DIY Costumes: Mixers and Socials

A big part of greek life are themed mixers and socials, and along with that comes A LOT of costumes. Most of the time, you can pull a few things out of your closet and put something together that goes with the theme. Sometimes, though, you need to get creative. In celebration of Halloweekend, here are two of my favorite costumes that I came up with (and crafted) during my freshman year. 

Both of these costumes were also so inexpensive which is always a plus as a broke college student!

Costume 1: "Anything But Cotton" (ABC) Mixer
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Out of all the themed socials I attended last year, this had to be the most challenging of them all. After all, what does one possibly wear to an ABC Mixer (without showing too much skin or the threat of it falling apart as soon as you get to the venue)?

​My solution? Plastic and reusable bags. That's right. These costumes are made completely of those materials (plus duct tape, of course). 

Though this project took longer than I would have wanted to (about 3 hours), I'm really happy with how both outfits turned out!

How did I do it? Here's how...

The Top: I took reusable grocery bags and cut up one side into strips so that they could be tied corset-style. I then took the handles and cut them in such a way so that they would be long enough to tie together. They were actually too long so I criss-crossed them in the back (securing them with a few simple stitches).

The Skirt: I took regular trash bags and folded them over a few times to make sure that they weren't too thin or see-through. A quick lining of the white trash bag with a black one quickly solved that issue. I taped the edges together with duct tape and made them long enough to wrap around our waists. Finally, I trimmed the excess and let them fall asymmetrically to give the skirts some character.

Costume #2: AGD "Hollywood" Crush Party

"Who needs a Boo when I have a Sully?" 
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With the right colored clothing pieces, these coordinating costumes were so easy to make! All it took was some purple and green construction paper, ribbon, and tape. Put 'em all together and you and your friend can be Mike and Sully!

​Pro tip: Ask around to see what friends and sisters have got lying around. The mint dress was from a friend of ours and was originally too big for Sierra (but with some safety pins that problem was easily solved). Meanwhile, another friend of mine happened to have a skirt that went perfectly with the crop top I already owned!

I just LOVE how these Monster Inc. costumes turned out! They make me so happy. And I'm so excited to see how many more coordinating costumes Sierra and I can dress ourselves in! Especially because we'll be roommates next year and will have even better access to each other's closets. #roomiegoals, amirite?