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More than a Halloween Costume

October 03, 2021 1 Comment

I can’t believe Summer is almost over! It’s not officially over until September 20, so I refuse to think about fall or pumpkins or spiced lattes until then. Since we don’t really get fall in California, I can do that :)

Everywhere I go lately, there are Halloween costumes for sale. My husband is adamantly against store-bought costumes. Every year, he insists we make/put together costumes. This works out great for me because most of the costumes I see in stores are not ethically made nor are they able to be repurposed for more than just a Halloween costume. I try really hard to not buy clothes that are just "one time use" items, so DIY costumes are what we do. A commitment to ethical fashion requires planning ahead, so we are putting this year's costumes together now.

Here are some of my favorite family costumes from the past:

Our eldest son was almost one year old on his first Halloween. We dressed him up as the Pillsbury doughboy. His costume was made out of a white onesie and tube socks (with a bit of stuffing to create a belly) My husband made the head piece — I remember shopping for a small watermelon the size of our baby's head, so my husband could size it correctly without having to irritate the baby in the process. I was a 4-month pregnant chocolate chip cookie and my husband was a crescent roll.

The next Halloween, we were a race car team. Our son was a remote control Nascar. Our daughter was the remote control complete with antenna coming out of her beanie. Both the car and the remote control worked (my husband used the mechanism from a remote control truck and put it inside of the Nascar he made). I was the race car driver and my husband was the mechanic. We modified clothes we already had with patches we found at a vintage shop.

(here is a pic of the 'work in progress' car)

Two Halloweens later was probably my favorite costume. We were a choo choo train + old time-y passengers. My husband operated the engine and our new baby was the engineer. The engine was complete with moving wheels, a whistle and smoke (we used dry ice). The other kids and I were passengers in train cars. The engine is made out of PVC pipe and poster board. The train cars are made out of poster board and aluminum trays.

As time has gone on, we've grown too tired to be so creative with our costume ideas, but we still make/put together what we can rather than opting for store-bought costumes.

Peter Pan

Wizard of Oz

Our son was a bit upset that had to do a family costume, rather than be a superhero with his friends...so, we let him put together another costume for our neighborhood Halloween event. He modified a pair of pajamas and used duct tape to create a belt and make his blue rain boots red (he did his hair himself, too).

Super Mario Bros.

My husband went all out with the headpieces for our youngest and me for this costume. Mine required some serious balancing skills and allowed me to practice good posture. My daughter's costume was super simple-- her princess swimsuit combined with a flower girl skirt she used over the summer in a wedding.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

One of our favorite books to read together as family-- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! We put this costume together using items we already had in our closet with the exception of the wigs (haha) and my husband's vest (which he sewed himself- very impressive). Kids started chasing my husband down the street asking for candy LOL.

Pac-Man

If you have cardboard boxes, paint, and some crafting skills, you can put this costume together! We walked around the neighborhood playing the Pac-Man theme song-- we were glad to provide entertainment and bring smiles to everyone's faces.

What I love about our costumes is that we use things lying around the house or if we end up buying clothes, they’re usually items that can be worn again (even if just for pajamas). This Halloween, try to get creative with stuff you already have. Remember if you need a tank or a bodysuit, you may be able to use one of your Rey Swimwear swimsuits.

If you’re looking for an easy costume for your little girl that can be worn on days other than Halloween, don’t forget about our princess swim dresses. Add a crown and you’re done! And after Halloween, your little can use it for playing dress-up and, of course, for pool/beach time (if she's a princess lover, we know it will become her favorite swimsuit).