Vintage Halloween Costume DIY – Hitchcock’s The Birds

DIY Halloween Costume: Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock’s The Birds

This is one of my favorite Halloween costumes I’ve worn over the years, inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. It’s surprisingly easy to recreate with a green suit, a few accessories, and, of course, some birds. I’ll show you how to put the look together and where to find the pieces.

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I may earn a commission.

How you can mimic the Iconic Green Outfit

The iconic soft green dress and matching jacket Tippi Hedren wore in The Birds is often referred to as the “green suit.” Finding an exact match today isn’t easy, but you don’t need one to make this Halloween costume recognizable. I’ve put together two outfit options using clothing and accessories you can find on Amazon.

Option 1: The Green Dress

Start with a soft green, fitted dress and add a coordinating jacket. A simple sheath or wiggle dress gives you that early 1960s silhouette. It’s tough to find a dress with matching jacket that doesn’t give you grandmother-of-the-bride vibes, so I’d go with a jacket that’s close enough in color to keep those chic Tippi vibes.

• Jade Jacket
• Green Dress
• Light Green Belt
• Gold Necklace and Gold Earrings
• Tan Women’s Pumps
• Brown Clutch Purse

Option 2: The Green Skirt Suit

Another way to capture the look is with a matching green jacket and pencil skirt. Add a coordinating top underneath, and you can recreate the same tailored silhouette and soft green color that make Melanie Daniels’ outfit so recognizable. Here’s a list of how to get this version.

• Green Skirt Suit
• Jade Top
• Gold Necklace and Gold Earrings
• Tan Women’s Pumps
• Brown Woven Clutch Purse

And you don’t have to wear a green suit like Tippi Hedren for people to get the costume. I wore a black skirt suit and people still got the reference.

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Adding Birds to your Costume

It is Halloween, so the spookier the bird prop, the better I think. These fake crow birds have different wing positions give the costume a more chaotic vibe.

I like these birds because they have wire attached to their feet. This makes it easier to attach them to things like headbands, bracelets, and safety pins to help attach them to your costume. I wired one to a headband to make it look like it was attacking my head.

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How to Recreate Tippi Hedren’s Hairstyle from The Birds

The character Melanie Daniels’ hairstyle is classic early 1960s elegance. The front and crown have soft, swept-back waves with plenty of volume, while the back is tucked neatly into a small, low French twist.

If you’re styling your own hair, start with a roller set to create the volume and movement. I’ve included a suggested roller pattern below to help you get the shape. You can also use a curling iron to create the curls, pinning them in place to cool before brushing them out.

Once your curls are brushed out, use a little backcombing to build height through the front and crown. Smooth the top layers back into soft waves, then gather the remaining hair into a low French twist at the back.

Or Try a Vintage-Style Blonde Wig

If you don’t want to style your own hair, a blonde 1960s-style wig is another option. Look for one with volume at the crown and a softly swept-back front. It doesn’t have to be an exact match to give you the look of Melanie Daniels.

As the movie progresses, the hairstyle gets more and more disheveled, so you can really have fun with the styling.

Simple Scratches Makeup

The special effects they used on Hedren in the movie to show her injuries from the birds was not particularly gory. This movie was more thriller, less horror.

So simple scratch marks with some fake blood will do.

And for a little added entertainment, in this video someone took the movie The Birds and shortened it into 1 1/2 minutes. It cracks me up.

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