Thread: Homemade costumes vs. Store-bought

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*By "store-bought" I mean those pre-packaged costumes from Halloween stores*
I have always been a fan of making my own costumes. Perhaps not stitching them together thread by thread, but I love pulling old pieces out of my wardrobe and seeing how I can put things together to create my own masterpiece.
Here are my costumes from
2007: Queen of Hearts
http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/a...621/2007-1.jpg

2008:Blue Fairy (or Navi from Zelda, if you will) I am also wearing black and white striped hose
http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/a...621/2008-1.jpg

This year, I will also be creating my own costume, and my husbands, using thrift store pieces and garments that I already own.

However, last year we went with two store-bought costumes that I was perfectly satisfied with. We were originally going to go as a gangster and a flapper, but all the typical Halloween store flapper dresses didn't flatter me at all and were poorly made. I didn't feel like renting a costume for $100 and we were short on time. So we went with this.
2009: Corpse bride and groom
http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/a...Panda621/1.jpg

Preferably, I would like to create my own costumes and have an original than be a bumble bee or a kitty cat. Everything in the stores is just too sexy and too cute-sy woot-sy for my taste. Sometimes I will use a store piece like a hat or a prop to complete my outfit, but the basics I want in my hands.

How do you feel about it?

I usually like the store bought costumes until I try it on, not only are girls costumes always toooo short the material is blahhh. They charge $60 dollars for material that costs $6!? So I started buying thrift store stuff and putting them together then moved on to making them from scratch. The only problem is when you make it from scratch you tend to buy the better material and the price goes way up. But I dont think I'd ever buy another store bought costume but I like the inspiration.

I've done both, but usually when I do the store bought it's the more expensive ones, cause I don't really like the cheaper looking ones. I love checking out thrift stores, their full of things you wouldn't find in a store.

I'm definitely of the school of making, or rather pulling together, your own costume. I'm always on the lookout for possible pieces when I prowl the thrift stores. I've got quite a closet collection at this point.

Some store bought accessories are okay, though I'm never too impressed with their quality. The materials are usually so cheap and poorly sewn.

The fact that I can't sew is kind of an issue, but I've learned to deal. And the sizing is a big thing too, so few costumes fit you very well. I much prefer putting together a costume that I feel comfortable in, and that I'm not concerned is too revealing or is going to fall apart before the end of the evening.

Growing up, store bought costumes barely existed. You can get almost anything these days, but most of it seems pretty bland. It's a lot more fun to use them for inspiration, and then make your own, superior version!

I agree with so many comments here. "Prepackaged" costumes are getting cheesier, cheaper (fabric-wise), smaller/shorter and poorly made. I'm not hating on the sexy stuff too much (I wore it before I got this hellacious brown recluse scar on my leg), but c'mon! Enough is enough already. And since packaged costumes are a dime a dozen, I truly enjoy seeing others' creativity when they make or put together their own costume. While I am guilty of buying some of the higher-end prepackaged costumes mainly for quality, I prefer to "throw things together". I, too, want to feel comfortable in what I'm wearing.

I do not sew so I can't do homemade costumes. I have had costumes made for me. But of late have been using different acessories to create new characters from basic costumes.

The below costumes were store bought and woked out OK since they were inexpensive.

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My Evil Warlock was put together from purchases off the internet.

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However my best costumes were the ones that were made by my costumer.

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I have been using basic costumes to create new characters by getting new acessoroes or wigs.

The Washington costume has been turned into Ben Franklin, Icabod Crane, Colonial Partygoer.

The Charley's Aunt has also become The Grandmother.

I have several different Martha Stewart outfits from resale shops, inexpensive sales and my own trousers.

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My costumer made the poncho. I bought an apron from Martha Stewart on line

I much prefer homemade or made by a professional. A lot of the store bought costumes can be expensive and do not last.

Hope that this helps.

TC

i know people get scared of sewing but when i started all i could sew was a blanket, I learned by trial and error. You really only need one thing, patience. Trust me there are still times I want to throw my sewing through a window and go crosseyed reading a pattern or ask my self what on earth is that? But if the only thing holding you back is you think you cant, just try. I know its a lil off topic but I thought I'd put it out there anyway. Good Luck!

Originally Posted by Dani21

i know people get scared of sewing but when i started all i could sew was a blanket, I learned by trial and error. You really only need one thing, patience. Trust me there are still times I want to throw my sewing through a window and go crosseyed reading a pattern or ask my self what on earth is that? But if the only thing holding you back is you think you cant, just try. I know its a lil off topic but I thought I'd put it out there anyway. Good Luck!

Thanks for the encouragement!

TC

The past few years I have been making my own costumes, completely sewn from head to toe. But I don't knock the store bought costumes, as long as they are great quality and have a quirk to them that I like. Plus the one year I won a costume contest, I used a store bought costume. I bought a basic nun costume, slit up the front with a pair of scissors, added my own plaid skirt underneath with lots of chains, my favorite ass-kicking boots and a huge cross around my neck. The Bondage Nun was born. Probably helped that I was at an underground goth club

Its all about preference and dedication (and sadly money also). If you feel like a home-made costume (not just sewing, also piecing together things) will be awesome to do, then go for it and sell it. If you feel like you need to buy something instead, but still feel like you can be confident and sell that costume, then go for that.

I'm sure there will come a day, when I know I've reached my limits or just believe that the cost is better in the long run, and I will buy a costume instead of making my own. Until then JoAnn has my number.

I've come to change my mind on this topic. I was a bit of a snob, looking down my nose at store bought costumes, until I started to realize that often making my own costume from scratch ended up costing as much as buying a REALLY nice one. So now I try to find a balance - buying the key pieces, or base pieces like dresses/shirts/etc and customizing a few accessories. This year I'm pregnant and short on time/energy, if I were to find a great costume (maternity & fitting my theme) I wouldn't be above paying $100 or so for it, making costumes always ends up costing me at least that much.