The stress of Halloween planning is finally over. Hopefully, all of your work curating your costume was put to good use, or maybe it might have fallen short this year. Regardless, I know I have been trying to plan my Halloween costumes since the beginning of September.
While Halloween is lots of fun and a time to step out of your comfort zone without having to give anyone an explanation, we often overlook how easy it is to abandon sustainability. Especially with the ease of purchasing from SHEIN and Amazon, we feel like we can buy items solely for a singular use.
However, that is not the case. Wasteful consumption patterns that these companies encourage are ill-advised. Instead, we should be especially conscious as the waste from textile companies is directly linked to the changing climate and economic crises we face today.
Thankfully, our Halloween costumes this year can easily be worn again. This season of costumes brought many good looks from fairies to bikers to even Wandavision characters (which were my personal favorite).
Take our first fantastical look as fairies. This look took lingerie to the streets in full force. I saw many slip and sheer V-neck dresses. We also saw the classic butterfly top from Amazon paired with a sparkly or metallic skirt of some kind.
Don’t throw away these items just yet, though. Lingerie as streetwear is a growing trend. An easy way to reuse these items is through layering. Especially as we get into the colder months, this is a perfect trendy look. Layer a sweater over your dress and add tights with black boots for a great look with such little effort.
Your butterfly top might give you less luck, but your skirt could also be tied into a layered look with a neutral colored cable knit sweater, some black tights and the classic black booties again.
Our bikers this year also came out in full force with leather, chains and red bandanas galore. Thankfully, leather pants from SHEIN can easily be used this winter. Red bandanas may not be your look all the time, but they always are a cute hair accessory, whether as a headband or hair tie.
Another look I saw a lot of this Halloween was pirates. Although this old-timey look isn’t perfect for daily activities, the separate pieces can mend themselves into something. Flouncy white tops are perfect paired with jeans and a cute pair of boots, particularly my favorites, Blundstones. Certain button down tops can even be made into a business casual look.
Now, the classic angel is probably our most sustainable contender. Wearing all white is easy, especially since it is a neutral color in wardrobes. I chose this option myself and used my favorite skirt for the look, which I will continue to use all year round.
Essentially, Halloween is very fun, yet saving our environment can be more fun. By choosing sustainability, we choose our planet, our longevity and our future. The only spooky thing we want is a scary movie, not a climate crisis looming near.