Adding height to a costume?

I figure some of you here might be able to help me with this. I'm working on a skyscraper costume for Halloween- the headdress is going to add about a foot on top, but I'm kind of short, only 5'3. Not very skyscraper-like at all. Is there a good way to make myself taller even before I put the crown on?
I refuse to wear high heeled shoes, I have enough problems with my neck/feet/other parts as it is. I've also looked into drywaller's stilts, but don't want to go there- I work on a construction site and the drywallers there tell me that those things are expensive to rent, can be difficult to walk on, and if you step on so much as a cigarrette butt, hope you enjoy face or butt planting. That and they're a massive hazard on waxed wooden floors.
So what else is there? Preferably something I can build at home or obtain without breaking the bank, and it should be something I can dance and walk in for a few hours at a time.

 

the platform route.

 

I can't afford a pair of platform shoes that will only be worn once- those tend to get really expensive. Is there something I could build at home?

 

hmmm. about 7yrs ago I first gave a Vader costume a shot. It was nothing big just a cruddy old Don Post Vader mask, a black cape and black shirt with black pants and a junky chest box & belt. For my boots I added some sections of 2x4 that I nailed togather and then naild to my combat boot soles with shoe nails and some shoe glue I got from a shoe smith. all it did was add about 4" to my height and then I had a 1" internal sole and a 2" internal heel lift. that gave me 7" extra and it sucked to walk in. they lasted about 2hrs of walking then they fell apart. so if you are 5'3 if you did this you would be lookign at 5'10 + you head thing. good luck. Oh it cost around 25 bucks to do 7yrs ago. I am sure you can come up with some form of an idea by then. good luck with it. hope it turns out well for you

 

No offense, but after reading that, my suggestion would be...

Find a different costume.

 

if you were talking abotu what I did. then yes I would say the same thing. what I did was not to safe. I have since fixed my Vader costume up and am now in the 501st. I had to drop 250.oo on my boots so that you can not see the lift on the outside of the boot. it slopes up to 3.75" at the heel. the toe looks normal to the eye and the lifted section is hidden by the robe and cape. the boot is 2.5 sizes bigger then what I use and the inside has a incline that ends as 3.25" lift at the heel. the incline covers the full inside sole so that it feels a ton better then a normal heel lift that puts stress on your balls of your feet. + the 4" that the mask/dome gives me I gain about 11" to my total size. but that cost me some good $$ to do that. If this costume is not for long term use then you may wana go with something dif. if you want something that looks good and works you are going to have to spend spend spend.

 

You've basically boxed yourself in. You have a choice, either find someone you can borrow platform shoes from, reconsider your stance on high heeled shoes OR make the 'crown' even taller to compensate.

 

end of the summer, all the flipflops are on sale...
get as many pairs as you see fit for height, i'd say about five pairs would give you a five inch lift..
and get some Goop. it should be near the shoes. it's a shoe repair...
although, i think super glue would work too..
remove all the thong pieces except for the flip flop on top, glue them together.
it should work well enough for one night.

 

My concerns with standard high heels are comfort and safety. Unlike most women, I have ZERO experience with walking in them, and due to problems I'm having right now with my feet and calf muscles (constantly tied up in knots from walking on concrete all night), I don't want anything that's going to force my foot out of its natural position. So I want something flat. Besides, high heels are hell to dance in.

I was perusing Ebay the other night and they had platform shoes for decent prices- Has anyone here bought footwear that way? How does one make sure that they are getting the right size, because shoe manufacturers can be awful when it comes to standard sizing. One pair of boots I own are a 7.5, another are size 11- all due to variables between manufacturers. Are there certain questions I should ask a seller to determine whether a size 7.5 or 8 they're selling will be the same as the 7.5 or 8 I am used to wearing?

I really want to do the skyscraper thing- I have loved skyscrapers since I was a kid, still do. So this is a personal thing for me. Even 3 or 4" would be an improvement, if I can pull it off. If not, I'll do the outfit anyway and just come up with a really good "in character" excuse for being so darn short.

 

what were you looking at spending on platforms??? I have some good ones that I got from a site that makes and sells gothic cr@p. They were the boots I used before I decided I did not like the KISS vader look. the heel is like 3.5" and I got 1" more on the inside. teh only thing is is that they are a MENS 11 (small on me ) I am sure that you could do the flip flop thing and add a pair inside for an extra inch or so. let me know. by pm I can send you some pics

 

yeah...if you're not used to heels, i'd avoid getting platform shoes altogether.
i can't actually stand in them long, myself, which is why i stick to platform flipflops.
because the entire sole of the shoe stays on the ground when you're standing, they're alot more stable if you're not used to heels.

 

That's what I was looking for- something with a platform where your whole foot stays on the level. I've seen a few pairs like that on Ebay- they're like regular flat (or close to it) boots with massively thick soles. My main concern now is determining fit- with the variations between shoe makers, a size 8 from one maker might fit me wonderfully, where a size 8 from another might be too darn small.