As Ms Claus, I design and construct all of my Professional Santa's costumes. That said, this means that you will rarely see my PS in the traditional red and white jacket and pants, unless requested by the customer. In some cases, in order to maintain a tradition or a 'look,' we have to drag out the red wool and fur. It is hot and has to be dry-cleaned after each use. The dry-cleaning expense is the primary reason I started making the outfits out of machine washable fabrics - that, and if you knew my PS, you would know that 'regular' is not his style.
I believe we get more bookings as a result of the difference in costumes, at least initially. Repeat bookings are due to my Santa's personality and talent. He does not just sit and ask children what they want, ho, ho, ho and all that normal stuff. He sings, tells stories, and involves the whole family in the celebration of the holidays.
Every costume has a personality, such as traditional, old world, fantasy, ethnic - we try to determine what will work best for each visit. (It thrills me to see the movies and TV shows using Santa costumes that show detail and little touches that represent Santa just as a cookie-cutter replica of what we see in print ads and decorations. My personal favorite is "The Santa Clause" costumes, with long fur and brocade and embroidery.) I try to take the time to add special elements, or at least something unexpected. In addition, every outfit has bells sewn somewhere into them, or bells are carried on the belt. Santa has to sound jolly, as well as be jolly!
The Belt
We have a specially made large (4") black leather belt that has "SANTA" stamped across the back. We could have had it inked in a different color or outline, but we think that the shadowy stamp of the letters is just enough. That way there is a back story if anyone asks - "The elves got together to make this belt for me, and I wear it with pride!" We had a hard time finding someone to make the belt for us, but we ran into a leather crafter at a craft show at our local mall. He was thrilled to make it for us and did not charge us as much as I think he could have, but I think he now has a client list of PS's. As he was part of one of those traveling shows that go around the country, we had to wait three months until he came back to town for the final fitting and tweaking, but it was worth it. (This was before the Internet became the place to find all the accessories needed - used to have to physically hunt down the stuff.)
The Boots
The boots were difficult to find at first. We used the boot toppers that come with the purchased Santa suits, but they are flimsy and look fake. A member of our family had bought a pair of motor cycle boots that did not fit correctly, so he offered them to my PS, who took the same shoe size. They had only been worn once, were black and came up high enough to look like real Santa boots! Who would know? Look closely at a pair of 'Harley' boots and a picture of Santa boots and, besides the logo, there is very little difference! Later we purchased some fancy cowboy style boots - for a little flair, and warm snow boots - for those gigs in the cold and snow.
The Fabrics
As I indicated earlier, I try to use only machine washable fabric. I do not dry the costumes (you only do that wrong once), so my PS had to have enough costumes to last two days at least, with three to four gigs per day. So, currently, we have 10 costumes, or 'rigs' as my PS calls them. Each is different and, except for the belt and boots, as its own accessories. They do wear out, so I try to make a new costume each year and donate an old one to charity - there has to be poor Santas somewhere! We have a couple that are made for outdoor wear - all white fur and heavy - but mostly the costumes are light weight to wear indoors, but look rich and heavy. The illusion is helped by good washable fur trim, which we seem to buy up at every opportunity.
All part of the work of being a Professional Santa.
