A Halloween Costume Consultant Tells All
Maggie Greene was inspired during the pandemic to create her dream job. She’s a stylist and Halloween costume specialist 🎃
Hi Maggie! How did you get started in the styling business?
From a very young age I was obsessed with clothing, shoes, and accessories but wasn't given much space nor did I have the resources to fully explore it growing up. As such, I didn't see an avenue to pursue it professionally even into adulthood. That's in spite of the fact that friends and colleagues had long leaned on me for personal style and personal brand support in various capacities.
One of my biggest fantasies as a young adult was writing for J Peterman. I did an independent study in college on fashion marketing and merchandising for a small local boutique in the rural South. This was many years before e-commerce was a reality and, while the business owner was impressed with my work (and I got an A+ for the course), the market wasn't quite ready for me. Of course, now I know the opposite is true: I wasn't ready for the industry. I walked away from that experience thinking fashion was too far out of my reach. So I focused on what felt practical. I worked in marketing and communications across nearly every industry for the better part of the next 10+ years. When the pandemic hit in early 2020 I had a frank confrontation with myself about what I could imagine doing with the rest of my life. What was THE thing that would challenge me, keep me engaged, and enable me to leverage all the skills and business acumen I'd garnered in my career as a marketer and communications professional? I looked deep and then took the leap of a lifetime. Over the years I often got asked what my "dream job" was, but I didn't have an answer until now. It didn't exist before; I had to create it for myself. I launched Maggie Greene Style which lives at the intersection of personal brand and style, in April of 2020 with the goal to help ONE person in a big way.
Since that time I've helped dozens of cis and trans women, men, and nonbinary individuals alike to transform their relationships with wardrobe and show up as their most authentic selves.
What is it about Halloween that gets you fired up?
For a long time, Halloween was an escape hatch: a brief moment in time during which I could transport myself to a different reality. I could be anyone I wanted. Clothing and style have always been mechanisms for self-expression for me, but I didn't always feel powerful in them. My mother is a gifted seamstress who taught me to sew around age 12. Once I graduated beyond straight lines (curtains, bedclothes, etc.) I started to see more robust possibilities. As a kid, Halloween was a lot of fun but my love affair didn't really take shape until high school. From that time on, what really fires me up about Halloween is the creative challenge it represents. Every year I strive to "best" myself the previous year. Even more than the creative challenge, Halloween is a platform on which I can share one of my strongest skills of all: the ability to zero in on and amplify key details that make something (or someone) unique. Pretty sure Gallup Strengths calls it Individualization. I get a big kick out of seeing others' ideas come to life as well, especially those that are handmade versus pre-made. It’s the creativity for me.
Any thrift shopping advice for a newcomer?
First, get to know your body, which means your measurements. It's also helpful to know and understand how those numbers translate to flat-lay garments. Notice I said nothing about SIZE. So there's another nugget of thrifting advice: size doesn't matter. The numbers or letters you see on the tag are inconsistent, arbitrary, and irrelevant. Especially with vintage pieces, the sizes are often not "true" to today's standards. The only source of truth for finding a good fit is to know your body. Once you accept that, you'll feel less disappointed when things don't fit and you'll have better luck with your finds. Another thing I recommend to anyone interested in thrifting is to perhaps start small so you don't get overwhelmed. One easy first step is to "window shop" in-store or online at your favorite retail places. Instead of buying anything right then, challenge yourself to find lookalikes in the secondhand market. This approach is much easier virtually than physically. For physical thrifting, at brick and mortar shops and consignment stores, I say keep an open mind but always bring a Wish List. Do a little homework ahead of time: as you're thinking or browsing (Pinterest anyone?) consider what about each item strikes you. What are the key style elements that draw your eye and make you feel like you have to have that piece? Is it a type of collar or buttons? Is it the color, the fabric? Make a note of those insights and keep them in mind when you're thrifting. You don't have to look at every single item in the store. Let your eyes wander and land on what sticks out to you.
What's your dream costume if there were no limits?
This is the hardest question I've been asked so far, but likely not for the reason you'd expect. It's tough because the limits are what sets off my creativity. That's deeply ingrained in me, not scarcity necessarily, but the opportunity to do more with less. If money were no object, where would the innovation come from? If the perfect costume already existed, how could I possibly create it? I think the best answer, the most accurate one, is next year's and the year after that, and so on because I don't yet know what they are. They are merely dreams right now. But since we're on record, I'll say Willy Wonka (see pic). That was my dream costume and I made it a reality (with a LOT of support from my mother) my sophomore year of high school. The real dream come true was me walking into the school courtyard, tossing a bunch of Wonka brand candy into the air, and watching kids scramble for it. I had fully embodied the character and by the end of that day, everyone knew who I was. I even convinced my then-boyfriend, who was over 6 feet tall, to don orange face paint and pose as an Oompa Loompa. The purple velvet coat my mom spent 16+ hours on still exists somewhere.
Is it possible to shop from your own closet for Halloween? I'm looking at a tie-dye t-shirt in my closet, does it turn into summer of love?
YES, ask me how! Or better yet, check out the StyleOWeen series on my blog. And YES! I can also picture a Grateful Dead groupie or, with the right glasses, some funky-cool incarnation of Cheech or Chong.
Any advice for someone looking to start a personal styling business?
Consider what you find most compelling about the industry to start. If you're looking to emulate or imitate a specific brand or person, you're not looking deep enough. If it's fame or fortune you're after, go for it, just know the market is pretty saturated. If you find your whole body lights up with electric joy when you think about shoes, or think about changing someone's life in a powerful way, lean into that feeling. Find and nurture a support network that complements your skillset, challenges your thinking, and has shared but diverse interests. And remember there is no real competition at the end of the day as long as you are YOU. Everything else is just marketing.
Thank you Maggie and happy Halloween!!
ABOUT MAGGIE
Maggie is the owner and CEO of Maggie Greene Style. As a passionate ally, communicator, and fashionista, Maggie puts the personal in personal brand and style with a focus on low-barrier, high-impact resources. She helps transform the way people see themselves in all manner of styling - from wardrobe to resume and everything in between. Her secondhand first approach helps counter consumption culture and reduce global fashion waste.
