Costume Shopping with Grandmother

I think visiting costume shops as a little girl is one of the things that inspired me to love all things Halloween. We only got to go a few times, just before this monster Halloween party my parents went to every year when I was young; after they got home, I'd make my Mom tell me every excruciating detail she could remember about the costumes and the decor, refusing to go to sleep until she'd gone over every bit, right down to the skeleton in a wheelchair that the hostess used to block of the upstairs bedrooms from her guests... I wanted to go so badly.

Today was my first visit to a costume rental shop since I was about 8 or 9. My grandmother needed a "flapper" dress to wear to a Rose Society event in November (she's going as a "Flapper Rose"). It was wonderful.

Vintage by Judith is off Marietta square, through this incredible door. Right away I liked the place.

Then you march up some terrifically steep stairs. I liked this part as well; it made the whole event feel more mysterious and hidden.


They had vintage wear of all kinds. Rows and rows of it. I was in Heaven.


I found my back-up wedding dress in one of the back rooms, I think. The back rooms are filled with actual vintage wedding gowns and all the hoop-skirted formal wear that the sororities rent out when they have their civil war era formals(they're strange like that here in the south).

Since the wedding is going to allow costumes, my mom suggested I have my bridesmaids rent gowns here. I'm still mulling that over; it would be cool, but I am not convinced that just having them in black/silver/orange formal wear with the option of masks wouldn't do the trick just as well. I will definitely give the information about the shop to my guests, though.

Decisions, decisions.