Eco Fashion Friday Halloween Costume Final Reveal

The final installment in the October Eco Fashion Friday Halloween Series is finally here! We have reviewed tips and tricks on how to have a more Earth conscious holiday from goodies to eat and give away, to ways we can create our own trick or treat bags from reusable canvas bags.

I promised one last tutorial on how I created one of my accessory items before I show the final look so here it is -- Legwarmers from an old sweater:

I bought an XL sweater at the Salvation Army Store, brought it home and laid it out flat on the floor.


With shears I cut off the sleeves along the main seam.

From the armpit angle I then cut straight across to create a tube from the lower portion of the sleeve.

I put them on with the widest part around my ankle so they would fit over my boots and the finished edge of the cuff was at my calf so they wouldn’t slip down. The main part of the sweater will be lined and then used to create a soft throw pillow (I’ll share that project later).

Any idea what I am going as?

Well I’m sure you have all figured it out by now but my outfit was inspired by Madonna’s Lucky Star video!

Here’s Madonna:

And here’s me:

I had such a blast creating this costume and going for that big hair, lace gloves and lots of layers look that Madonna made famous. Tomorrow night we will be attending a party and I can not wait to show off my costume. I opted for sleeves and not a mesh shirt because Boston can really be cold on Halloween night and I wanted to be comfortable all night long.

The only items that were purchased brand new were the jewelry pieces and the wig. Every single piece (except likely the wig) will be worn again (frequently) because separately they are all just great clothing items that fit well and are functional. But every once in a while I think it will be a little fun and toss on my 80’s revival outfit. Minus the big hair of course!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Eco Fashion Friday Halloween Costume Creation

In our continuing theme of creating as eco friendly a Halloween as possible this year, I promised to share some of my own tricks and treats when designing and building my very own costume.

Last week I shared a video for Fashion by David Bowie indicating that the decade it was released was a hint for what I was going to be this year. This week I will be sharing where I picked up the goods for my costume, photos of de and re construction of one of the items and a video of my pictures detailing how I put one of the pieces together in well under twenty minutes!

The photo above shows most of the pieces I will be using to create my costume. From left to right, top to bottom row:

1. Women’s XL sweater -- Salvation Army; will use scrap to make a pillow
2. Lace bottom leggings -- purchased retail, will reuse for workout after Halloween
3. Men’s 2XL neck -- Garment District (second hand shop in Boston); will use neck scrap as winter wind headband
4. Women’s S cotton ribbed tank -- Salvation Army; will use often after Halloween
5. Ruffle Large maternity shirt -- will use as a dress over leggings; Garment District (not to be used in Halloween costume after all, found a skirt that will work better and will also be reused as an everyday item after Halloween)
6. Bangle bracelets -- retail, Garment District, will reuse as fun jewelry
7. Hobo purse -- Garment District; will get a lot of use after Halloween!

First and foremost I must stress that I washed everything before working with any of it. With that said today I am going to share a quick video detailing how I turned #3 into a really cool slouch shirt.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In the video I suggest using a zig-zag stitch to close up the neck opening if needed. Here is a little explanation -- turn the garment inside out, take the ruler and place one end at the neck center point while the other rests on the shoulder seam. Mark with chalk line and pin together. Zig-zag stitch along this line then cut off the excess fabric above the stitch. This will keep the slouching shape but close the neck opening if it is too wide.

Next week I will share a pictorial on creating costume accessories from #1 as well as the final finished outfit! Have you guessed what my costume is going to be yet?

Eco Fashion Friday Off to Shop and Create

Hey friends and fans, this week I am taking Eco-Fashion Friday off to work on a few things for my own home made Halloween costume.

Next week on Friday I will be posting the early stages of my home made elements. My costume is slated to be comprised of pieces which I intend to repurpose, upcycle or reuse in other ways after Halloween is over. With that in mind today will be spend plotting and planning the perfect costume functionality.

While I take some time to draft up a plan why not take a few minutes to listen to an oldie but goodie on our favorite Friday topic over here at GLR -- Fashion by David Bowie. Bear in mind the decade this song was released as a hint on what my costume will be…hahaha!



Come back next week to find out what my costume is!

Eco Fashion Friday Halloween Series Costume Creation Tips

Here are some more tips in the continuing series here at GLR about how to create a more eco-friendly Halloween this year!

eHow has a great article on ways to be Earth friendly this Halloween. My favorite tip of all here is raiding the closets of family and friends. Some clothing buried deep in an older family member’s closet could be perfect to complete a retro look, or pieces from their collection might just be the perfect accent like a brooch or a nice pair of shoes.

Get creative in your own closet! Last year my husband, in the business for thirteen years, went as an Out of Work Mortgage Banker. He got dressed as he normally would for work but put on pants that had shrunk, wore a pair of really scuffed shoes, un-tucked one side of his collar shirt, buttoned it askew, tied his tie haphazardly and messed up his hair. I think he even had a folded up resume in his pocket. It was hilarious and timely and did not cost a dime.

Trade costumes with a friend. One of the biggest bits of waste on Halloween is in fact the costume. Worn for just one night then given away we can greatly increase the lifecycle if we hold onto it and exchange with a friend or colleague the following year.

If you must buy new, think of going with something handmade. One of our favorite shopping experiences here at GLR is the community of unparalleled artists and designers over at Etsy. I typed the words “Halloween costume” into the main page search field and got a hit of just under 13,000 results. Chances are there will be something there to suit every need or desire imaginable. Not only is it nice to support independent artists but most items are going to be one of a kind (OOAK) so you won’t arrive at the party in the same outfit as a friend!

Sew your own. In a week or two I will be sharing the makings of the costume I am creating for myself this year out of a little creativity and a couple T-shirts. I am still working on sketches and the overall concept but stay tuned for at least half of a costume created from very simple sewing techniques as well as extremely inexpensive items from thrift shops or my very own closet!

Photo thanks goes out to Judi FitzPatrick Studios again. Thanks Mom!

Spooky Night of Fun

Recently I posted the start of a comprehensive guide on how to have an eco-holiday season and last night officially kicked off the fun!


Our twin nephews are just about to turn six, the youngest is just over two, and they all are big lovers of Halloween. The youngest is just starting to learn what it is all about but ran around all night proclaiming “Happy Halloween!” and “Trick or Treat! Smell my feet!” with an enormous smile. The older boys each have their own attraction to the holiday -- for the first born it is all about the dressing up, locating that perfect costume, for the younger twin it is all about the candy.

Before Matt got home from work yesterday I got ready to go in, what would surely be warm, khaki cargo pants and a fuzzy baby blue sweater. When I pulled out some earrings and put them on they were far too glam to go preppy so at the last minute I decided to throw together a costume. The earrings were screaming rock star so I rifled through the closet and came up with this completely free costume. The shirt is a silk, leopard print, halter that I have had for about eleven years and I carried the drum sticks all night.

When Matt got home and saw that I was dressed he knew the joke of dressing up as an out of work banker was about to come to fruition. He too pulled the closet apart to locate his most wrinkled shirt, pants that were too small, dirty shoes (from pounding the pavement of course) and a tie that he quickly threw on. The disheveled hair was just a lucky bonus that he had not been to get a cut in far too long. I told him to look distraught and he did not disappoint. Another free costume, score!

Because there are some crazy individuals out there I never share the names or faces of my nephews on any blog so the helmet on the Astronaut is an add-on that I used to conceal his identity. Captain Hook concealed his own through his goofy expression and the Little Pirate luckily has a head down. Some notable green facts about their costumes:

The astronaut costume is recycled from last year although the paper mâché helmet did not make it.
The jacket on Captain Hook is mom’s coat, the belt is Dad’s.
The shoes are their rain boots.

We walked the neighborhood with a rechargeable LED lantern to guide our way and even though it was cold (and we all thought the parents following their children in cars were warmer), we were certainly greener and getting our exercise to boot. Speaking of, it was at that moment I was wishing my boots did not have a three inch heel. Oh the price those rockers pay for fashion.

The end of our night became evident when the haunted house set up near the end of the cul-de-sac freaked the older boys out so much that screaming and crying ensued. They managed to hold it together long enough to walk down to their friend’s house and then it was back inside to a nice warm kitchen where the adults sifted through the candy, making sure everything was sealed, over a nice glass of fall home brew. A wonderful night indeed.