It blows my mind how much money some people spend on Halloween costumes, especially in college. First of all, it’s college. Anything goes. Second of all, it’s college. Whatever you wear will need to withstand Halloweekend parties and allow you room to move. So buh bye store-bought costumes. …But you and I both know you can do better than that anyway. (AND have you seen the price of those lately??)
Halloween is the one day a year that you can wear—or be—basically anything you want, so I’m all for getting creative and going all out. You could totally do a DIY costume, and I have so much respect and awe for people that get crafty and make or sew their own costumes. So as I said, you could totally do that. But I’m here to help out the rest of us who can’t sew, can’t handle crafts, don’t have time, or otherwise do not want to DIY it.
The solution: put together a super cute costume with regular clothes and perhaps a couple not-so-regular items. It’s the perfect balance between getting creative and keeping it very doable. AND it won’t cost a lot—or will cost nothing at all, depending on what you choose. Here are my three rules of thumb for building your own costume:
- It doesn’t make sense to buy a bunch of extra stuff that you won’t wear again just to create an outfit for one night, especially in college when your storage space and budget are limited. Therefore, rely as much as possible on items you already own. Think of how you can re-purpose some basic clothing items. There are so many costume options out there, and buying nothing at all is very doable.
- If you do choose a costume that calls for one or two extra things you will have to buy, make sure those things are either inexpensive or something that you will wear again—ideally both! I pick costumes in this category because they allow for more creativity than sticking strictly to what I already own. Sure, I don’t know how often I will wear a tutu that I buy, but it’s definitely good for something. This is college, after all.
- Most importantly, keep in mind that makeup can be such a huge part of a great costume, and I think we all have some of that on hand. Makeup is always a big part of my costume because I really enjoy putting on elaborate makeup—it’s like artwork to me. And how many other times a year do I get to rock some really intense or really crazy makeup look?
Now for some concrete examples of how sticking to those rules can still give you a great costume. Here are 5 examples I’ve chosen based on my personal experience—a combination of costumes I considered for this year, costumes I’ve worn in the past, costumes my friends have worn, and the costume that I will be wearing this year!
1. A little black dress costume—because almost all of us have one hanging in the closet right now. I considered these two ideas for my own costume this year: Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s) or a flapper. They’re both pretty similar, actually. And simple!
For Holly, pair your LBD with a long string of pearls draped multiple times over your collarbones, elegant black gloves (elbow length is best, but if you already own shorter ones that you wear as regular gloves, those would work too!), black pumps, an elegant updo, and a sparkly hairpiece. Don’t forget the classic Hollywood cat eye makeup look! Sunglasses and cigarette holder optional.
For a flapper, pair the LBD with the same pumps, the same long string of pearls (but this time, worn in two strands hanging down in front of you), and a feathered hair accessory or headband. Picture yourself partying with Gatsby.
Check out this Her Campus article for more ideas on how to use an LBD!
2. A “gold digger.” I was so close to choosing this for this year! Wear metallic gold or gold-colored clothing (like a dress or tank top/skirt combo), pile on literally all the gold jewelry you have, go crazy with the gold makeup and body glitter, and wear a hard hat or carry a small plastic shovel so people get what you are. The one chance you’ll get to wear as much gold as humanly possible (and be witty at the same time). Check out this article for ideas on how to be a gold-digger!
3. Sandy in the final dance number Grease—inspired by friend’s costume this year. Tight, high-waisted black pants, tight off-the-shoulder (or boatneck) black top, wide belt, black leather jacket, fierce heels (red, if you have them). Pairs well with a guy going as Danny. ;)
4. A mermaid—I did this last year and loved how easy, yet cute (and potentially edgy) it was! Wear a tight green skirt, longer is better—I actually bought a dark green maxi skirt for this last year (easily worn again as a regular skirt) and cinched it behind my knees to create the mermaid tail silhouette. Then, unless you happen to have some brilliant shell or ocean-y top, pair it with a swimsuit top, bandeau, or crop top. I chose purple because I was trying to copy Ariel’s look from The Little Mermaid. Then pile on all the ocean-y jewelry you have! Complete the look with dramatic ocean-inspired eye shadow. Shoes technically optional, but highly recommended (I wore flip flops.)
Here’s my look from last year! (Also note my friends’ costumes—two other simple, yet cute costumes to put together!)
5. The Black Swan. A beautifully intense look that also gives you an excuse to wear a tutu. You’ll need to have a black tutu, so this would be a “buy” item…unless you already own one? (Props if you do.) I bought one for less than $10 on Amazon. Then, there are a couple options for the rest of the outfit. a) Wear a black bodycon dress under the tutu (strapless is best). b) Wear very short black spandex shorts under the tutu and on top, wear either a black tube top, tank top, or—the most striking option—corset. Don’t buy a corset unless you think you’ll wear it again for other costumes.
So there you have it! If you don’t like any of these, dressing up as a character from a movie or TV show of your choice is another great option—and many of them won’t require anything beyond regular clothes and the right hair and makeup.
No matter what you decide to dress up as, have fun! Think about what you’d be excited to wear when Halloweekend finally rolls around. And take pride in the fact that you will not be yet another “sexy black cat” at the party.