Byron: So we’re here with Alayna Trier for a special edition of Bust-A-Fit: The Halloween Edition. And you have a very interesting costume. Tell me about it.
Alayna: I made my own costume. I always make my own Halloween costumes. And this year I did Cher from “Clueless,” which is one of my favorite movies. I just thought it’s a really fun look - her yellow look at the beginning of the movie. I thought I could pull it off and it was really fun to put together.
Byron: Who are some of the characters that you did in the past?
Alayna: Last year, I made a Winnie the Pooh costume. I made his shirt and I wore yellow pants. So that one was fun. I guess it’s just always characters that I like and that are from movies or TV that I like.
Byron: How do you go about making your own costume?
Alayna: I’ve always kind of been a creative type. I really like music and that kind of stuff. I’m not great at sewing or anything. I only do it for fun stuff like this. It saves me money for stuff like this. I don’t like to buy costumes. And sometimes I resize things that I buy and sew things. It’s just always something I’ve done a little bit.
Byron: In high school, I know I wouldn’t dress up because it was something for kids. Do you ever worry about that?
Alayna: I think for girls in high school, it’s a little different. We would go to parties and stuff and it was more normalized for girls to still do it.
Byron: Why?
Alayna: I don’t know. It’s just fun. I reused my Winnie the Pooh costume in high school for a homecoming dress-up day. And two of my friends dressed up as Tigger and Piglet from Winnie the Pooh. So I don’t know. It was just, a lot of people did that at my high school. It was just kind of fun.
Byron: What do you think about the people who come in with the sexy costumes? Do you think that might be one of the reasons it’s so normalized for girls?
Alayna: That’s true, yeah. It’s kind of an opportunity for girls to look nice on Halloween too. I don’t know. I think however you want to dress for it, whatever kind of costume you’re into. It still can be fun. It’s up to you.
Byron: You never considered being a basic cat or anything like that?
Alayna: No. I go out on Halloween and there’s fifty girls dressed like a cat. I don’t think that’s as fun. I really enjoy coming up with the idea and making it on my own and seeing it all come together. If you dress up like a cat, there are not as many steps to it. It’s not a process.
Byron: In terms of Halloween culture at DePauw, how would you describe it?
Alayna: I don’t go out a lot. It’s not my favorite. But I like to go out on special occasions. On Halloween. The first weekend that the first-years go out is always fun. I think Halloween is always fun because everybody kind of participants and goes along with it. And it’s not like a typical party: everybody just kind of wears the same thing. It’s more of an occasion for Halloween. Everybody gets dressed up and I love everything that comes along with it. Like I said, the food, the decorations. Me and my roommate both really love fall and Halloween, so our room is all decked out. I don’t - it’s just different.
Byron: Who are some of the characters that you would want to do in the future?
Alayna: Oh, in the future. So, I had two ideas this year, and I ended up going with Cher because I already had some stuff that I wanted to use for that costume. But I also thought about Sandy from Grease. She’s the main blonde girl. I also go for blonde characters a lot so I can [wear it more easily].
Byron: What are some of your favorite horror films?
Alayna: I’m not super into horror films. I get scared easily. I loved “Quiet Place.” That was a really good one. I watched “It” - wasn’t into it. It was kind of too scary for me. I watched “Bird Box.” That was alright. But I don’t do a lot of the horror stuff.
Byron: How do you see your concepts and ideas for costumes changing over time? Senior year - do you even see yourself celebrating Halloween?
Alayna: I think so. I just think it’s so fun. And it’s a cool way to be creative, so I’ll probably keep doing it. I think now that I’m in college, and I have a lot more independence...freedom. I have some of my own money. I’ve been able to get a little more creative with them. I don’t know, I think it also changes as my taste change. I decided to do the “Clueless” one ‘cause I’ve always really liked that movie, but I just recently rewatched it and was thinking about it in terms of Halloween. It kind of just changes as I change, depending on what I’m into at the time.
