia’s lip color is a true, blue based red not an orange hue. The key to executing the perfect Morticia red lip is not to over line. Over lined lips are incredibly trendy right now (we women are always dying to have a little more than what we were born with). That said, Morticia is not an over liner. In fact, Morticia’s upper lip is pretty thin!
Her silver smokey eye.
The original Morticia Addams actually had a fairly naked eye look. We have Anjelica Huston to thank for the now iconic silvery smokey eye we associate with Morticia Addams today.
Morticia’s silver-toned smokey eye starts with a light, luminous silver eyeshadow buffed across the entire lid all the way up to the brow bone. A darker, medium toned grey is then blended into the crease with a slight wing shape on the outer edges. This darker crease with an otherwise light color across the rest of the lid creates a diffused cut-crease effect.
Morticia is also no stranger to eyeliner. Now’s the time to break out the liquid liner. Morticia’s liner is thick and slick, with a slight cat eye effect done on the outer edges. The eyeliner is applied to the waterline and is also applied around the entirety of the eye, giving her a witch vibe. No Morticia costume is complete without her iconic eye.
Her blood red nails.
Again, we’ve got Anjelica Huston to thank for Morticia’s manicure. The original Addams Family Morticia was shown only in black and white, so her nail color was left to the imagination. In the updated Anjelica Huston version, we’re able to see Morticia loves a blood red nailpolish. Similar to her lip shade, the red here is a true blue-based red.
Ghostly grey skin.
Morticia’s skin is incredibly pale. I like to think the makeup artists put a lot of thought behind this choice. Morticia’s ghostly grey skin leads viewers to believe she rarely sees fresh sunshine and likely is severely lacking in vitamin D. Her skin is honestly so ghostly, it almost has the same cast you think you’d view on a fresh corpse. Gross? Yes. Iconic? Most definitely.
To achieve Morticia’s grey cast, I’d opt for special effects makeup that you can mix with your regular foundation shade. The NYX SFX CRÈME COLOUR comes in a whole host of shades, including a light grey color that is perfect for a little Morticia Addams foundation moment. I highly recommend applying special effects makeup with a damp makeup sponge. Morticia’s skin looks light and natural – like she was born with it in a sort of morbid Maybelline fashion. A beauty sponge will give a light, natural application as opposed to a makeup brush.
Personally, I think executing on the ghostly grey skin for your Morticia Halloween costumes is a little *extra* but likely worth the effort. Especially if you’re going au natural on this next piece…
Her long, lucious locks.
In both the original film and the Anjelica Huston version, Morticia has long, jet black hair. Morticia’s hair is styled in loose, old Hollywood curls that are so subtle you’d think they were natural. Morticia never looks overdone.
Unless you’re blessed with naturally long and dark hair a la Morticia, this piece may be a little tricky to DIY. And I don’t personally consider wigs very DIY (I don’t own a black wig in my wardrobe!). There are plenty of inexpensive wigs available online for a reasonable price, so feel free to go that route. I will say I personally don’t think a wig is necessary in an adult Morticia Addams costume, especially if you’re going to DIY route. I can promise you if you put on the dress, recreate the makeup, and walk about with that Morticia Addams attitude – people won’t think twice about hair color.
Her ATTITUDE.
The most fun piece of the perfect DIY Addams Family Morticia costume? Her attitude. Morticia is witty, hilariously devious and devilish, and undeniably sexy. From her haunting, gliding walk, to her drawling voice, Morticia is a fun character to play on Halloween or at any Halloween party!
All the pieces to create the perfect DIY Morticia Addams costume.
The perfect LBD (long black dress).
Opt for styles that skim the floor, have long sleeves, and leave your neckline bare. To be the ultimate Morticia Addams outfit, the dress should hug the curves! No matter your size, Morticia is an amazing character to recreate because she owns her shape with unabashed confidence! I’ve included both straight size and plus size picks below.
Shoes you’ll survive the night in (…or will you?).
As tempting as it is to go with sky-high heels, I really recommend opting for comfort instead of height here. Morticia’s dress is long so the shoes aren’t really the centerpiece of the costume.
Morticia Addams makeup picks.
I’m a BIG fan of finding Halloween makeup that you can reuse all year round. I did include a few special effects makeup options to achieve Morticia’s grey skin, but the rest of the makeup selects are palettes and products you can absolutely use any time of year for a variety of everyday looks!
Are you putting together a DIY Morticia Addams costume this year? Or maybe you’re going the Morticia and Gomez Addams costume route? Drop your tips and tricks for the perfect DIY costume down below!