Bridget Marquardt (E!'s "The Girls Next Door" and Travel Channel's "Bridget's Sexiest Beaches") has designed a sexy new line of Halloween costumes for Roma costumes appropriately called "Bridget by Roma." 

 

Roma unveiled the line at the Halloween and Party Expo in Houston in January to rave reviews, and it will also be shown in March at the Las Vegas Halloween Show. Many of the costumes that Bridget designed for this first season of the line were inspired by costumes that she originally designed for parties and events during her time living at the Playboy Mansion. The costumes are made in the United States at Roma's studio in Burbank, California from materials that are 90% sourced from the US. The costumes target a high-end market. They are made of quality fabrics and trims with an exceptional attention to detail. For more information, visit www.romacostume.com.
 

 

Selling Halloween got the scoop straight from the bunny’s mouth!

 

Bridget: I have long thought about having my own costume line. I love Halloween, I love costumes and I have so many costume ideas in my head. I used to make my own costumes growing up and I definitely designed some for all of the amazing parties at the mansion. I love dressing up and not just for Halloween, but for any themed occasion. I think I have a unique perspective on costume design and I want to share that with other girls. My costumes will have detail and quality to them that is often overlooked in sexy costumes on the market today.

 

Bridget: The collection is mostly based on or inspired by my designs from costumes I wore at events or parties at the mansion with a few unique designs added in. They are sexy costumes with an emphasis on fit, quality and attention to detail. They have to pass my litmus test: “would I wear this to a party at the Playboy Mansion?” And that doesn’t mean over-the-top skimpy; it means it is classy while still being sexy. Is it unique enough to stand out in a crowd? Does it have details and quality to it that make other costumes pale in comparison? Those are the things that go through my mind for each and every costume and I don’t pass them into the line unless I feel all of those requirements are met thus setting my costumes apart from all the rest.

 

Bridget: The costumes are all 100% my designs. Sam Fard at Roma is very gracious in allowing me full control over every detail of every costume. He is obviously involved in it every step of the way, and he guides me with information on fabrics, trims and possibilities for design so together we make an amazing team. But in the end Bridget by Roma consists of costumes that I was involved in 100%.

 

Bridget: I don’t have one particular favorite I just love dressing up. If it is for Halloween I always try to be something sexy with a creepy element to it…like Medusa, corpse bride, sexy Bride of Frankenstein or Marie Antoinette with a gash across the neck, etc. This is an area that I plan to develop further in the upcoming seasons with Roma.

 

Bridget: There are 17 designs in the 2011 line.

 

Bridget: We will have to see! I’m aiming to do an additional 20 costumes for 2012. However, I have a list of nearly 150 costumes that I have already started to design so it will be really hard to pick only 20 and then stop there. 

 

Bridget: They are cut small/medium/large and a few of the designs, I believe three of them, will be in XL as well. I’ve also been talking to Sam about the possibility of doing a queen size line but I think we need to test the waters and make sure there is a market for that.

 

Bridget: I think that they are sexy but still classy and have a good fit. I know what most women need to feel good in their costumes…they want a short skirt or shorts but not too short. They want cleavage and most need to be able to wear a bra. All of our costumes either come with a built in push up bra or are made so that you can still accommodate your own bra under the costume without it showing. I also realize that while you might have the intention of wearing a sexy two-piece costume, when the time comes to put it on you may not feel like showing your tummy or the event may be a little more conservative than you thought. So a lot of my costumes will come in three pieces: a bra top, skirt or shorts and a waist cincher. The waist cincher will make every girl look amazing in her costume by giving her an hour glass waist, but if she’s feeling really sexy she can take the waist cincher off and have a sexier two-piece costume. I felt that by taking into consideration the need for bras to produce proper cleavage, adequate skirt length and a small waist line we couldn’t go wrong with making girls feel sexy in my costumes.

 

Bridget: Our partnership came to be through a mutual friend that introduced us. After the first meeting I knew I wanted to do my costume line with Roma! The energy was really good and it was clear that we were both after the same thing: we wanted creative, unique costumes in styles that have not been done before. Costumes that girls will be excited and proud to wear like a designer brand.

 

Bridget: There is a whole range of various materials and embellishments used. Every costume is a unique design from start to finish. There is no standard material or embellishment that we used for all of them. Individual thought went into the fabric choices and embellishment choices for each costume. For instance, the Mermaid costume is made out of fish netting with synthetic sea shells, coral and pearls on top of a push up bra and stretch lycra skirt. The peacock costume is made of a satin corset and tulle skirt with peacock feathers. So, each costume is different and unique.

 

Bridget: Yes, the French maid costume will have a feather duster and head piece. The Devil will come with a pitch fork. The fruit cup, USO girl, Bavarian Beauty, gypsy, ring master and mermaid will all have a headpiece or hat. The Smoking Bachelor will come with a captain’s hat and a smoking pipe. The sexy nerd will have taped up glasses. More accessories are also an area I intend to focus on in the 2012 season.

 

Bridget: Wow! I think you read my mind! Absolutely! I actually designed matching purses for each of my costumes but do to time restraints we were not able to do them. However for next year I’m definitely hoping to spend more attention to accessories because they can definitely make the costume. So, themed handbags to match my costumes have definitely been discussed. 

 

I also really want to do a matching costume shoe line as well…I have lots of ideas for super sexy high-heeled shoes. Move over Louboutin!

 

As far as makeup, my makeup artist and I have come up with an awesome idea for a make up line and are dying to get that started. I love the Halloween industry and I’m really hoping that the costume line is just the very beginning for me. I have many ideas and ways to expand and I know that Sam is the same way…he is always thinking of how we can improve and make things bigger and better without losing quality. This is why we make a great team!