50 Shades of Gray Costume Guide
DIY Costume Items
How to Make a 50 Shades of Gray Costume
“50 Shades of Gray” becomes a color-counting joke: wear gray clothes with fifty visible gray paint samples. It riffs on the title, not the book or film. Ten paint strips with five chips on each make the fifty shades.
Set the strips against a gray top or jacket, full-length gray trousers, and gray or black closed-toe shoes. Fasten them through their paper margins so the color chips stay clean.
ProjectPun costume
TechniqueFive-chip strip selection and margin-pin attachment
Gray Paint-Swatch Materials
From the Kit
Use a Gray Paint Color Fan Deck to choose ten gray leaves, each showing five chips. Fasten the paper margin of each strip to sturdy fabric with a closed silver safety pin. One near the top keeps a strip in place; add another at the bottom only if it curls.
From Home
Wear a gray top or jacket, full-length gray trousers, and comfortable gray or black closed-toe shoes. If a leaf shows more than five chips, use household scissors to trim a run of five, leaving a paper border around the color boxes.
Sort the cards first
Fan out the deck and choose ten gray leaves. Check for five visible chips on each; if a leaf has more, trim a five-chip section with a paper border around the printed colors.
Keep the color rows open
Spread the strips across the top or jacket and trousers so they do not overlap. Start with one pin near the top of each strip, and add a lower pin only if the card curls.
Put Together the Gray-Swatch Look
Prepare the cards before pinning them to the outfit. Keep five visible gray chips on each strip, and work with the clothes laid flat.
Choose five-chip gray strips
Fan through the Color Preview deck and choose ten gray leaves. If a leaf shows more than five chips, use household scissors to cut a run of five, keeping a paper margin around every color box. Leave leaves that already show five chips intact.
Set aside ten strips, each showing five chips. Arrange the shades from lighter to darker and count each group before moving the strips to the clothes.
Check: Ten gray strips are ready, each with five visible chips and a paper margin.
Arrange the ten strips
Lay the gray top or jacket and full-length trousers flat. Spread ten strips across both garments where they can lie flat and stay visible. Five on the top and five on the trousers is one balanced option; shift them to fit the clothing.
Keep the five chips on each strip together and leave the shoes card-free. Check that all ten strips show without overlapping before adding pins.
Check: All ten strips are visible without overlap, and the five chips on each remain clear.
Pin through the paper margins
Fasten each strip with one closed silver safety pin through its top paper margin and the sturdy fabric underneath. If a long strip lifts at the bottom, add a second pin through its lower margin.
Keep pins out of the colored chips, close every clasp, and point each tip away from skin. Work with the garment off your body.
Check: Each strip stays in place with a closed pin; any second pin is through the lower margin, away from skin.
Count the shades and wear it
Count ten strips with five gray chips on each: together they make fifty shades. Check the light-to-dark progression and make sure the gray top or jacket, trousers, and closed-toe shoes are visible.
Put on the outfit carefully after checking each clasp. Make sure every card lies flat and no pin point can catch skin.
Check: The outfit shows ten strips and fifty chips, with the gray clothes and shoes visible.
Quick Fixes
One strip hides another
Move the overlapping strip to an open area of the gray clothing. Keep its five chips together, then pin through the paper margin.
A strip shows too many chips
Take it off the garment and trim a run of five with household scissors. Leave a small paper border around the printed color boxes.
A pin point is exposed
Take the garment off before adjusting the pin. Close the clasp or move the pin through a safer part of the paper margin and sturdy fabric.
A card curls away
Smooth the card flat and add a second safety pin through its lower paper margin. Keep the point away from skin and printed chips.
Wear and Photograph the Fifty Shades
Show the gray top or jacket, full-length gray trousers, gray or black closed-toe shoes, and all ten swatch strips in a full-body photo. A simple background keeps the paint samples easy to see.
For Pinterest, use a clear full-body photo with the strips flat and readable. A short caption can call it a literal gray paint-swatch costume.
50 Shades of Gray Costume FAQs
These quick answers cover the card count, outfit, and a secure way to attach the strips.
Use ten gray-family strips with five visible chips on each. Together they show fifty shades.
Choose a run of five chips and trim it with household scissors, leaving a narrow paper margin around the printed colors.
Gray clothing makes the samples easy to see. Wear a gray top or jacket, full-length gray trousers, and ordinary gray or black closed-toe shoes.
Use one closed pin through the top paper margin and sturdy fabric. Add a second at the bottom only if the strip curls, keeping each point away from skin.
Ten strips with five visible gray paint chips each add up to fifty shades.
Show the gray top or jacket, full-length trousers, closed-toe shoes, ten strips, and all fifty chips against a simple background.
About 50 Shades of Gray
The wordplay takes “50 Shades of Gray” literally: ten strips of gray paint chips, with five shades on each, add up to fifty.
Gray clothing gives the samples a quiet backdrop, so the paint chips carry the joke.
