Spooktacular style: Meet the students crafting personalized Halloween costumes

An illustration of Miss Frizzle from the Magic School Bus show, with a recycling symbol to her right. She is wearing red shoes and a purple dress with magnets, rocket ships, and test tubes on it.

The trees are turning red and orange, pumpkin spice is everywhere and the end of October has arrived. We’re getting closer and closer to Halloween. Conversations of costumes, gatherings and candy are everywhere. Many students buy costumes from Amazon or chain stores, but what if you don’t get yours in time, or want something more original? Meet a few artists on campus doing DIY costumes. 

Chloe Warrell is an LSA sophomore who got creative with her costume. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, she detailed the excitement of DIY-ing Halloween.

Red frizzy hair, purple dress with scientific icons (magnets, test tubes, light bulbs, etc.) dotted all over, star earrings and red shoes. Sound familiar?

Warrell hopes the iconic figure, Ms. Frizzle from the “Magic School Bus,” is recognizable. 

Warrell went to JOANN Fabrics to get cloth for her costume. She plans on tracing a dress she thrifted before she starts sewing onto a purple fabric as her base. Then she will use hot glue to paste the scientific icons on it. This is a big endeavor for Warrell as she is worried about the time required to make it, but she hopes it to be a long-lasting costume that she can wear in the future.

Warrell got this idea in one of her dreams and stuck with the vision. She’s looking forward to getting ready with her friends, another aspect of Halloween that she loves. When getting ready, they always help each other out — one does hair, one does makeup. In general, she’s excited to get together, collaborate and celebrate with her friends.

Like Warrell, Susan Udell, an LSA junior majoring in both biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience and Spanish, is working on her costumes. For this year, she has three: Charli XCX, Marie Antoinette and Puss in Boots. Udell grew up making her own costumes, so it seemed right to continue that tradition. 

“No one else is gonna have the same costume as you,” Udell said in an interview with The Daily, describing the draw of DIY. Udell cares deeply about using fashion as a means of personal expression, especially on Halloween.

Along with the unique factor of DIY costumes, Udell emphasized the sustainability aspect of making her outfits. Udell is involved in slow fashion and sustainability programs all around campus, so it only seems right to carry these values into her costume-making.

For her costumes, Udell spends time searching through her wardrobe, Depop and local thrift stores for secondhand items. Costumes can be expensive, so she always starts with what she already has, following the concept of reduce, reuse and recycle. Then she goes through secondhand items on Depop or thrift stores, minimizing contributions to her carbon footprint. 

Udell acknowledged that this process takes longer, but it is worth it. She recommends DIY costumes to everyone and recommends some local resources too.

“In the Ann Arbor area, Share House and Ann Arbor PTO, Goodwill on Carpenter is great and Scrap, the second-hand craft supply store, are all very affordable,” Udell said.

As Halloween is coming up, add a creative, personal flare to this year’s costumes; by repurposing materials you already have, shopping second-hand or using eco-friendly supplies, you can minimize waste and reduce your carbon footprint this spooky season.

Creating something from scratch is a rewarding experience that feels more meaningful than store-bought options. So gather your supplies, enlist some friends and get crafty. With a little time and effort, you can create something truly special that not only leaves a lasting impression but also contributes to a more sustainable Halloween.

Daily Arts Contributor Natalie Mark can be reached at natmark@umich.edu.

The post Spooktacular style: Meet the students crafting personalized Halloween costumes appeared first on The Michigan Daily.


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