These sustainable Halloween costumes can be created using primarily items you already have in your wardrobe, or can easily find second-hand.
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Did you know that 35 million Halloween costumes are thrown away in the U.S. each year, resulting in around 2000 tons of plastic waste? And that 63% of Halloween costumes can take up to 20-200 years to decompose?
In this post, I am going to be sharing 11 sustainable Halloween costumes you can create using primarily pieces you already have in your wardrobe or can find second-hand online or at your local thrift store. These Halloween costumes are perfect if you are looking to be more intentional with your consumption, or if you are simply in need of a last-minute costume!
Sustainable Halloween Costumes:
1. Pumpkin heads with your most fall-looking outfit
This last Halloween, my boyfriend and I carved pumpkins and wore them on our heads with fall outfits we already had in our closet for one of our Halloween looks. TBH, the pumpkins weren’t very comfortable, and I edited these photos so you couldn’t see our eyes, but it made for a great Instagram post. When we went out, all I did was trade my pumpkin head for a witch hat to be more comfortable.
2. Witch
Speaking of going as a witch, a witch is one of my favorite Halloween costume ideas because it’s an excuse to wear your most fall-looking outfit. I did buy a witch hat for my costume last year, but I still have it and plan to re-wear it in the future with another outfit from my closet.
3. Pumpkin
If you like the pumpkin idea from above but want to be comfortable enough to wear it all night long, try creating your pumpkin head with makeup instead. When I did this costume in 2018 or 2019, I wore an orange sweater and green pants that I already had in my wardrobe to give off a pumpkin vibe, but this costume would also work with any fall or spooky outfit in your closet. This is a super easy last-minute costume. Trust me, I am no make-up guru and I was able to do an okay job at this look.
4. Scarecrow
For this eco-friendly costume idea, all you need is a flannel shirt and a pair of denim. If you already have it in your closet, a pair of overalls, cowgirl boots and a straw hat would look really great with this look, too.
5. Cat
For this cat costume, I did purchase the cat ears (that happened to come with a bow tie), but like the witch hat, these are small items you can easily hold onto to reuse in the future or pass on to a friend.
Other than the cat ears, all you need to complete this look is a makeup palette and something leopard, cheetah or tiger print, which you may already have or can easily thrift, if not.
6. Pirate
You can easily create a pirate costume from pieces in your wardrobe – especially if you’re style leans in the pirate-core direction. All you need is a pair of leather shorts, a belt with a big buckle, a white ruffle or peasant top, a vest and some black knee-high boots. You could also do a white, black or red romper or dress, and add a leather corset on top if you have one. A red scarf tied around your head or waist wouldn’t hurt, either.
For this costume, I would probably do smokey eye makeup and a red lip.
7. Mermaid
Another costume that can be created solely with pieces from your wardrobe, especially when you consider recent trends, is a mermaid. With the new Little Mermaid movie coming out this summer, there is so much mermaid-core fashion inspiration. If you want to be a mermaid this Halloween, pair a metallic, tulle or wrap skirt with fishnet tights, a bikini or bustier, metallic makeup and gadgets and gizmos galore (think raw pearls, shell necklaces and hair clips and rope details). When putting together this costume, I would try to go for colors like purple, turquoise, silver, gold and pearl.
With this costume, I would do a metallic makeup look. There are also really great ideas for how to make your skin look scaley with metallic eyeshadow or glitter bodyspray and fishnet on Pinterest!
8. Cowgirl
With a plaid flannel, cut-off shorts, anything fringe, cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat, you’re ready to be a cowgirl! You could go space-cowgirl and do metallic renditions of this look, or you could add some cow print, a bandanna or chaps to really lean into the Jessie theme.
The last three Halloween costume ideas from your closet are TV and movie characters. There are probably manyyy TV/movie characters you could easily recreate using pieces in your wardrobe, but these three were top-of-mind for me!
9. Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s
To be honest, I’ve never seen this movie. And I’m not sure how. BUT, I do have an outfit in my wardrobe that I wore to a Christmas party that happens to make the perfect Holly Golightly costume.
10. Carrie from Sex and the City
There are a variety of looks you could recreate by Carrie from Sex and the City, but arguably the most recognizable look is the look from the intro of the TV series – a tulle skirt and a simple tank. I don’t actually own this look, but if I did, I would pair it with my chicest heels and tightly curl my hair to resemble Carrie’s. To those who do not immediately recognize you – you’ll simply be a ballerina!
11. Blair Waldorf
Now, Gossip Girl is a series I am VERY familiar with. Though I feel I’m more of a Serena, I, as I’m sure most of us did, went through a preppy, polished phase at one point. I don’t identify with this style as much anymore, but these pieces make a great Blair Waldorf costume. If you’ve got any tweed, classic pearls or big headbands in your closet – you’re all set!
Bonus: Barbie!
With the Barbie movie coming out this year, we can’t forget about Barbie! Barbie is a super easy last-minute costume you can create with pieces you already have in your wardrobe, especially if you already dressed up for the movie! If I were Barbie for Halloween, I would wear this puff sleeve pink dress. It’s one of my favorite dresses so I love any excuse to wear it. Plus, it’s totally Barbie!
