According to Hubbub’s 2019 study, 7 million costumes are thrown away each year in the UK. They also found that most of these costumes are made from plastic-based materials, with the weight being equivalent to 83 million Coca Cola bottles. Follow our tips below to find out how you can save money and save plastic from going into the bin by repurposing your old Halloween costumes into something new!
Doctor → Mad Scientist
If you already have things like a lab coat and stethoscope from a doctor costume, all it takes is some crazy hair to turn it into a mad scientist!
Angel → Zombie Bride → Kat from Casper
These costumes could all be interchangeable as they are all based around a white dress. For the angel you would need wings and a halo, for the zombie bride add some fake blood and a veil, and for Kat you could blow up a white balloon and draw on Casper’s face! (Photo credit: Balloons :: Behance)
Witch → Fairy → Creepy Doll
Again, the base of these costumes is the dress. If you already have a witch dress from previous years, just add some wings to turn it into a dark fairy. For the creepy doll, just put your hair into pigtails and try creating a cracked skin effect using face paint.
Pirate → Fortune Teller
If you already have one of these, all you need to do is switch up the accessories! Swap the pirate hat out for a bandana or vice versa and hold either a fake sword or a crystal ball (you could use the white balloon trick for this too!).
Any Animal Costume → Party Animal
Spruce up a simple animal costume by adding a party hat and a feather boa to bring out your inner party animal!
Black Cat → Thief/Robber
An all-black outfit is a good base for these. Just switch out the cat ears for a black mask, which you could even paint on with face paint. Use any bag from home and draw on a £ or $ symbol to create a fake money bag.
Secret Agent → Slenderman → Pitbull → Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction
Transform any white shirt, black trousers and tie into these outfits!
· For the secret agent add a walkie talkie.
· For Slenderman, some oversized white gloves.
· A signature Pitbull look includes sunglasses and a bald cap.
· For Mia Wallace, lose the tie and add a black bob wig.