N.S. designer turning heads with his Halifamous costume ideas for Halloween

When Colin Muise was pressed to come up with a costume for a party a couple years ago — he turned to a famous Nova Scotia landmark for inspiration: the Peggy’s Cove lighthouse.

What resulted was arguably an icon in itself.

Muise had put together a red headpiece and white evening gown that resembled the lighthouse perfectly.

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“My friend thought it would be a hilarious gag to take it to the rocks, get it in front of Peggy, post it to social media,” he told Global News Morning.

“And then things kind of just …” At this point, he gestured an explosion.

And explode it did.

Muise has since made a name for himself online creating other Halifamous costumes, including the Dartmouth smoke stacks, the town clock, and the wave statue on the Halifax waterfront.

Each costume has helped him hone newfound skills. He’s had no formal art training and has a “day job” that keeps him busy, he admits.

“I just kind of  followed the project wherever it goes, like landmark to landmark and kind of developed whatever skills I needed, like sewing skills, crafting skills,” he said.

“There’s been woodworking involved at one point randomly, like whittling. Whatever it takes to get the to get the right piece together.”

The costumes take Muise a few months to research and create — or about 100 to 150 hours worth of work each.

Whenever he gets “stuck” — he calls his mom for help with sewing.

So far, he’s created eight costumes that he’s shared proudly on social media. His list of future costumes includes the Macdonald Bridge, the public gardens and perhaps a few landmarks outside of the province.

As for what drives Muise to make his creations, he says it’s all love: a love for the arts, and a love to share what he’s made.

“I’ve always wanted to pursue the arts. And when this first started, (and I started) seeing a little bit of success, I knew there was something here,” he said.

“The excitement and the feedback I get from the community is what really like drives me to keep going.”