Historical "Design Consultation

What if you can't find anything
on our site that meets your needs?

We love to come up with one-of-a-kind costumes for clowns and entertainers. Custom orders are our specialty. Let your imagination run wild and we'll try to keep up with it! We will design the perfect costume specially-created for your individual character and needs. While we can create spectacular and unique costumes that will knock your socks off, we can't get started willy-nilly. We do have a few simple rules to follow before we can begin. Our Custom Costume Procedure guarantees that you will receive timely service and the best of results.

Custom Costume Procedure

Email or call us to discuss the general idea of your costume. We will ask for your name, contact information, and basic questions about your deadline, budget, character, style, colors, and existing costume pieces. We may be able to give you a "ball park" figure at this point.

Once you decide to begin the design process, you will be asked to sign a design contract and pay a non-refundable $25 fee. This will be credited towards the total cost of the costume. After the fee is paid, your file will be given to Pricilla for her personal attention. This is where the design consultation begins, which may include faxes, emails and phone calls.

Pricilla will provide a design sketch, fabric swatches, and costume descriptions via email. If you like the design as it is proposed, you will be asked to sign an approval form. This will ensure that the finished product is exactly what you want. If changes are made to the design after it has been approved, additional fees may be charged.

The costume will not be started until a 50% deposit of the total cost is paid (includes the $25 fee you already paid at the beginning). This is a non-refundable deposit. An invoice will be mailed to you with a balance due date. The costume will not be shipped until the final payment is received.

After approving the design, you can expect the costume to be shipped within 8 weeks (unless other arrangements have been made).

You may return the costume for reasonable alterations within 30 days of delivery for no extra charge. Alterations due to weight gain or loss and repairs necessary due to negligence, abuse, or improper washing will incur additional charges. The costume is guaranteed for normal wear for the period of one year.

We start your costume by taking your style and color requests into consideration, and Tricia drafts a full-color sketch of the costume. We email you the sketch along with fabric swatches for your approval. Next, Mary lifts your design off the page, cuts out the material and assigns your costume to one of our talented seamstresses. Within 8 weeks, your one-of-a-kind costume goes from imagination to reality!

We would love to get started
on your dream costume today!

To begin your own personal custom design dialogue, please email Katie@mooseburger.com or call us at 320-963-6277.

Design Tips:

STYLE:
Select a style of costume which matches your persona, works well with your body shape, and will enhance (and not hinder) your activities. Are you mischievous, or a goody two-shoes? Are you really classy, old and stuffy, or youthful and innocent? You need to think about the cut of a doublet, the amount of frayed edges, the boldness of contrasting trim, the number of buttons...all these details add up to style! What can you think of that will make your costume stand out? Take your performance and daily activities into consideration. A renaissance faire juggler may have different needs than a farmer's wife in a colonial village, just as a rendezvous voyageur would have different needs than a cook at a civil war camp.

COLOR:
If you already have invested money into some big costume items (cape, coat, boots, hat, etc.) which you want to coordinate with your new costume items, it may be a good idea to email us photos of those items so we have them on file when we are sketching your design. On average, we recommend using no more than three colors for the main parts of your costume. Otherwise, you may run the risk of a loud, confusing and mis-matched looking outfit. We have natural earth-tones, bright bold colors, textured woven plaids, and rich brocades. While absolutely stunning and lovely garb can be designed in all solid fabrics, some folks prefer patterns or textures. Please let us know if you are interested in having prints in your costume: stripes (wide or thin), plaid, hounds-tooth, checkered, or anything else. Our fabric supply is always changing whenever we find a fabulous material that we know our customers will like. Of course, we would be more than happy to go on the treasure hunt for you to find the perfect shade and texture, so please let us know what you are looking for. In order to best serve you, we will email you fabric swatches that best match your initial color choices.

FABRIC:
The majority of our costumes are created from long-lasting and wrinkle-resistant poly-cotton, wool-blends, and other natural fibers. However, we do have specialty fabric, trim, and appliqués available, as well. All our prices reflect costume made from the poly-cotton, unless otherwise noted. If you choose a specialty fabric, it may increase the cost of your costume. If you need frayed fringe, a little sparkle and shine, counted hand-stitching, specialty trim, or anything above and beyond the normal range of a costume, we can accommodate you. If you have found a fabric you absolutely love and simply MUST have it incorporated into your costume, we can accommodate you. We must caution you, however, that any fabric supplied by a customer cannot carry the same guarantee as our regular costumes. We cannot use any fabric that is a loose weave. We recommend choosing a sturdy poly-cotton or wool blend. Before purchasing any fabric, contact us first to get the estimated yardage needed for your garment.