Halloween is different this year. Trick-or-treating is pretty much cancelled, but that doesn’t mean we have to abandon all Halloween fun. Instead of having people over for dinner, board games and scary movies this year, we’re keeping it low key. Only a few people will join us at home for a simple dinner and board game. Halloween costumes are optional. And while this might not feel like the best year to celebrate Halloween, it got me thinking about Halloween costumes, and how we can enjoy the fun in dressing up without breaking the bank. Enter the Halloween costume capsule wardrobe.
The concept is simple. Rather than spending a pretty penny on packaged Halloween costumes every year, I could build several Halloween costumes out of core wardrobe pieces. Much like the capsule wardrobe craze made famous by Jennifer Scott’s book Lessons From Madame Chic – only specific to one of my favorite holidays!
After some internet searching and daydreaming, I came up with a Halloween costume capsule wardrobe that works for me. It has four main pieces, along with several accessories that create a dozen Halloween costumes. This was a lot of fun for me, so I had to share my creation.
My Halloween Costume Capsule Wardrobe
The capsule wardrobe above makes these costumes:
- French mime
- Bank robber
- Pirate
- Cinderella
- Dorothy from Wizard of Oz
- Alice in Wonderland
- French maid
- Witch
- Wednesday Addams
- Devil
- Nun
- Minnie Mouse
This has four common core wardrobe pieces:
- Black slacks
- Black and white striped shirt
- Light blue dress
- Black dress
And since several costumes are centered around one core piece, I can easily buy one core piece at a time, and each year simply buy a couple of accessories to keep costs down. Or, I can scrounge the thrift stores and costume stores right after Halloween for bargain buys.
With a pretty modest budget, I bet I can go out right after Halloween and buy most of this stuff, and be ready for the next dozen Halloweens with a few core pieces and a small box of accessories tucked away in my closet. Pretty minimal, fairly frugal, and ready for lots of fun in years to come!
Here’s the costume breakdown by core wardrobe pieces.
Black and White Striped Shirt and Black Slacks
This is where my Halloween capsule wardrobe creation began – with black slacks and black and white striped shirt. I have both of these in my closet right now, and pondered costume ideas based on these staples.
Above are just a few ideas that can easily be tweaked based on what’s available in stores and what fits my mood when I create this bad ass Halloween wardrobe.
Light Blue Dress
Confession: I do not have a light blue dress. This costume set was inspired by an Alice in Wonderland DIY costume I saw online, which led to a couple of other, easy costume ideas based on the same dress. Counting on finding a dress like this in a thrift store to bring these costumes to life over the upcoming years.
Again, these are just a few examples. I bet you could also turn this into a fairy costume with wings and a wand.
Black Dress
The black dress is such a versatile wardrobe staple that lends itself to several Halloween costumes. I’m sure there are a ton more opportunities to utilize a black dress.
Perhaps a cat costume with headband ears and a tail? Or a vampire with fangs and a red cape? The possibilities are endless with the humble black dress and your spooky imagination.
How To Build Your Own Halloween Costume Capsule Wardrobe
Building your own Halloween costume capsule wardrobe concept is pretty fun and easy. Just because we’re focusing on rational minimalism and financial independence doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some holiday fun!
Here are a few steps to get started:
- Assess your current wardrobe and identify core, staple pieces. These are candidates for your Halloween costume core pieces.
- Browse and brainstorm costumes you like. Hate Disney princess? Then steer clear of these costumes. Lean towards the spooky? Gothic? Steampunk? Perhaps you have a Halloween costume theme you want to embrace. If so, embrace that and look for costume ideas within your Halloween costume theme.
- Look for core Halloween costume pieces in your costume theme. Some internet searches for DIY can really help you out here. For instance, I wanted to try a Minnie Mouse costume, but couldn’t justify a red, polka dot dress or skirt just for that outfit. So I searched around and realized it’s the ears and gloves that really make the outfit.
- Split out Halloween core pieces from Halloween accessories. Try to develop more than one costume per core piece(s). My goal was at least three costumes per core piece(s). This means I’m getting the best bang for my buck, since the core pieces are likely the more costly purchases if you don’t already have them. When shopping accessories, keep it simple. It’s tempting to go all out here, but most costumes only require two or three accessories to carry the costume.
- Build out your Halloween costume capsule wardrobe on your computer. This is a lot of fun – now that you have an idea of your costumes, core pieces and accessories, go ahead and make your costume capsule wardrobe digitally. This will keep you honest and focused when you go shopping. And since we’re trying to be frugal, shopping should be after Halloween and in thrift stores whenever possible. Use this pandemic downtime to build out a frugal and minimal wardrobe for years to come. Let this digital costume wardrobe be your guide.
My Halloween Plans This Year
This year, for our tiny dinner party, I’m dressing up as a witch, just like I did last year. I already have the hat, and it’s a really easy costume to wear.
After Halloween, I plan on masking up and braving the thrift stores and Halloween stores looking for deals on costume pieces. My goal, spend no more than $100 for 12 costumes. Bet I’ll have no trouble doing that, and I’ll post an update once I’ve collected my costume bounty.
Until then, we’ll do everything we can to enjoy the holiday, even though it’s a bit different this year. We’ll miss startling the trick-or-treaters and admiring their cute costumes. And I’ll miss having several friends over, eating finger foods, enjoying libations and playing board games and watching cheesy horror movies.
But this year will still be fun. My partner and I will enjoy a meal with our roommate and a couple of close friends. Our dogs will be in costume, and so will most of us just for the hell of it. I’m making a theme dinner of pumpkin and sage sausage ziti, roast veggie salad and spider chocolate cupcakes. I’ll have spooky music playing in the background while we play a board game and, if we can last we’ll watch a corny, scary movie.
Have a safe and memorable Halloween celebration, however you choose to celebrate!