Find your Halloween costume inspiration at Tucson Thrift Shop

Sometimes, all it takes is a $3.50 mask to get a Halloween costume idea rolling.

That’s what happened when I spotted a bandit mask at Tucson Thrift Shop and immediately thought of Zorro. Add an all-black outfit from home, and suddenly a costume starts coming together.

For this installment of our $25 Shopping Challenge, I browsed Tucson Thrift Shop for easy Halloween costume ideas built around affordable pieces and clothes you might already own.

The shop’s collection of vintage clothing, costumes and accessories gives you plenty to work with. One of my favorite things is how it’s organized, with racks dedicated to different decades, including the ’20s, ’50s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, along with new and used costumes.

If you walk in without knowing what you want to be, browsing those sections might help you decide.

Then there’s the wall full of wigs, costume accessories and face makeup. Sometimes, the finishing touch is also the starting point.

Here are a few ideas inspired by what I found. Prices below are before sales tax, and the looks rely on some clothes or shoes from home.

A witch

An easy costume? Yes. Any less iconic? Absolutely not.

The shop had a new witch cape-and-hat set for $19.90, perfect if you already have an outfit at home that could use a little Halloween magic. A black dress would give you a simple starting point.

If you’re looking for the outfit itself, I also spotted plenty of gothic-looking dresses priced under $20. Options included black dresses with long, flowing sleeves, a black-and-purple dress with purple ribbon lacing, and a black-and-red dress with gold crisscross trim. Depending on your style, you could go classic all-black or add a little color to your witchy look.

Separate witch hats ranged from $1.90 to $6.90. Depending on the dress and hat you choose, those pieces could work within the budget, too. Just check the combined price before heading to the register.

A ’50s-inspired look

The decades sections made this one easy to imagine.

I spotted several poodle skirts and dresses priced under $20, plus poodle scarves for $4.75. Start with a skirt and add a top and shoes from your closet, or let a dress do most of the work.

The scarf could be a finishing touch if there’s room in your budget. I also found cute retro glasses for $11, though those would take up a bigger chunk of the $25.

For a coordinating look, the shop had greaser and bowling shirts priced under $20. Pair one with pants and shoes you already own, and you have the beginnings of a ’50s costume without buying an entire outfit.

Think of this as a $25-per-person idea if you’re dressing up together.

A ’20s flapper

A pretty pink dress with sequins and fringe caught my eye in the decades section. At $16.90, it left room in the budget for a feather headband from the accessory wall, priced at $3.90.

Together, those two pieces come to $20.80 before tax. Add shoes and jewelry you already own, and let the fringe do the rest.

I also spotted a red, white and blue fringe flapper dress for $20, another option if you already have accessories at home.

Zorro

The $3.50 bandit mask was the piece that sparked this idea.

An all-black outfit from your closet would give you a starting point. The shop also had a selection of props, including a sword that could help bring the costume together.

This is a good example of letting one small find guide the costume, then seeing how much of the rest you can pull from home.

Bonus idea: Pitbull

I spotted a bald cap for $6.90, and all I could think of was Pitbull.

If you already own a suit, this could be one of the simplest ideas of the bunch. Mr. Worldwide on a budget.

You don’t need to buy every part of your Halloween costume in one trip. Check your closet first, then look for the piece that pulls it all together, whether that’s a witch hat, a feather headband or, apparently, a bald cap.

If you go

Where: Tucson Thrift Shop, 319 N. Fourth Ave.

Hours: Noon-8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays.

These ideas are based on items I spotted during my visit. Individual pieces and prices may vary, so check availability and your total, including sales tax, before buying.