DisneyBounding
by Brittany Bell
Photography by Brittany Bell
BuzzFeed Photos Courtesy of Leslie Kay and Matthew Simpson
If you have ever visited a Disney Park, Disney Store, or have a keen eye for color schemes, you may have noticed a fashion trend that is gaining steam and popularity. This trend is known as DisneyBounding, and is a way to live and breathe as your favorite Disney character (without looking like a total weirdo).
Basically, to DisneyBound, is to pull together an outfit based on the color schemes, symbols and themes of your favorite character (and it doesn’t even have to be a Disney character!). According to the Orlando Sentinel, “…to be a DisneyBounder, you dress up in regular clothes to achieve a look inspired by a Disney character. The look falls somewhere between a character T-shirt and an elaborate costume.”
From dressing in a yellow sundress and wearing a rose crown to DisneyBound as Belle, to going all-out to find a crazy hat like the Mad Hatter, this trend is growing in popularity, as Disney freaks and fans are starting to give it a try.
There is a DisneyBounding blog on Tumblr in which founder Leslie Kay creates looks inspired by characters, Disney and others alike. While some of the looks are extremely extravagant, others prove to be more subtle, and can be used even in day-to-day life if you want to profess your love of Disney outside of the parks.
However, this fashion trend is most popular at the Disney Parks. Not only will individuals dress themselves to look like their favorite character to snag a cool Instagram picture or two, but entire groups will recreate a cast of characters, making even the most seasoned park-goers do a double take.
In a BuzzFeed article from last winter, Leslie Kay even teamed up with an artist to breathe even more fashion-sense and life into some of her DisneyBounding looks, and the results are amazing. Take a look at some of the awesome Star Wars themed DisneyBounding looks the duo created:
However, this trend may have never seen the light of day on the East Coast if it hadn’t been for a policy change at the Walt Disney World Resort. Though the trend had always been wildly popular on the West Coast at the Disneyland Resort, up until recently Disney World had a policy that banned adults from wearing character costumes. The new policy now allows for adults to dress up in character garb (aka DisneyBound), but still prohibits them from "engaging with other guests or impeding the operation while posing as or portraying any character in costume." This helps to maintain the integrity of each character.
Though still not as popular as it is in Disneyland, DisneyBounding is beginning to enchant the East Coast as well, with more and more shops in the resort selling character-like clothing for kids as well as adults. Even on the Disney Store website, character-esque clothing is being sold (and makes it so hard not to buy...so cute!).
Now that you’re adequately convinced that it’s time to bring DisneyBounding to BU, the question still stands as to which character to DisneyBound as. Although we all have our favorites, it is always fun to give something (or someone) new a try. If you need help, the Disney Style blog has a quiz that you can take to help determine which character you should give DisneyBounding a go as.
The Buzz's Editorial Board took the quiz as well, and here are some of the results they got:
Brittany Bell (Sports Editor) : Olaf
Sarah Wu (Managing Editor) : Rapunzel
Victoria Wasylak (Music Editor) : Rapunzel
Angela Wang (Photo Director) : Atta
Kelsey King (Food Editor) : Rapunzel
Michaela Johnston (City Photo Editor) : Rapunzel
Elisha Machado (Editor-In-Chief) : Dory
And the best part of this Disney inspired fashion trend: there are no fashion faux pas. Each individual look is based on what you like—basically, there are no rules to DisneyBounding! So not only are DisneyBounding looks fun and creative, but are also limitless and ruleless. Next time you’re trying to spice up your look for some fashion inspiration, look no further, because DisneyBounding is it.