This post was updated Oct. 30 at 7:51 p.m.
Embracing the old is key to having a more successful spooky celebration when choosing a costume this Halloween.
The buildup to All Hallows’ Eve comes with anticipation about what to wear, sometimes starting even before summer has ended. Some might be influenced by the logic of “Mean Girls” to experiment with more risqué outfits. Others might attempt to find a creative look that can spark conversation or win a costume contest.
[Related: Opinion: Girls should consider motivations behind risqué Halloween costumes]
A universally desired attribute in a Halloween costume is that the ensemble genuinely represents some aspect of one’s personality.
In this spirit, we should make a more concentrated effort to reuse pieces of Halloween costumes from past years – not only to stay true to ourselves but also to be more sustainable for the environment and our bank accounts.
The arduous task of choosing a costume is a dread-inducing experience for me each fall. So many hours of stress are invested in searching for a half-decent costume, deliberating over the cost and delivery time before finally ordering it, then feeling remorse that the overpriced outfit was not as flattering, empowering or memorable as I had hoped it would be.
Instead, my best Halloween memories have been on nights when I reused a beloved costume. Before UCLA, that meant dressing up again and again as Indiana Jones or Harry Potter. So far in college, I have felt my best when wearing my “disco outfit” – a black fringe top and flared black pants with silver embroidery on the sides.
I wore the outfit for the first time when I went to Beyoncé’s “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR” in 2023, and I have probably worn it at least a dozen times since – including at Halloween the past two years. My sister insists this repeated use of the same look is unexciting, and she might be right.
But I feel most comfortable and confident in those clothes – they take me back to the glistening memory of a concert that changed my life. When I’m in them, I can enjoy the moment of socializing with friends rather than worrying about flaws in how I look.
Reusing the disco outfit might be a tad unoriginal, but the costume feels like me – an intangible quality that far outweighs any aesthetic considerations for novelty in one’s wardrobe.
Feeling confident in one’s own skin is not the only reason to consider reusing previous Halloween costumes.
Many are unaware of the sheer volume of waste produced every year solely from Halloween festivities. Americans discard around 35 million costumes annually, the same amount of waste produced by 83 million plastic bottles, according to CBS News.
The majority of costumes are made from polyester and plastic, which take anywhere from 20 to 200 years to decompose, according to CBS News. Even one haphazard Halloween purchase can slowly decay in a landfill for decades to come.
In a world where the environment is more fragile than ever – and is increasingly left without substantial protection or prioritization from our governments – there is no excuse for frivolous waste damaging Earth’s future. We owe it both to our posterity and to idols such as Jane Goodall who cared so deeply about environmentalism to do better for the planet.
[Related: Opinion: Jane Goodall’s legacy should inspire Bruins to make positive change in the world]
Environmental sustainability is undoubtedly the most important reason for reusing Halloween costumes, but students must also consider the outrageous cost of buying new costumes on an annual basis.
According to the National Retail Federation, American adults are expected to spend more than $2 billion this year on costumes – averaging about $114 in total spending per person. For most college students, such high prices are neither affordable nor advisable, even under the best economic conditions. Reusing a costume is a much wiser financial decision, especially since four in 10 costumes are only used once.
There can admittedly be a tremendous appeal to purchasing a new costume. Sticking to the same costume until the end of time is unfeasible, and one of the best parts of Halloween is the opportunity it presents to embrace a different perspective – a night of fantasy and escapism that the other 364 days of the year don’t allow. Exploring different costumes can be part of the ghoulish holiday’s enduring thrill.
But Bruins looking to freshen up their Halloween options would be best off looking for outfits at locations like thrift stores, where clothes are not only less expensive but can be reused rather than thrown away. With intentionality, new costumes can be acquired without breaking the bank or adding to the ever-growing pile of tossed and forgotten Halloween ensembles.
This year, I am going to try something different from my disco outfit.
I am going to enter the Wild West as a cowboy. But the cowboy ensemble I have put together features clothes I have had in my closet for years – old jeans, a corduroy jacket and a hat borrowed from my mom.
Halloween plans for 2025 might already be mostly set, but it is worth remembering for every Halloween to come that reusing a costume can benefit one’s self-confidence, the environment we share and one’s own pocketbook.
The fashion police will not interrupt spooky fun just because an outfit has been worn before or sourced with sustainability in mind.
If anything, Halloween becomes more fun and less stressful by saving money and time with clever reimaginings of existing costumes.
And next year, I might just go back to the disco outfit once more.
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