Hocus Pocus Sanderson Sisters' Costume

We are now in the full swing of October, which means it's time for the Sanderson Sisters to come back to life! I am referring, of course, to the 1993 classic, Hocus Pocus. Since vintage is technically anything 20 years or older, I am stunned to tell you that Hocus Pocus can now be considered vintage!

Vintage or not, I have an annual Hocus Pocus viewing party, and I am already menu planning spooky treats for this year's festivities. I get pretty excited about it, to say the least.

Really Bringing the Sanderson Sisters Back to Life

Creating a Sanderson Sisters' costume is as easy as some thrifting, hairspray, and a wee bit of sewing!

Mary, Winifred, and Sarah

Getting Ready to Run Amuck! Amuck! Amuck!

I will refer to the sisters by their movie names for simplicity sake, but Winifired and Sarah were played by my dear friends Whitney and Lindsay.

The Clothes

• Mary's under and over blouse and skirt, Sarah's skirt. Thrifted at Goodwill. 
• Striped tights. Target. 
• Note: Winifred's tights are the same as Mary's, just dyed with green Rit Dye.
• Winifred's dress, coat. Anthropologie. 
• Sarah's corset. Simplicity 3623, view B.

Winifred also has on various underskirts that came from her personal closet.

The Hair

To make Mary's hair, you'll need: 

• A wire hanger.
• Hair spray. 
• Bobby pins, hair tie. 

Steps: 

1. Unwind the wire hanger and coil it into the desired shape. 
2. Put your hair into a high pony tail. 
3. Secure the wire hanger to your hair at the base of the pony tail. 
4. Wrap the hair around the hanger, pinning and spraying the begeezus out of it with hair spray.

You can see the wire hanger fairly well in this photo. I did a bit too much dancing late in the evening, and it flopped. Sad Mary.

Winifred curled her hair with a curling iron, then pinned it up with bobby pins. Sarah did simple, loose curls. We also did a bit of fun 90s makeup styling to really complete the look.

Other Things You'll Need

• A dedication to make the same face in every picture, if you've chosen to play Mary or Winifred. 
• Brooms, mops, swiffers, etc. for your midnight ride to meet Billy in the graveyard.
• Wigs, if you aren't lucky enough to find friends who love Hocus Pocus as much as you do and have the right hair color. I struck gold!

Stay tuned for more Halloween sewing and decorating fun!