Why I love, travel with, and will always defend my Halloween trunk of costumes — even as an adult

• Sara Lyle loves wearing costumes, and Halloween is her favorite holiday.
• She was in her 20s when she designated a suitcase as her costume trunk.
• Over the past few decades, she’s filled it with accessories, wigs, and outfits, but she’s learned to skip on costume makeup.

I’ve always loved playing dress-up. Give me a costume and a reason to wear it, and I’m in my happy place.

That’s probably why Halloween is my favorite holiday. It’s the one time of year when pretending to be someone or something else isn’t just acceptable, it’s encouraged.

One of my favorite costumes goes back to preschool: a butterfly my Aunt Cindy made from scratch with canvas fabric, sewing skills, and spray paint.

Compared with today’s Pinterest-perfect DIYs, it might not qualify as the “best costume ever,” but back then, you couldn’t tell me otherwise. The smile on my face said it all.

The evolution of my costume trunk

As a kid in school plays and later in drama club, I was always “saving” a dress or accessory for the next performance.

By my early 20s in New York City, bouncing between apartments and boroughs, I’d officially designated one big suitcase as my costume trunk — packed with accessories, wigs, and outfits for Halloween, Mardi Gras, New Year’s Eve, or any random theme party that might pop up.

The collection eventually grew to two trunks, but when I shipped my life across the world as a pregnant newlywed to Singapore, and later back to Florida as a single mom, I downsized back to one.

These days, that big hard-sided Samsonite sits in a corner of my closet in Colorado, where I live with my husband and our blended family of three boys, ages 17, 15, and 10.

My biological son, the youngest, has inherited my love of dressing up. He wears bow ties to school and aspires to be known as the “Bowtie Guy.” This Halloween, he ordered multiple Kyōjurō Rengoku costumes from “Demon Slayer” and returned the ones that didn’t meet his standards.

While I’m not above buying or renting a ready-to-wear costume, I love the creativity of putting one together myself — mixing closet staples, thrift finds, online add-ons, and the occasional freebie.

My proudest Halloween achievement so far was creating three distinct fireman looks for my then-fireman-obsessed kindergartener: a classic fireman for school, Marshall from “PAW Patrol” for a costume event, and a zombie fireman for another, complete with a cardboard ax sticking out of his hat. They all used free red plastic fireman hats from the local fire station.

Forget diamonds, a hot glue gun is this girl’s best friend. For those who love dressing up and want to build a collection of versatile pieces that can be reused, here’s what’s worth keeping.

A few good wigs

Maybe it’s because I grew up idolizing Dolly Parton and her unapologetic collection of platinum wigs, but keeping a few on hand always felt right.

I’ve owned my share of cheap wigs, but once I invested in a couple of real-hair ones, I understood the difference. For years, I’ve had a short black pageboy that’s helped me become Cleopatra, a flapper, and a vampire. A few years ago, I added a long, wavy blonde wig that’s been clutch for hippy-era Jenny from “Forrest Gump,” disco diva looks, and ’80s pinups.

The trick to wig longevity is care. It’s important to keep them brushed and stored in plastic bags. Before wearing, I let them rest on a makeshift stand, a lampshade works great, so they fall naturally.

Complete and organized costumes

I can pull off Wonder Woman, Princess Leia, and a few others because I store each costume complete and contained, so there’s no frantic searching for missing accessories.

If a costume is store-bought, I keep it folded in its original packaging with tissue paper between pieces. Thrifted or one-off outfits — like my disco dress, a secondhand leather fringe vest with anti-Vietnam War pins, and an orange-and-black striped Halloween dress — hang together in a section of my closet.

Accessories, accessories, accessories

From black studded chokers to Hawaiian leis, flamenco shawls, feather boas, flower crowns, aviator sunglasses, and tiaras, these finishing touches make any outfit pop. They’re also great for karaoke nights or game nights at home.

The one thing I’ve learned not to hoard is costume makeup, fake mustaches, and eyelashes. They lose freshness fast and can harbor germs, so I just buy when needed.

Maybe the idea of standing out in a silly hat makes some people cringe, and that’s fine. Halloween will be over before you know it. But for me, the costume trunk isn’t just about dress-up. It’s a reminder that joy, creativity, and reinvention are always within reach. Long live the costume trunk.

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