With Halloween just weeks away, our girls are in constant conversation about what they should dress up as this year. It’s a fun time of year for them and we do our best to help them bring their imagination and ideas to life. This year, in collaboration with JCPenney, we decided to see what kind of homemade Halloween costumes we could put together that would be unique — and enjoyable even after all the candy is gone.
Homemade Halloween Costumes
We quickly discovered that JCPenney carries a fabulous selection of costumes, as well as items to DIY Halloween costumes for the whole family. As I mentioned, the girls wanted to make their own costumes so we scoured the Halloween department for inspiration. When Jaci saw Princess Anna’s boots, she knew that they should become the focal point for her costume. Brainstorming ways to showcase them in a costume idea, she thought of another sort of Disney Princess — Princess Leia.
Jaci, being the fashionista she is, wanted to give Princess Leia a more modern, tween look. Therefore, building on the Disney Collection costume boots, we were off to the girl’s department at JCPenney to find a dress. Our only challenge was finding JUST ONE.
JCPenney has long been our favorite department store for apparel, so trying to pick out just one from a large selection of great options was not the easy part for Jaci. But, when we saw an ivory Total Girl Sleeveless Party Dress with gold accents we knew it was THE one. A quick jump over to the Basics department for leggings and we had our Princess Leia costume.
The only thing left to figure out was the hair!
Of course, having three girls shopping in the same department, it wasn’t long before Joeli spotted a sweater she loved as well. Embellished with a bright and sparkly unicorn, it was definitely eye-catching. Best of all, it inspired our creativity once again.
We grabbed the sweater, paired it with a pink tutu skirt over black leggings covered in stars and a cute pair of black flats. And with fall weather coming, it was also the perfect excuse to find a new pair of boots for her. Next, a headband from JCPenney’s Halloween collection would make the ideal base for a unicorn horn, and her homemade costume was complete!
These tips for homemade Halloween costumes made it simple:
- Get inspired! However this works for you, look for motivation wherever you can. For us, it was found walking through the JCPenney Halloween department.
- Think outside the box! Going for non-traditional ideas is definitely welcome. There is no need to exactly replicate the character you may be trying to look like.
- Look for value! By purchasing everyday clothes that the girls can continue to wear after Halloween, we were able to stay on budget and extend the worth of the costume.
- Remember comfort! Choose fabrics and styles that are non-constricting and easy for moving around in. After all, trick-or-treating can be a work out.
- Accessories make everything better! The Princess Anna boots make Jaci’s costume really pop! And a unicorn can’t be a unicorn without the horn. Accessorize well!
It was relatively quick and easy (at least as easy as possible when shopping with our girls) as well as affordable and #SoWorthIt thanks to JCPenney!
We were able to find the ideal pieces for our DIY Halloween costumes that were both on-trend and an everyday value. Both Jaci and Joeli will be able to continue wearing their “costumes” long into the season and beyond. That is always a win for us as parents!