Click Here To See The Full Range of Ring Master Costumes
What’s flashy, fun, fantastic, and travels from one place to another? It’s the circus! All the performers have their roles but there is one person who weaves the whole thing into an experience worth remembering – the ring master. Indeed, he is the master within the ring or rings of the big top performance area.
As befitting of a person who must capture and hold attention, the ring master costume is gaudy and dramatic. What a bright shade of red! The red coat catches attention and your eyes can’t help but spot it. With large and bright brass buttons and beautiful gold trim, this is a coat that exudes confidence. Epaulets add a sense of office, while the pointed lapels and broad cuffs add to the flamboyant stylings of the costume.
Under the coat, the ring master costume includes a white shirt, dark pants, and a bow tie or ascot. The cummerbund also adds a sense of formality. Indeed, the ring master is dressed and behaves in a more composed manner than the controlled chaos of the performances. His boots are made not for walking, but for striding!
Of course, it is not exactly a male-exclusive costume. The ring master costume for women, or perhaps more correctly costume for ring mistresses, is similar yet different. Whereas she also wears a coat or jacket, it is usually cut to exploit the female figure. Detailing can be as rich, if not richer, than that on a male ring master’s coat.
As befitting the outgoing and attention-grabbing qualities of a ring master, the ring mistress costume features skirts of several types, though they are all quite short. It’s a perfect match for black net stockings. The lady of the big top might also choose to go sleeveless and put more of her feminine assets to use. Pull on some shoes or boots, don your mini top hat, and step out to take control of the show!
In the center of the big top, you need a big voice not just to reach the audience but to be heard over the brass band. It is your show to direct, and a lot of it hinges on how well you construct the experience. Sometimes you’ll need to do some ad lib to keep their attention while setup goes on, but it’s all part of the show. Don’t let yourself down, don’t let your crew down, and most of all, don’t let the audience down! Now get dressed, get ready, and take the spotlight!
Click Here To See The Full Range of Ring Master Costumes
Available Ring Master Sizes
The ring master Halloween costume for men is available in Medium to X-Large, while ladies can get the feminine counterparts from X-Small to Large. Kids sizes are not easily found, since kids these days rarely see the circus.
While the men’s costumes work well, the ladies’ costumes bear some caveats. The skirts may be too short, which can make it embarrassing to put on and move around in. In particular, the back part of the skirt is quite short and might expose your bottom.
In addition, one of the costumes has a skirt made of sheer layered ruffles, which can be more transparent than is desirable, so boyshorts are a great choice for underwear.
Common accessories to get are the bullwhip and crop. They are mostly used for show, and indeed wielding these in a dramatic manner is part of the traditional image of a ring master. It takes training to use the long whip, and the shorter crop is much easier to use, though not as flashy.
Ring Master Background Information
The origin of the ring master costume that we recognize today comes from not too far back, though the adopted style is considerably older. In 1928, Bertram Mills, owner of the Circus at Olympia in London, ordered his ring master George Claude Lockhart, to don a distinctive outfit. The coat-and-tails and tall top hat thus began to see their role in the circus, but were actually the preferred riding clothing of gentlemen in the 18th century.
These costumes, as with most circus costumes, are gaudy and flamboyant. This makes sense because the aim of the game is to capture, hold, and excite the attention of the audience.
The ring master is the on-stage director of the show, as well as the master of ceremonies, and may at times perform as well. One example would be his joking around with a clown while a new act is being set up in the background.
Ring Master Movies & TV Shows
The best place to see a ring master costume would be in an actual circus of course. Barring that, then you’ll have to make do with movies. Circuses are not as popular a setting as they once were, though there are a few memorable films in such settings.
One in recent memory is Big Fish. Though only a part of it was set in a circus, it did work very well with the fantastic nature of the story; it was about a man who had the gift for storytelling and in the end, his stories were proven to have been exaggerated, but not false.
Of course, there’s the classic Dumbo from Disney. It’s a heartwarming tale and continues to be a family favorite.
Bearing great similarities to the now-famous ringmaster outfit is the equestrian riding outfit, and indeed, the ringmaster used to direct equestrian acts inside the circus ring too! In most cases, the equestrian outfit is more subdued than its circus equivalent.
Similar Costumes
If the ring master Halloween costume does not appeal to you, don’t worry – there are lots of other choices!
In keeping with the theme of the circus, why not go as a clown? Colorful, clumsy, and rather oafish, these standard-bearers of comedy would be right at home in a circus! Funny thing though – clowns can really be quite creepy. Of course, there’s the rest of the circus crew too – the strong man, the fortune teller, the trapeze artists, and so on.
What’s a circus without trained animals? From lions to elephants to the odd monkey or two, there are lots of choices of animal costumes. Put one on and feel the raw energy inside you!
Just like the circus that travels from place to place, gypsies are another nomadic people with rich aesthetic traditions. Why not check out the selection of gypsy costumes? You will They are fun, comfortable, and represent the freedom of the gypsy way of life!
Ideal Companion Costumes
The ideal companion costumes as voted by our subscribers are the Spanish Costume and the Matador Costume!
 Click Here To See Spanish Costumes |
