As y’all know, I am no stranger to reel librarian-related Halloween costumes here on this blog, as seen here. This year’s costume is an homage to the iconic title role played by Parker Posey in Party Girl (1995), one of my favorite reel librarian movies of all time! If you’re unfamiliar with the movie, it’s about how Mary, a “party girl” in New York, gets help from her librarian (fairy) godmother and realizes her ambition to become a librarian herself.
The inspiration
I can trace this year’s Halloween costume idea back to a post I wrote back in June to revisit this indie classic:
This past spring, Party Girl was re-released in theaters in New York and L.A., as well as a 4K restoration Blu-Ray and DVD! I know what I want for my birthday!!
My husband (who does read my blog) got the hint, so here’s what I got for my birthday:
After I unwrapped my birthday gift, I realized that I could easily put together a Halloween costume as Mary the Party Girl librarian! The cover of the Blu-Ray, seen above, was my starting point, and here’s a look at this iconic ensemble from Mary, who wears this outfit on her way to buy a “falafel with hot sauce, a side order of baba ganoush, and a seltzer.”
The details
I always try to put together no-cost or low-cost Halloween costumes from items already in my closet, and if I need something for the costume that I don’t already have, I either thrift it or make it myself to keep it budget-friendly. I never worry about exact recreations. For this costume, I had similar items for almost everything in my wardrobe already, including:
- leopard-print coat (worn, like Mary, a bit off-the-shoulder!)
- black cardigan (subbed for the black blazer)
- chevron burgundy tights
- ankle strap heels (in snakeskin instead of lavender, but I figured Mary wouldn’t be averse to adding another print into the mix!)
- red tunic layered underneath (subbed for the red shorts)
- red leather gloves
- large gold hoop earrings
- white scarf used as a cravat (subbed for the pussy-bow blouse & cravat)
- small cameo brooch
- rainbow-striped clutch (subbed for the rainbow purse)
- red lipstick
The only item for which I didn’t already have at least a similar option was a pair of round-shaped sunglasses, which felt essential to me, but I was able to thrift a similar pair at a local vintage store. The perfect finishing touch!
The locales
The cover of the Blu-Ray has Mary in front of the New York skyline and water. I also chose a water view of the city I live in, Tacoma, but feeling cheeky, I focused on a typically industrial water view of Tacoma, as seen from North Tacoma, with the skyline of Tacoma deep in the distance.
Below is a full-length view of my Party Girl Halloween costume — and I also was trying to channel the ATTITUDE Mary was serving in the scene 😉
The scene in the movie that features this outfit takes place on a New York City street and sidewalk, so I also went to downtown Tacoma for some urban backdrops and inspiration.
I also walked in front of a tiled art mural that features a railing and overlook of “old Tacoma” from the 1800s — again, I was feeling cheeky! — to echo the movie’s street scene in a unique, fun way.
I laughed out loud when I was reviewing photos and saw that my husband captured me taking a quick break. I guess he was feeling cheeky, too! ❤ (Don’t tell him, but this might be my favorite photo of the whole bunch! 😉 )
Mary, the party girl, also wears a variation of this outfit on the cover of a DVD version, which I also happen to own! 😉 So I also playfully recreated this DVD cover:
The Lego Librarian connection
And finally, I enjoyed reusing the “Oranges and Peaches” book cover I had originally created for my Lego Librarian Halloween costume back in 2021! The Lego Librarian minifigure comes with a tiny book prop entitled “Oranges and Peaches,” which is an inside joke that recalls a scene from Party Girl, in which library worker Mary (Parker Posey) mistakes a library patron’s request for Origin of Species.
Can you tell how pleased I am that I was able to connect my Lego Librarian and Party Girl costumes together?! LOL! 😀
I had SO MUCH FUN putting together this Halloween costume, and we also had a lot of fun taking photographs for this blog post. Although I took these photos early in order to be able to publish them on the blog in time for Halloween, trust that I will be rewearing this costume on Halloween itself.
And I am certainly not the first to recreate this iconic look from Party Girl! Enjoy these posts for additional reel librarian style inspiration:
- How to Channel Parker Posey’s “Party Girl” in 2016 – W Magazine
- Get the Downtown Look of the Original Party Girl, Parker Posey – Vogue
- 25 Years Later, the Makers of Party Girl Reflect on the Cult Film’s Fashion Legacy – Vogue
- Revisiting Party Girl: Recreating 10 Looks from Party Girl – Little Golden Age
Did I capture the Party Girl‘s style spirit in my Halloween costume this year? What is your Halloween costume this year? Have you ever dressed up as a reel librarian character? Please leave a comment and share!
REEL LIBRARIANS 
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