Time to Get Your Costumes in Order

Spooky season is upon us, which can only mean one thing…

…it's time to play dress-up!

I play dress-up all year long as a performing artist, but for many of you, you break out the costumes for only a month.

Whether you wear your costumes for a few weeks out of the year or every few days, these tips can help you keep everything in great shape for the next wear.

Designate a Home

As with anything you organize, you need to start with identifying where you're going to store the items. Start with designating a spot in a closet so most of the pieces can be hung. You can use a space in a spare room or a section of your main clothes closet. You should be in good shape if there is a delineation between your everyday clothes and your costumes.

Some pieces may not be hung easily. You may even have hats or props that go with the costume. It's a good practice to also designate a lidded bin for these items. The container could easily sit in the same closet your hanging costume pieces are stored.

Keeping the Pieces Together

When buying a premade costume, the entire outfit comes in a bag. Taking the pieces out of the bag and hanging them up will help keep the ensemble from wrinkling (unless that's the look you're going for). Once worn, it's not recommended to return the costume to those plastic bags. Any moisture on the outfit can get trapped in the bag and cause your costume to grow mildew. So gross.

Garment bags are an excellent option for keeping multiple pieces together. Garment bags may not be necessary for more casual costume wearers. Still, performers and cosplayers may find them handy to quickly find the specific articles they are looking for. Another benefit to utilizing garment bags for costume storage is that extra items that cannot be hung can be kept in the bottom of the bag. In fact, if you have multiple accessories for your costume, you can keep them in a small plastic or mesh bag that then sits in the garment bag. Again, be sure anything being worn is stored in a material that breathes.

You may find you have some pieces that are used among multiple costumes. If you store these pieces with a specific outfit, you may not see them when you are ready to wear them with another ensemble. Instead, keep them separate from your particular costume pieces. For example, I have hanging organizers for gloves and stockings. I also have a shoe organizer that fits under the garment rack I hang my costumes on. The extra pieces can also live in the designated tote discussed previously.

Need a More Extensive System?

For the casual Halloween costume wearer, this should be enough to keep your costumes organized and easy to access. For those that have more extensive costume needs, there may be some documentation that will help you keep everything straight.

Sometimes a complete costume includes pieces stored in the garment bag as well as some rotational items. Create a checklist that lists all the needed articles, so nothing is left behind. The list should be visible on the bag. Some options could include a plastic pocket, or a tag hung around the hanger. The list should consist of both pieces in the garment bag and the accessories and shoes needed to complete the outfit. Even if you believe you will remember everything off the top of your head, utilizing a checklist will ensure nothing is left behind in haste to pack for a costumed event. In fact, you can use the list to gather for the event and to check that you have all your pieces after the completion of the event before returning home. Nothing is more frustrating than leaving a carefully crafted piece at a venue and not knowing when you'll be able to retrieve it.

Costume-wearing is a blast! It's so much fun to dress up as someone (or something) incredibly unlike your everyday self. Upkeep of your costumes will ensure you'll be able to wear them repeatedly.