Spooky season is upon us! I love dressing up for Halloween just as much as the next gal. Halloween is an exciting chance for fashion conscious individuals to work their personal style into highly creative outlets. One thing about Halloween that poses a problem is fast fashion and lack of sustainability associated with costumes. In a world where fast fashion is becoming increasingly unpopular, Halloween is the perfect opportunity to practice your sustainability efforts. While some of us shop for Halloween costumes online weeks in advance, others wait until the last minute to try and piece together what they can. Either avenue you choose, there are ways you can be sustainable in the process.
If you choose to shop online for an entire costume with all necessary pieces included it’s likely that none of these pieces will be incorporated into your wardrobe. If this is the case, perhaps consider purchasing a costume that you would enjoy wearing for future Halloween festivities or some other costume party. Some items needed for a costume might not practically fit into your wardrobe but if it is something you see yourself using for years to come, then I think you can justify the purchase! My boyfriend, for example, purchased a long hair wig for a costume this year; clearly not something he will be incorporating into his daily wardrobe, yet he has already thought of plenty of ideas for future costumes to get use out of the wig. You could even lend your costume to friends in the coming years or donate it all together! In aiming to be sustainable it is important to choose a costume that won’t end up in the trash by November 1. Be strategic when browsing the aisles at Spirit Halloween.
This year I am dressing up as Olivia Rodrigo being that I am such a huge fan and a costume of her is simple to piece together with things I already have. Try being something that is easy enough you can just turn to your already existent wardrobe to piece it together in a stylish way. If you do need to browse for some pieces to accessorize or build the look, again be conscious about what you are looking for and maybe find items that can have a place in your wardrobe once spooky season commences. For my Olivia Rodrigo costume, I am wearing plaid pants I have had for a while, a pink fuzzy tank I was gifted last Christmas which coincidentally happens to match Olivia’s tank in her Sour album cover. And finally, it would not be an Olivia Rodrigo costume without obnoxiously chunky black boots… and it just so happens I splurged on a good pair from Urban Outfitters for the fall season! I will do my makeup a little grungy and get away with a great costume without any spending needed! Tip: look at your clothes and try to find pieces that are bold and stand out, think about what sorts of costumes you could make from these statement pieces. You would be surprised what you can come up with if you just get creative!
If you are looking to buy pieces from a fast fashion place for a Halloween costume, think about what the item is that you need, and maybe buying a better-quality option will help you in the long run. For instance, a few years ago some friends and I went to Forever 21 the day of a Halloween party looking for a last-minute costume. We ended up buying items to be biker girls; we got matching black leather leggings and a racer logo crop top. The costume was cute, and I was excited about adding a pair of leather leggings to my wardrobe, or so I thought. The leggings did not make it far into the night before they were ripped in some places. They were in no condition to ever be worn in style again. I wish I had chosen to spend a little more for a good quality pair of leggings that would last me for many Halloweens to come. After all, some pieces you can use as part of a costume can actually be great additions to your wardrobe. Another costume I had that year was Barbie, for that the only thing I purchased was a hot pink bodysuit and I still wear it to this day. Not every Halloween costume needs to consist of cheap, poor quality clothes. Use it as an excuse for some quality shopping!
Although cute, these leather leggings did not last past this night. The crop top made it a little longer, but not much.
Our leggings for these were luckily pairs we already owned, the bodysuits were a conscious purchase that I still get use out of today!
Passion For Fashion is an Opinion culture column used to explore the world of personal style, fashion tips for students, and more.
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