Thrifty Halloween: A Retrospective
For his first Halloween (2001), Jack wore an Old Navy suit I paid FULL PRICE for. This was in the days before thrift store shopping (microbes and whatnot) became my raisin detray.
For his second Halloween, Jack was a duck. The costume was inspired by the cap, which came from The Gold Mine Thrift Store, owned and operated by my mother's former church in Cave Creek, AZ. It's a sweet little gem of a thrift store, and Ginny L., the manager, is a second grandma to Jack. I bought the onesie at WalMart and dyed it yellow, then attached feathers from a yellow feather duster to the hiney. The feet are cut from a sheet of orange craft foam.
For his third Halloween, Jack was a dalmatian because, at the time, 101 Dalmatians was his favorite movie. None of this costume was thrift-store purchased, but I did spend a lot of my valuable time sewing those little black felt spots on it.
For his fourth Halloween, Jack was Batman. I made the costume myself, with tights I bought at Goodwill, a onesie from WalMart, a box of Rit dye, and some printer transfer paper. The best part was this thick black belt, also bought at Goodwill. Jack was just three, so still had that cute baby belly. I loved this costume. Oddly, there's no pictorial record. Nor is there evidence of Jack's fifth Halloween, when he was Batman again. I'd bought him the muscle Batman suit from Target, but he threw a fit when he tried it on. About a week before Halloween we were shopping at the best thrift store in all of Tucson---22nd Street Thrift Store (benefits the Tucson Police Department)---where we found the old-style Batman costume for $1.99. Jack happy, Mama happy.
For his sixth Halloween, Jack toyed briefly with the idea of dressing as Captain Jack Sparrow, but when we found this muscle Batman suit at 22nd Street Thrift Store about a month ago, Jack retreated to his Comfort Zone again. For the third year in a row Jack dressed as Batman, this year muscle-style (though he complained vociferously most of the evening). The cape is from the Gold Mine. Accessories from a birthday present he received last year.
My lovely ensemble was pieced together during multiple visits to 22nd Street. Sweater: $1.98. Skirt: $1.98. Shoes: $4.99. Socks: $0.98. I paid $4.99 for the wig and $2.99 for Scooby, both from Savers. After I donned my costume, I presented myself to Jack: "Jinkies! Do I look like Velma Dinkley?" A smile crept across Jack's face as he shook his head. "Why not?" I asked. "You don't have a Velma face," he said, though he did agree my clothes resembled hers.
Another Halloween behind us. Next year I'm sure I'll wear Velma's clothes again. Maybe Jack will graduate to Batman Begins or Batman Beyond. I'll keep you posted.
For his first Halloween (2001), Jack wore an Old Navy suit I paid FULL PRICE for. This was in the days before thrift store shopping (microbes and whatnot) became my raisin detray.
For his second Halloween, Jack was a duck. The costume was inspired by the cap, which came from The Gold Mine Thrift Store, owned and operated by my mother's former church in Cave Creek, AZ. It's a sweet little gem of a thrift store, and Ginny L., the manager, is a second grandma to Jack. I bought the onesie at WalMart and dyed it yellow, then attached feathers from a yellow feather duster to the hiney. The feet are cut from a sheet of orange craft foam.
For his third Halloween, Jack was a dalmatian because, at the time, 101 Dalmatians was his favorite movie. None of this costume was thrift-store purchased, but I did spend a lot of my valuable time sewing those little black felt spots on it.
For his fourth Halloween, Jack was Batman. I made the costume myself, with tights I bought at Goodwill, a onesie from WalMart, a box of Rit dye, and some printer transfer paper. The best part was this thick black belt, also bought at Goodwill. Jack was just three, so still had that cute baby belly. I loved this costume. Oddly, there's no pictorial record. Nor is there evidence of Jack's fifth Halloween, when he was Batman again. I'd bought him the muscle Batman suit from Target, but he threw a fit when he tried it on. About a week before Halloween we were shopping at the best thrift store in all of Tucson---22nd Street Thrift Store (benefits the Tucson Police Department)---where we found the old-style Batman costume for $1.99. Jack happy, Mama happy.
For his sixth Halloween, Jack toyed briefly with the idea of dressing as Captain Jack Sparrow, but when we found this muscle Batman suit at 22nd Street Thrift Store about a month ago, Jack retreated to his Comfort Zone again. For the third year in a row Jack dressed as Batman, this year muscle-style (though he complained vociferously most of the evening). The cape is from the Gold Mine. Accessories from a birthday present he received last year.
My lovely ensemble was pieced together during multiple visits to 22nd Street. Sweater: $1.98. Skirt: $1.98. Shoes: $4.99. Socks: $0.98. I paid $4.99 for the wig and $2.99 for Scooby, both from Savers. After I donned my costume, I presented myself to Jack: "Jinkies! Do I look like Velma Dinkley?" A smile crept across Jack's face as he shook his head. "Why not?" I asked. "You don't have a Velma face," he said, though he did agree my clothes resembled hers.
Another Halloween behind us. Next year I'm sure I'll wear Velma's clothes again. Maybe Jack will graduate to Batman Begins or Batman Beyond. I'll keep you posted.
Comments
And I love, love, LOVE your Velma!!
Can you shop for me all the time?
I've been frequenting thrift shops lately; we have so few here that I really don't know what constitutes a "great" thrift shop. My criteria, though, is that I prefer to shop in those that separate the clothes by size. Flipping thru every hanger in a goodwill causes me claustrophobia. Or something. What the fear of meterial chaos called?