Tricks and Treats to Dressing Up Sustainably for Halloween
Create a community costume closet by thrifting, gifting, and sharing dress-up clothes with friends
Pictured: Teresa (and Nugget, her dog), surrounded by some of the key pieces from the community costume closet including lots of sequins, a pink tutu, and a fringe suede jacket.
The most sustainable clothing is what you already have in your closet. So what could be more sustainable than a closet that’s shared? Costumes are usually thought of as single-use; we can assume that many end up in a landfill after just one wearing. But what if you could create a communal costume closet, usable by all of your friends, so that pieces of all your past costumes could have a whole new life, over and over? That’s what Teresa Barnes created, almost accidentally, when she opened up her quirky, thrifted closet to her friends in Astoria, Ore., almost 10 years ago.
Halloween generates trash. Spirit Halloween stores crop up in roughly 1,400 locations in the United States and Canada for a reason: they sell tons of unimaginative and flimsy costumes and plastic junk, reliably, year after year. But there has to be a way to indulge your inner child's obsession with Halloween without contributing to the overconsumption cycle, right? A solution that I’ve come to love is the community costume closet: a freeform, chaotic, and wonderful clutter of second hand pieces that has lived in my friend’s house for over a decade, open to anyone who wants to borrow from its depths. For this essay, I interviewed Teresa, the closet queen, and my roommate, Andrea Mazzarella, who for a brief period of time was a steward of the costume closet.
Teresa has a habit of opening her home to other people unconditionally. Before the pandemic, there was always someone visiting from out of town, camping in the carport as a pitstop on their coastal bike tour, or crashing after a party on one of her many couches. She’s also a thrifty collector of outfits, with a taste for the unusual. She used her previous day job as an opportunity to try out new personas.
“I remember I had a shift at the co-op and showed up one day in a green wig and a nurse’s outfit. A guy came in and said he felt like he had walked into a Fellini film,” she laughed. “I’ve always thought it was funny that there’s this cliche, where women use Halloween as an excuse to dress ‘slutty’ because like, if I want to dress ‘slutty,’ I’ll just do it and go to work like that.”
By night, bartending at a second-run movie theater, she’d match her look to that week’s film. Her boss, who coincidentally had a background in theater costuming, would take photos of Teresa for the theater’s now-defunct social media page, long before Instagram would have eaten that content up. Her motto was (is) that “every day is Halloween.”
Pictured: A pink tutu that’s been in the Closet for years. Left: The tutu worn by Teresa as she washed dishes during a shift at the Oregon Country Fair. Right: Teresa holding the tutu today in all its glory.
Astoria, the little town at the mouth of the Columbia River where Teresa lives, has always had an unusually high frequency of costumed events, providing ample excuses for experimentation. Teresa and her friend Andrea also started a band together roughly a decade ago, which required elaborate outfits for live shows. When they were getting ready for their performances together, they were frustrated by their limited options for shared outfits.
“It was an ongoing conversation we would have,” Andrea remembered. “She’s short of stature and a petite-sized person, and I’m the opposite, so there was that frustration of me having cute things that wouldn’t fit her, and vice-versa. It’s such a bummer to be at a place where people are playing dress-up, and there’s nothing there that fits you.” Whenever they were out thrifting, they both began actively looking for items that anyone of any size or shape could wear.
Left: Promotional photos for a Fever Damn show, featuring a purple velvet curtain worn by Andrea as a cape, posed on top of the cape itself. Right: A flyer for another Fever Damn show, featuring another red cape from the Closet.
When Teresa realized her collection was potentially useful to more than just the two of them, she started lending pieces out for the many dress-up occasions: dance parties, fundraiser galas, drag and variety shows, occult-themed beer festivals, glitzy New Year’s Eve bashes, and, of course, Astoria’s favorite holiday, Halloween. As more friends learned about the costume closet, they hunted for pieces that could add to the selection. They’d text Teresa from the thrift store, asking, “Who could wear this?” accompanied by a blurry photo of a vintage pink prom dress or a sequined crop top. And so, the closet grew.
Pictured: A selection of (mostly) vintage party dresses with fun and interesting details, from tulle and satin to sequins and fringe.
Most, if not all, of the closet was thrifted or gifted. When someone cleaned out their own stash, Teresa would take in anything that had costume potential. On the rare occasion that new pieces were needed for a specific performance, the leftovers filtered their way into the closet, ensuring they’d have a life beyond the single occasion. She didn’t limit herself to standard ways of acquiring clothing, though: “To think of the lives of so many of these things ... Some of them were literally trash — tutus and crinolines I rescued from dumpsters — so they’re saved not just from the trash, but from the energy expended to take that trash overseas.”
Word spread and Teresa’s house quickly became the pre-party prep station (or, as Teresa and Andrea lovingly call it, the prefunk) for anyone who wanted to get ready together. This communal aspect added a sort of fervor to the process, which I personally, dear reader, have experienced a number of times. I guarantee you one thing in this life: if you get dressed for a party with a room full of friends and a bottle of whiskey, you will go to that party more dolled up, glitzed out, and hilariously glamorous than you could ever have imagined. I’ve seen cis men don their first dresses and eyeliner, shy wallflowers wear a corset and bloomers out on the town, and generally unenthusiastic party-goers transform into cabaret extras as they too got swept up in the frenzy.
Left: Sweet Baby Jay on her very first night out in drag, costumed entirely by the Closet. Right: A simple yet effective couples costume (inspired by the 1994 film Natural Born Killers), featuring a leather jacket, western hat, and bandana from the Closet.
When Teresa moved to the East Coast for a few years, Andrea moved into the house. By default, and because Teresa didn’t take the contents of the closet with her, Andrea became the official prefunk host.
“It freed me from that pre-event anxiety I’d normally have because I’d be helping other people get dressed up and would be getting ready with them. I wasn’t just thinking about myself, but could use that energy for something that built community,” Andrea explained.
Now back on the West Coast, Teresa has taken up the reins of the closet once more and is looking forward to building it up again for the day when it’s safe to have more of those parties we all miss so much, and to experience that sense of community and joie de vivre in her living room again.
“The closet has been an excuse to have people over, and an expression of what I’ve always tried to cultivate in my house: a community space where people can get together and just be goofy,” she said.
Pictured: Three of the curly “Cher circa 1980” wig’s many nights out. Twice worn by Andrea, and once by Graham. Also featuring two appearances of the crushed velvet “space rockstar” unitard.
How to Build Your Own Community Costume Closet
Building a costume closet isn’t hard and shouldn’t be expensive, but it will take a little time to build a foundation. Start by focusing on basics, which will provide starting points for endless options.
Note: All of these tips translate perfectly to a kids’ dress-up closet, too! If you have a kiddo who loves to play dress-up, consider how fun it might be to be the costume closet host for all of their friends!
Stick to thrifted, gifted and free pieces. Check out the big secondhand stores immediately after Halloween for the best deals. Tell your friends you’ll hoard their old costumes; they’ll thank you! Buy Nothing groups and “free stuff” boxes on curbsides are also a great way to add pieces to the closet.
Stock up on starter pieces. Black basics are the foundation for so many costumes. Look out for secondhand shirts (button-down, long sleeve, tees), pants, leggings, skirts, tights, and shoes.
Pick up anything shiny, bright, or funky. Take Teresa’s “every day is Halloween” approach: “I’m always looking for things that strike me as wacky, and when I think, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to wear that?’ that’s when I know it should go in the closet.” Look for formal dresses, enormous hats, puffy shirts, suit jackets, items in bright or primary colors, sequins, bold prints, furs, silky fabrics, feathers and fun outerwear (trench coats, fur coats, jean jackets, puffer vests).
Pictured: A ruby red sequin fabric next to an emerald green metallic fabric with lizard-like texture. Remember, texture and sparkle are KEY!
Wigs are essential! Say yes to any free or affordable wig in any condition. The right wig does almost all of the heavy lifting when you’re transforming yourself into another character. Trust me, even the rattiest wigs come in handy for the right theme.
Pictured: Wigs in all colors and textures, the most used (and most hilarious) section of the Closet.
Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Collect costume jewelry: the bigger the better! Statement pieces like kids’ costume accessories, capes, masks, headpieces, animal ears and tiaras instantly take a basic getup to the next level. Keep an eye out for era-specific shoe styles, wearable heels (platforms are always good), knee-high boots, and cowboy boots. Also look for things that can be multipurpose: ribbons, belts, knit beanies, scarves, bandanas.
Pictured: A good collection of scarves and ties makes basics more versatile.
Expand your color range. Once you have an established foundation, focusing on colors can be a great way to expand your options. To have at least one item in each color of the rainbow gives you an immediate leg up on group costumes like: a box of crayons, Otter Pops, Powerpuff Girls, Pride parade, Power Rangers, etc.
Make your assortment size-inclusive. If you actually want this to be a communal closet, it should be useful for all of your friends. Make sure you’re looking outside of your regular size range. There are also a number of “free-sized” items that can fit a wide range of bodies, like some tunics, muumuus, unfitted dresses, cloaks, etc. Building a good selection of non-sized items (jewelry, wigs, scarves, etc.) is also key to inclusivity.
DIY bonus. For those of you with rudimentary sewing skills, make sure to have some basic tools available for on-the-fly alterations. A quick row of stitches is sometimes all you need to make something into the perfect fit. It doesn’t need to be permanent or professional, because you’re only wearing this garment for one night. Then your stitches can be removed and the piece is ready for the next person! It’s always a good idea to have a few extra sheets or curtains that can be wrapped as togas/skirts/capes, etc.
Don’t be afraid to ask people for donations! That’s the number one way Teresa has acquired pieces: “If you want to collect costumes, the community will be happy to provide. People are excited to give you their old stuff and to know it’s not just going to be trash. Just ask!”
Part of this process may also involve letting go of a sense of ownership. It’s entirely up to you to set parameters for how items are borrowed, but part of the magic of Teresa’s closet has been the ebb and flow of items as they’re borrowed, forgotten, and replaced over time. In the long run, embracing this idea may save you a lot of grief over a costume that gets lost, ripped, or beer-stained. I think it’s better for a costume to be loved and repaired than left pristine in the back of the closet. Just remember: it’s only stuff! Fabulous, flamboyant, second hand stuff.
Pictured: Emma, Andrea, and Teresa at one of many costume-optional dance parties.
Editor: Iris Aguilar | Designer: Emma Geddes | Copywriter: Elise Nye | Copy Editor: Katie Frankowicz
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