The Nun Costume - A Nod To Tradition

When many people think of nun's attire, a full length black or white robe with prominent head wear is usually what comes to mind. Although this has been the traditional outfit worn by nuns through the centuries, and also what you may remember from Catholic school. most nuns today have moved away from this attire to more contemporary (but still modest) wear. Some nuns still don these older habits, though, and the full wimple headdress is still featured prominently in Hollywood's portrayal of nuns today.

The distinctive look of the traditional nun habit makes it a great Halloween costume. This page shows some of the different ways you can dress up the traditional way as a nun for Halloween, from novice to Mother Superior.

The above photo of Whoopi Goldberg with the cast of "Sister Act 2" is available as a poster from allposters.com.

The above image is available as a poster from allposters.com.

To dress the traditional way as a nun, a black or white full length gown or cloak and a wimple head dress with veil are essential.

Another option is to dress as a novice. For this look, you will need a plain long-sleeved black dress that is at least knee-length. You will also need a white headband head dress and black veil.

For both the full nun and novice habits, a necklace with a large cross or crucifix, plus simple dark shoes (e.g., laced flats), complete the look. These traditional nun's habits are well replicated in the costumes featured below.

If you attended Catholic school ca. 1960s or earlier, as I did, this popular and highly-rated costume will probably remind you of most of the Sisters you used to have as teachers. One satisfied amazon.com customer reported being mistaken for a real nun in this costume.

This Mother Superior costume is a pretty good replica of the habits I remember some of the older Sisters from my Catholic school wearing. One happy amazon.com customer reported that with this outfit, she was able to fool some people into thinking she was a real nun.

This head dress and collar set look very much like those worn by the novices at my Catholic school. A plain long-sleeved mid-length black dress and laced flats complete this look (sold separately) .