‘Party Girl’ | Reel librarian Halloween costume

With a bonus Lego Librarian connection!

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:

Party Girl BluRay cover — Unwrapping my birthday gift, the Party Girl 4K restoration Blu-Ray

Party Girl BluRay interior and booklet — Unwrapping my birthday gift, the Party Girl 4K restoration Blu-Ray

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.”

“Cheb Khaled Party Girl Parker Posey 1995” video uploaded by HBNewYork1, Standard YouTube License

Fashion Week Film GIF By FILMRIS via Giphy.com, used under fair use guidelines

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.

Full-length view of my Party Girl Halloween costume — Tacoma urban backdrop

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!

More stylish reel librarians + archivists

Let’s enjoy more sartorial variety, in and out of the stacks!

Since I’ve been highlighting some real-life librarian style lately, as seen in the most recent post about my librarian-themed jewelry collection, let’s now revisit some reel librarian style! Back in 2016, I spotlighted stylish reel librarians in 2 posts, here and here, and it felt high time to revisit some of the style from reel librarians and archivists I’ve appreciated in the last few years… and add more variety to the list!

(And for a more in-depth, critical analysis of reel librarian style, be sure to check out this post, “Beauty, dress codes, and fashion: Examining twenty fictional White female librarians,” on Burkely Hermann’s Pop Culture Library Review site.)

“Amma” Treadeau in Beautiful Creatures (2013)

Viola Davis plays Amarie “Amma” Treadeau in Beautiful Creatures (2013), and her character in the movie merged two characters from the source novel: Amma Treadeau, a grandmotherly figure and Seer, and Marian Ashcroft, the local librarian (and librarian of the secret Caster libraries). Viola Davis is the best (or only?) reason to watch this middling film, as she gives it her all in a multi-faceted portrayal. She also gives it her all in the style department.

Amma's librarian style in Beautiful Creatures (2013) — A gallery of Amma Treadeau’s style in Beautiful Creatures (2013)

Here’s how I described Amma’s style in my first analysis post about the movie:

I love that her hairstyle, clothing, and jewelry all reflect her Black and African identity and culture. Amma comes across as very rooted in her personal identity, and that her culture — and her personal expression of that culture — help ground her. She experiments with patterns and colors, and her jewelry is always front-and-center. Amma is no wallflower reel librarian. As a Black woman in a South Carolina town that seems mostly full of White people (except at church), there’s no way she could visually blend in, even if she wanted to. And it’s clear she doesn’t want to blend in; rather, she seems to radiate joy and self-confidence in her personal appearance. I found myself looking for Amma in every scene, eagerly anticipating what amazing jewelry or pattern-mixing combination she would wear next.

Lucienne in The Sandman (2022- )

I am a newcomer to The Sandman realm, and I live-tweeted my reactions last fall while watching the first season of The Sandman TV series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s iconic series of graphic novels. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the character of Lucienne, the librarian of The Dreaming, played by Vivienne Acheampong, a British actress of Ghanaian heritage.

Lucienne GIF via Tenor.com — (Left to right, top to bottom): Lucienne Sandman GIF via Tenor.com ; Head Nod Lucienne GIF *via Tenor.com* ; Sorry Lucienne GIF *via Tenor.com*

Here’s what I wrote in my recap reactions post:

Lucienne, the librarian of The Dreaming, played by Vivienne Acheampong. Loved EVERYTHING about this portrayal and character, the actor, the costume, the little elf ears, everything.

Lucienne’s style is very buttoned-up, very tailored, with collared shirts, black suit coat, and waistcoat. I liked the subtle bits of stylish touches like the watch chain on the waistcoat, the skinny little ties/cravats, the swirling swallowtails on the long coat, and the round eyeglasses. Plus, in at least one glorious episode, Lucienne wears a suit in a deep purple color!

All the librarians in A Winter Romance (2021)

A Winter Romance stars White actress Jessica Lowndes as reel librarian Taylor, and also features two Black women as library directors, Jenni Burke as Linda and Darlene Cooke as Joyce. Besides the love of research that Taylor demonstrates throughout this TV movie, the aspect I most enjoyed was the buffet of reel librarian style onscreen, with different kinds of librarian style, both professional and casual style, on different women and age ranges. Each reel librarian had their own distinctive style, which was a treat to see onscreen.

Reel librarian style from A Winter Romance (2021) — Gallery of reel librarian style in A Winter Romance (2021)

In fact, “These librarians have style” was #30 in my post featuring 31 thoughts and questions I had while watching this TV romance! See the full post below:

Adaline in The Age of Adaline (2015)

In late 2016, I watched The Age of Adaline (2015), starring Blake Lively in the title role. Adaline works in San Francisco Heritage Society’s library and archives. In my analysis post, I described her AMAZING style this way:

We also get introduced to the style of Adaline, who is in her prime — and dresses accordingly — through multiple decades. She has a classic style, which comes across as retro-inspired in the present day. She is a lady, and her clothing and hairstyles reflect that. I am definitely adding Adaline to my list of most stylish reel librarians!

Reel Librarians | A collage of Adaline's style through the decades — A collage of Adaline’s style through the decades

I admit it, I’ve rewatched The Age of Adaline just for the swoonworthy style!

Delores Rodriguez in Just Cause (1995)

The thriller Just Cause (1995) stars Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Blair Underwood, Kate Capshaw, and Ed Harris, and also features Emmy-nominated comedian Liz Torres as newspaper archivist Delores Rodriguez.

Although this film itself has major issues — not least of which that Delores is the ONLY LATINX PERSON in a film set in and around Miami and southern Florida, yeah righhhhhhhhhht — let’s for now just enjoy Delores’s fun, colorful style and accessories:

Delores's style in Just Cause — Gallery of Delores’s style in Just Cause (1995)

You can read my entire post below:

Deborah and Evelyn in All About Evil (2010)

Indie horror film All About Evil (2010) was finallllllllly released on Blu-Ray last year, so I was finally able to see this cult classic movie that stars two reel librarians: Natasha Lyonne as Deborah Tennis, and Mink Stole as Evelyn. Deb’s style really evolves AFTER she quits the public library to run her late father’s movie theater; her style, hair, and makeup reflect stylish screen icons, such as Clara Bow and Joan Crawford. Evelyn, the director of a public library branch in San Francisco, also shows a bit of personality in her bold colors, printed tops, and costume jewelry.

A collage of Deb’s and Evelyn’s reel librarian style in All About Evil (2010)

Enjoy more librarian style and shenanigans here in my analysis post for All About Evil:

Any favorites of yours here? Do you have more stylish reel librarians to add to the list? Please leave a comment and share!

Sources used

The Age of Adaline. Dir. Lee Toland Krieger. Perf. Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Harrison Ford, Ellen Burstyn. Lionsgate, 2015.
All About Evil. Dir. Joshua Grannell. Perf. Natasha Lyonne, Mink Stole, Thomas Dekker, Cassandra Peterson. Severin Films, 2010.
Beautiful Creatures. Dir. Richard LaGravenese. Perf. Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson. Summit, 2013. Based on the 2009 novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
Just Cause. Dir. Arne Glimcher. Perf. Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Blair Underwood, Kate Capshaw, Ed Harris. Warner Bros., 1995.
The Sandman. Created by Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg. Perf. Tom Sturridge, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, David Thewlis, Jenna Coleman, Gwendolyn Christie, Kirby Howell-Baptiste. Netflix, 2022. Based on the graphic novel series by Neil Gaiman.
A Winter Romance (aka Colors of Love, An Autumn Romance). Dir. Bradley Walsh. Perf. Jessica Lowndes, Chad Michael Murray, Dennis Andres. Hideaway Pictures via Amazon Prime Video, 2021. Based on the novel The Tycoon’s Kiss by Jane Porter.

Librarian-themed clothing collection (2022 update)

Featuring books, cats, library cards, microfiche, and more!

Related post: Librarian t-shirt collection (Aug. 2014)

My “Librarian t-shirt collection” post from 2014 continues to be one of my most popular posts, again cracking the top 10 viewed posts during this 10th blog anniversary year. As I mentioned back in 2014, I love adding to my personal collection, and indeed, my librarian-themed clothing items has grown substantially since then. I’ve said for awhile that I needed to do an update to that original post… so today is the day!

Please note that this is NOT a sponsored post, and there are no affiliate links in this post. These are are all items from my personal wardrobe that I have either personally purchased or received as gifts from friends and family.

Previous librarian-themed t-shirt collection

First, here is a quick look at the librarian-themed t-shirts I had in my wardrobe back in 2014:

Reel Librarians | Librarian t-shirt collection — Librarian t-shirt collection, as seen in 2014

For details on these t-shirts and their designs, etc., see my “Librarian t-shirt collection” post from 2014.