Relay: Mesquite’s Monster Fashion Show
Mesquite, Texas: Last Saturday at Town East Mall, recycled couture fused with the spirit of Halloween at the Great Big Spooky-Wooky Recycled Costume Contest.
This was the 6th annual recycled fashion show Keep Mesquite Beautiful has hosted, and all were welcome to submit their festive upcycled garments.
Image: Keep Mesquite Beautiful
Their main advert featured a Tim-Burton-inspired Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, (played by the mystical Helena Bonham Carter). Keep Mesquite Beautiful’s executive director Paige Swiney took the time to breakdown the process of creating the queen– a job far less taxing then you might have imagined.
Swiney and a few other board members worked together in parts, gathering and piecing together recyclables that people would come into contact with on a daily basis. The computer components were gathered at a local electronics equipment recycler, and the billboard wasn’t that much of a challenge to obtain.
“…They can hold [the billboards] for 90 days until the owner claims them. If they’re unclaimed…they will recycle them.” Keep that in mind, D.I.Y. or DIE crowd.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect about the costume was the actual construction. “We taped it onto the model,” Paige explained. “It probably took…only a few hours. The hardest part was doing the makeup.” The ease and flexibility of creating an affixed costume turned out excellent, and that approach is always easier for busy parties interested in upcycling old parts into works of wearable art.
Other costumes included this clockwork dolly and the awfully fierce cousin of Godzilla. About 4,000 people saw the show over different periods of time, which was a stellar turnout for this public event.
“There is a lot of imagination and creativity that goes into these costumes,” Paige stated. “If we created something for Halloween, or inspired people to think about their Halloween costumes differently…we can challenge people to think differently about trash.”
Sure, there’s eight days left until Halloween. But that’s more than enough time to gather materials to whip up your own recycled Halloween costume this year.
Cauldron of Confections: Organic Treats for Halloween
While records show trick-or-treating’s been on a steady decline over the years, the popularity of candy on All Hallow’s Eve hasn’t wavered one bit. Surely you can appease sugar-hungry folks (and kids) with the classics–Reese’s, Skittles and Dum Dums. But wouldn’t it be so much better if you stuck to your guns and went organic with your treats this and many years to come? Of course it would. Take a look at the yummies you should be dishing out at parties and dropping in pails this Halloween.
Relay: National Costume Swap Day
October 12th, 2013 is the date! Organized by Green America, trading posts will be set up in cities country-wide that allow both adult and children costumes to be swapped. Instead of purchasing a new costume, why not obtain a gently used one, or rather, a custom costume that can’t be purchased in stores? And for those of us who don’t see the month of October as just a silly holiday, there might be certain outfits and accessories that can be new staples in your wardrobe.
Locations nationwide can be found here, and if you want to host a Costume Swap in your city, you can fill out a form here.
The Countdown Begins…
The most wonderful time of the year is upon us once more, and Flora Gothica aims to lend an inspirational hand in your eco-endeavors this Halloween! Be sure to keep a lookout for this month’s Etsy Bombs, DIY Tuts, and various articles right here on Flora Gothica. There might even be giveaways for followers, so definitely stay tuned, and stay sustainable in the dark!
Flora Gothica 