The Ghost of Halloween Costumes Past (With No Ghosts)



The Disclaimer: OK, so I'm relatively new at this blog platform, and I struggled with making the layout the way I wanted it. The blog platform won.

It’s easy to find a Halloween costume in a thrift store and cheaper than going to a Halloween store. The quality is usually better, too, because it’s real clothing and not a plastic garbage bag that’s trying to pass itself off as leather.


Here are some of my past thrift store costumes.



I found this uniform super-cheap, plus the vintage earrings (clip-ons – ouch!). My sister made the apron, the headpiece and the name tag (it says “Flo.”) I rounded the outfit out with a receipt pad and pen, pantyhose, sensible shoes, some bad eye shadow and lipstick, a piece of gum and an attitude, not all of which are visible in this photo.







This is a thrift store find from the same year as the following photo. Everything was so cheap, even on a teacher’s salary, that I could afford two costumes: one for the day and one for the evening (this is the evening). This jumpsuit doesn’t fit me terribly well (see those “long” sleeves that don’t come all the way down?), but hey, you work with what you’ve got. A little face makeup, some long necklaces and some funky shoes, and you’ve got a costume.







I wore this costume more than a decade ago; it’s a vintage dress. What makes me laugh now is that I was dressed as an old lady, but I look so darn young! (Hmmm… Maybe this year I should dress as a young lady.) This was another thrift store find and I think I borrowed the accessories, including the purse, shoes and glasses. I also have an old hat on with a sparse veil.

I was a high school teacher at the time of this photo, and I wore this to work. The kids got a real kick out of it.

It’s funny what you can find in a thrift store around Halloween. I’ve gone Halloween shopping in thrift stores and laughed so hard I cried. The shopping experience alone was worth the price of 20 movie tickets.

Happy Halloween!