Since we went viral last month on little Awkwafina/Peik Lin’s costume from Crazy Rich Asians, I’ve received a lot of questions on how exactly we put together the tiny costume replica. Here is how it came about, with links so you can purchase the same items yourself if you wanted your little one (or yourself ?) to dress up as Peik Lin for Halloween. Since the “costume” didn’t require sewing, it actually was as simple as finding the pieces and putting it together! Most of the items I found came from a quick search on Amazon, or from items we already owned, and some craft supplies from Michael’s.
First off, the top:
Gorboig Girls Summer Cotton Dress $12.99
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRNX3XG?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
Peik Lin’s signature patterned vest had a distinct look of white bunnies across a background of red. I searched for a bit and came up with this piece from Gorboig on Amazon. It wasn’t exactly the same pattern but quite similar (in addition to bunnies, it added some horses) and would serve it’s purpose well! All we had to do was remove the pockets, fold the bottom in a bit (we used some two-sided sticky tape) and wallah!
Removing the pockets
Wrangler Authentics Baby Long Sleeve Shirt
Underneath the red vest is a simple button down white long sleeved shirt. If you don’t own one already you can find one here:
Amazon link: amazon.com/dp/B01FXQ70PI
Qiylii Kids Fashion Blogger T-Shirt + Stripe Flare Pants
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FSFRFPY?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
I knew we needed red, white, and black striped flare pants, and the best that I could find in Liliana’s size was this black and white set. Unfortunately you can’t buy the pants separately so now I just have an extra shirt that says “Fashion blogger” that I’m not sure she’ll ever use lol. Though ironically, I am blogging about fashion right now ?. For the pants, my crafty friend Christina Mamaril helped achieve the idea I concocted by gluing on red strips of satin ribbon that I bought on clearance at Michael’s for $2 bucks. It turned out perfectly, and quick and easy.
Girls Lil Cheerleader Wig
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005J4HO5Q?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
There are a lot of wigs on Amazon but this was one of the only ones I found that was small enough to fit a kids head. When it arrived I removed the red bow, and then we gave the bottom a bit of a trim to give it more of a “bob” look as Peik Lin had it. All with the help of a round green squash that served as our mannequin head ?.
Last but not least was the really eccentric necklace that Peik Lin wore around her neck. All of these items I found from a trip walking around the aisles of Michaels and a little ingenuity. I found a stretchy gold necklace chain, flat flower-shapes made of wood, circle wood chips, and black oval stickers. The flowers were colored black with a sharpie and a couple of the wood chips were painted red and yellow, and then it was just about assembly and glue. Thanks to Christina’s help this was the finished product:
Here’s Liliana trying it on for the first time one evening ?
We just did the shoot casually at our home one afternoon. I bribed Lily with a cookie-butter sandwich (which is her fave!), and a popsicle and she complied for about 20ish minutes, before she decided she didn’t like wearing the wig anymore and then we were done lol. In that short time we were able to grab a few good images, and I used what I got to create the viral post that spread and eventually got shared by Awkwafina herself ?.
For my son Jonah’s costume, I went through the boys’ closet to try to find a similar shirt as the one Ken Jeong wore, but couldn’t find anything like it (it’s quite unique to say the least!). But I did find an old white polo that had seen better days, and again Christina volunteered to help by painting the pattern on herself! I think she did an amazing job. She has a side-business making handpainted bible covers, so she knew what she was doing! Check out her beautiful work on instagram @chasing_bigB.
All in all, the shoot was simply for fun, with no frills, no big set up, no major photoshop or production. I never want to overwhelm my kids with any of my crazy ideas, so I do things quick and easy and thankfully they have a blast with the silliness of it all. I loved the movie and knew a tiny little Peik Lin would be hilarious and cute that I had to at least try it. I hope you all enjoyed it too, and if any of you try your own DIY costumes I would love to see them! Have fun, and have a safe Halloween!
