I Love the '90s Dance Party

Leanne Costa's outfit: “Did I do that?” Steve Urkel T-shirt she found on amazon.com and chopped short herself; vintage cutoff jean shorts she found on etsy.com; black combat boots from Target; a slap beer holder, above right, that was a party giveaway, worn as a slap cuff bracelet; gold hoop earrings, above left, from Claire's; flannel shirt from Target. ( Karen Jackson/photos for the Baltimore Sun )

To say that Leanne Costa, 33, stepped outside the box for the fashion she flaunted at the I Love the '90s Dance Party she co-hosted is putting it mildly.

“My style is probably more on the preppy side. I'm more of a J. Crew-Vineyard Vines type of girl,” said the Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson marketing associate.

But feeling not quite in her element — with her homemade cropped T-shirt and shorter shorts than she ever wears in “real life” — didn't compare with the real emotions behind the event. She and sister Jody Costa first put on the party four years ago in honor of their friend, Mia Loizeaux, who had just died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

“She loved a good dance party. When we first chose [the theme], nobody was doing '90s dance parties. She's the one who introduced to me the Ulman Cancer Fund [for Young Adults]. They were a big help to her when she was first diagnosed,” said Leanne Costa. The '90s party benefits the Ulman Cancer Fund.

“It started as friends and family. Now, there are people coming we don't even know,” Costa said.

“I don't think there's anything else you can do that makes you feel better than giving back and helping a good cause. When it's something so personal, it's even more impactful.”

The Mia connection in her closet: “[After Mia died], her fiance offered her clothes to her friends. She had these brand-new Frye boots that she had never worn, and they fit me perfectly. And every time I wear them, I think of her. To wear those for her is pretty awesome.”