Half the fun of Halloween used to be raiding the dress-up trunk and scouring the house for cast-off, oversized and eclectic hats, scarves, dresses, jewelry, trench coats and sunglasses. But today’s kid-of-any-age can be any superhero imaginable at the drop of a 20. And anything remotely eco-friendly about costumes went out the window with those dress-up-trunk days.
Typical store-bought costumes are made from all manner of earth-unfriendly materials, staring with man-made, petroleum-based fabrics and chemical dyes. And how many times have you bought a new costume that was worn once and then lost in the attic/basement/closet abyss?
Give new meaning to green goblin this Halloween. Just tack three little words onto the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra: create, rent, share.
1. Create a character from almost anything
You’d be surprised how creative you can get with simple stuff you have around the house. And come on — how hard can it be to make your disguise more clever than a graphic of a superhero screen-printed on flimsy fabric? We’re not talking uninspired white-sheet-over-
the-head ghosts here. Get inspired by these ideas:
Poke your head in the garage. A simple cardboard box can be transformed into anything from a robot or washing machine to a wrapped present or jack-in-the-box. Just try to use eco-friendly materials when decorating the box (and recycle the box when the costume is spent). Cheyenne, Wyo., retiree and self-described “craft-guru grandma” Linda Larsen once turned cardboard boxes into a pair of dice for her son and daughter. She sheathed the boxes in recyclable white butcher paper and attached black dots to each side. “I put black knitted caps on their heads,” Larsen recalls, “so they were each the ‘one’ die.”
Reinvent household items or clothing you already have. Dig deep in your closet, way back in those corners and crannies, and see what jumps out at you — peasant skirts, cowboy boots, Hawaiian shirts, sparkly platforms, fluffy boas. Check kitchen cupboards, the junk drawer, the attic, the toolbox and the toy box. Every corner of the house has costume-essential potential.
Make costumes that do double duty. Solid-color sweats are a blank canvas for nearly any adult or children’s costume imaginable — frog, ladybug, spider, banana, Q-tip, carrot, giraffe. Make sure accents like ears and tails are easy to remove afterwards, and you’ll get a set of play clothes in the bargain. For instance, to make a Dalmatian costume, sew black spots on a white sweatshirt with just a stitch or two per spot. Then you can take off the spots and your sweats are still good as new! Start with clothes made from planet-conscious fabrics like organic cotton and hemp. The Organic Consumers Association and Co-Op America's Green Pages can help you find kids’ eco-apparel sellers.
Get crafty with eco-friendly fabrics like organic cotton, hemp, wool and silk. Major fabric store chains are getting with the green program, carrying more earth-conscious fabrics in their stores and online. Hancock Fabrics offers organic cotton and fabric made from bamboo; Jo-Ann Fabrics carries organic cotton yarn and batting, and some stores stock organic cotton. Online specialty stores like NearSea Naturals offer these basics plus organic and natural ribbon and lace, and even buttons made of recycled and natural materials like coconut shells and bamboo.
2. Share, trade, hand down and bequeath
Schedule a “trading party” and invite friends and neighbors to bring last year’s costumes to exchange — plus bridesmaid’s and prom dresses that are gathering dust. And check local consignment stores, thrift shops and garage sales for costumes and accessories.
Hand down costumes that are outgrown or just been-there-done-that — or trade them in. Second-hand clothing chain Once Upon a Child has more than 200 locations nationwide and keeps costumes on display year round, because kids love to play dress-up all year! Stores like Once Upon a Child also pay cash for costumes, and sometimes offer incentives if you apply your payout to a purchase.
You can also donate costumes to a charity — especially one that resells clothing, such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
3. Rent a costume or buy local
Find a store in your area that rents or sells costumes for special events. Whether you’re renting or buying an entire costume or just part of a costume, check labels and try to avoid synthetic and petroleum-based materials like polyester, nylon and PVC. Don’t be shy: Tell staffers you’re looking for something made with natural or eco-friendlier materials, and ask what they suggest.
4. Dust off the dress-up trunk
Children never get bored with playing dress-up, so keep those costumes handy all year long!
