In a viral video, TikToker Lizzie Dushaj (@lizziedushaj) recounts her experience visiting Trashy Lingerie, the infamous Halloween store where influencers and celebrities buy their costumes.
Trashy Lingerie piqued Dushaj’s interest after learning that singer Madison Beer shops there, but the experience and seeing the price tags of Trashy Lingeries’s items left Dushaj feeling “physically sick.”
She says the first red flag is that “you have to pay $2 to get into the store. Which isn’t a lot of money, but like why do you have to pay money to go into a Halloween store?”
Once entering the store and paying the $2 fee, she says her initial impression was that “these costumes are really cute, [but they look] like a glorified version of Party City costumes.” She says she was drawn to a Harry Potter costume. Her first instinct was to check the price tag, she recalls.
“I gasped,” she says. “I had to make sure it was in USD. The skirt alone was $300. You then also had to purchase the $300 corset. Then also had to purchase the $200 cardigan,” she continues.
She says she then checked the price tags of multiple costumes. “Every single costume was in the $500 to $1,000 range,” she explains.
@lizziedushaj i recognized half the costumes from seeing people post in them
♬ original sound – lizzie dushaj
Trashy Lingerie is a long-standing Hollywood fixture that has been dressing celebrities such as Madonna, Katy Perry, Stevie Nicks, Playboy bunnies, and Ariana Grande since the 1970s. For years, it has charged shoppers a $2 annual membership fee to access its famous costumes and handmade goods.
According to Vogue, Trashy Lingerie’s owner Randy Shrier says that “always focusing on the product—and never compromising on quality” is the key to their success, and potentially the reasoning behind their high price points. “We’re going to design something that looks good and fits well, and whatever it costs [to make it], that’s what it costs,” Shrier shares.
Yet, TikToker Dushaj disagrees. “Personally, I don’t care how much money you have, I don’t think that anyone should be spending that much money on a costume that you wear for approximately one hour to go to a crowded Halloween party,” she argues.
Dushaj’s viral video has over a million views and thousands of comments. Many viewers shared Dushaj’s shock at Trashy Lingerie’s 2-dollar membership fee and high price points. “Entrance fee for a store I never heard about in my life,” one commented.
While others defend Trashy Lingerie’s prices, citing its status as an iconic Hollywood fixture. “Yo, this place..is ICONIC… they alter it to you too usually,” a viewer shared.
Viewers cited their custom high-quality garments as a justification for their prices. “I bought a corset from them almost 20 years ago, and have a few second-hand prices from thrifting, their stuff is amazing,” a viewer commented. While another shared, “These pieces are handmade by someone, I understand that it’s expensive for normal people but for celebrities, I feel like it’s nothing.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Lizzie Dushaj and Trashy Lingerie via email.