Most years when Halloween rolls around I find myself in a mini-crisis. I never know what I’m going to be until a couple days before! Because of this, I usually like to repurpose funky clothes in my closet into impromptu outfits.
This year, I couldn’t find anything in my wardrobe, so I decided to put my thrift-hunting skills to use and hit up Goodwill of Orange County. I love going to Goodwill of Orange County because I always find awesome treasures.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be this year, and decided to use my imagination at Goodwill of Orange County to guide my creative fuel. Almost immediately upon entering the store I found these absolutely wicked high-waisted embellished shorts for $7.99!
After a quick google search on my iPhone, I knew the shorts would make a great fortune teller costume! I made my way to the blouse section and found this really cute long sleeve blouse for $6.99 – exactly what I needed. I wanted a corset top off the outfit, and decided to make my own with a black tank top.
I had such a blast putting this outfit together! Follow along to learn how I made this super easy lace-up corset top!
Materials You Will Need:
Step 1: To start, use a measuring tape to decide where to cut your tank top. The bigger the panel you cut, the more cord you will need to lace it together.
Step 2: After cutting, apply an eyelet trim to the inside of the panel. Rather than a typical eyelet trim, I used this looped trim that I could string the cord through. To secure, use a strong nontoxic fabric glue. I highly recommend having binder clips on hand to securely fasten as glue dries. Let glue sit for 5 hours.
The cord of the corset needs to be tightly strung through the eyelets, so, I recommend sewing a simple line stitch on top of the glued trim to ensure the trim is securely fastened to the tank top.
Step 3: Add embellishments and begin lacing!
Lastly, put the outfit together and throw on a vintage scarf! This scarf I chose was my grandmother’s. I love being able to wear clothing that was well-loved by other people, but incorporated into new ways. There’s something special about reincarnating fashion pieces to have multiple uses! That’s one of many reasons why I love to thrift shop.
I found my shorts, blouse, and black tank top all at #OCGoodwill, for a total of $21. What’s great about this outfit is that no external resources were used (only recycled items were incorporated), and I am excited to wear these shorts and white blouse in other outfits in the future!
What’re you planning to be for #Halloween? Share in the comments!
Goodwill of Orange County Blog 