Thrift It Like Leslie Knope

Leslie Knope has solidified herself in modern TV history as someone we all want to model ourselves after. (I certainly do!) What people may not know is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money crafting that perfect Leslie Knope cosplay. I’m here today to show you how you can build that perfect budget Leslie Knope.

In all, I spent under $50 on this cosplay. Everything was thrifted save for the badge and wig.

In my early days of cosplay, I was a poor college student. I couldn’t afford my own sewing machine or expensive screen-accurate clothing. I turned to thrifting to fill in the gaps. Now, I have the means to sew and acquire those special pieces. However, I haven’t given up thrifting.

When you decide to go on your own thrifting journey, you have to remember the landmarks of your character. One of the things I like to do is carry reference pictures on my phone. In this case, Leslie Knope’s style reads as energetic, organized, and bright. Bright is the keyword you’ll want to focus on as you search for those perfect thrifted pieces. (I’ll expand on this more in a bit.)

Key Looks

There are a few key looks that Leslie Knope sports in the series. Arguably, the orange shirt, gray suit look is the most well-known – especially because this is her outfit in the Pilot episode. Personally, it’s the one I’ve chosen to go with for my own cosplay. In reality, any look from the promotional images or the opening title sequence will do.

Leslie’s Closet

We can see from the above looks that Leslie usually sports two main elements in all of her outfits. We’re going to use this framework to build our cosplay:

1. Neutral colored suit jacket and pants or a skirt to match
2. Bright and/or patterned blouses

Let me be the first to say that finding a pantsuit at a thrift store can be challenging. Resign yourself to needing to possibly buy two similar pieces (jacket and pants and/or skirt) to emulate this element. (Plus, isn’t that the fun and challenge of thrifting?) Honestly, any neutral choice fits here.

The later seasons of Parks and Recreation show Leslie wearing brighter colored pantsuits, more fashion-forward blouses, and stylish evening wear. If this is your thing (I am there with you), get out your Fleetwood Mac sex pants and rock that look!

You have a lot of wiggle room to choose from when it comes to the blouse portion of this look. Whether a patterned or bright solid shirt, neither should be hard to find while thrifting. At some local thrift stores, you can even find tops like these for under $5.

The Finishing Touches

While the clothes are 99 percent of this look, we also want to throw in some accessories as that cherry on top.

Any sensible black pump or even a square heeled black boot would do nicely as a shoe choice. You can commonly find these in thrift stores for under $10 a pair. Consider adding a Leslie Knope ID badge or “Vote Knope” button to your look. You can purchase these or even make them yourself.

Wigs, on the other hand, can be a bit more work to search for. Here are two inexpensive options that I’ve found to be decent matches for Leslie’s commonly sported hairstyle.

Option 1

This wig is reminiscent of Leslie’s trademark look in the first few seasons. This is similar to the wig I used for the first few years of doing this cosplay. Not a bad choice for only $22.

Option 2

This wig is great if you’re trying to capture Leslie’s look from the later seasons of the show. I just purchased this wig myself, and am looking forward to wearing it. Again, not a bad option for $14.

Go Forth & Cosplay

Now that you have your framework for this cosplay, I wish you luck as you go forth on your own thrifting adventure. Be sure to have fun finding the pieces that shout Leslie Knope to you.

If you want more cosplay tips, or want to see other cosplays I’ve done, you can find me at my website or on Instagram. I am also on the upcoming Sartorial Geek Fashion Fix panel at New York Comic Con where I’ll be expanding upon this blog post as well as talking about geek chic “boss” looks.

I’ll be back again soon with more cosplay and geek chic tips for all you nerdy people!