It is no surprise that around these parts Linz and I love dress up. Of course Halloween is the perfect time for just that. At the same time I work very hard to not buy items for costumes that I will never use again. I don’t mind buying an item to use in a costume that I can use again and again, but a one-time use just feels like a waste. I decided to put together some polyvore sets of my past Halloween costumes from the last couple of years to give you inspiration.
This Strawberry Shortcake costume was one of the easiest costumes to put together. I happen to own a red dress that fit the look well. While I don’t like buying clothes to wear only once, I have no problem with letting Halloween be an excuse to add items to my wardrobe. I bought a white hat and oxford style shoes for the look, but both of them became two of my favorite items to wear that winter. Of the three costumes, the green and white striped tights I bought at a costume store is the only thing in the past four years of Halloween I have not re-used. I am pretty pleased with that track record. I have a large supply of felt and used that to apply the strawberries to my hat and bag, which were easy to remove come November 1st.
I often will use items I have as a start off point for creating a costumes. I happen to already be wearing a black tutu in my daily life and those glasses, I for some reason also owned them. I did not really see myself wearing arm warmers again or especially if they were yellow and black striped. I therefore opted to buy black leg warmers (which I still use! ) and add yellow tape for the look. The yellow top is not exactly in the same style as the original, but I borrowed it. I would rather that than have a shirt that looked “perfect” for the night, but never use it again. I danced around and enjoyed looking silly all night, so I think people got the idea.
This costume is a bit dated at this point. Four years to be exact! But still, one might want to practice their best wink (mine could use some work) and gussy up like the former governor of Alaska. Before we get any further on this, I am perfectly aware that I am incorrectly holding my fake gun (my brother’s paintball gun). I never really touch guns and am one of those people who are quite uncomfortable around them. My grandma ended up being a helpful resource for this costume as she happened to own a pink blazer and multiple rhinestone American flag pins. Blazers are very “in” at the moment and a business woman costume might be just the reason to buy one. I’m still waiting for someone to dress like Romy and Michelle when they are “business women”. Anyone else know that scene? One of my favorites. But that’s a tangent. The rest of costume came together from my closet, pencil skirt, black heels, white shirt. Basics that if you don’t own, just might want to invest in anyways. I did buy the glasses from the drug store, but donated them to a charity, so I consider that to not be wasteful as well. These are just a few ideas for upcoming dress up events one might have. Any costume ideas you have from things in your closet?
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October 18, 2012 7:39 pm
Super fun! I have a girlfriend who dressed up as Sarah Palin back in 2008 during the elections and it was SPOT on! Just amazing.
Sarah
Cable Car Couture