If you haven’t already begun to think about what you’re going to wear for this upcoming Halloweekend, it’s time to get started! But with so many options and ideas floating around, it’s hard to choose a Halloween costume that’s both cute and recognizable, but that sets you apart from the rest. This spooky season, channel your inner cool girl with these unique costume ideas.
- Vintage Vibes
Why try to reinvent the wheel when there are already so many cute costume ideas from the past? Amidst an emerging obsession with everything vintage, this is the perfect idea for thrifting your outfit or pulling from well-loved pieces that you already own.
One of my favorite vintage costumes right now is Pierrot clowns, which draws inspiration from an Italian theater stock character. Layer a white, frilly top with striped tights, and paint your face in black-and-white clown makeup! Even better, DIY your own conical hat for the perfect clown look!
Another one of my favorite ideas is vintage bat costumes! You can wear almost anything black, though for a classic look, opt for a body suit or leotard and black tights. Pair it with a bat wings shawl, and you’ve got an easy and recognizable costume. If you’re feeling extra crafty, try sewing a bat-ear bonnet to tie the look together.
- Film Reference
Perfect for any cinephile, dress as a character from your favorite film! For a last-minute costume, choose movies that are easily thriftable or resemble clothes you already have in your closet. 1980s slasher flicks are a great way to flaunt your impeccable taste, as well as simplify the process of sourcing your pieces—just splatter some blood for added flair.
If you’re not a horror junkie, try pulling inspiration from your favorite indie film. Put on a pleated skirt and wrap your arm in a pink bandage for a perfect Ladybird reference, or wear a fox-ear headband and yellow patterned dress, just like Mrs. Fox in Fantastic Mr. Fox.
- Cute Fruit
Explore a more abstract costume idea by dressing as a rendition of your favorite fruit! Not only is it super charming, but it’s also easy to mix-and-match clothing and accessory pieces that fit your personal style.
Use monochromatic pieces and a fruity accessory to represent the costume. For example, to dress as a strawberry, wear a red top or dress, green hair bows, and a matching hat. Or maybe as an apple, with a red beret and gingham top. The possibilities are really endless, so get creative!
- Bugs & Insects
Not so creepy-crawly, try out a cute bug- or insect-inspired costume! The resurgence of Y2K trends has brought about a renewed interest in lingerie-based costume brands like Leg Avenue, including its sold-out Daisy Bug costume. Likewise, ladybugs and similar flying insects are very in trend right now! But there are plenty of ways to put your own unique twist on the look, with plenty of insectoid inspiration to draw from.
Try wearing a striped green top and a bug-antenna headband for a cool-looking caterpillar costume, or buy a pair of iridescent wings and wear a sparkling, multicolored dress for a whimsical dragonfly costume!
The bug costume also opens plenty of avenues to punny costumes! Pair the bug-antenna with a slip dress and eye mask for a “bed bug” costume, or carry around a glowing lantern and sport a moth-wing shawl to be a “moth drawn to a flame.”
- Children’s Book Characters
Feeling nostalgic for the past? Pull from the whimsical imagination of children’s books and their colorfully-illustrated worlds! Like film reference costumes, the opportunities are very expansive, with plenty of stories to choose from.
Some favorites include Paddington Bear, which can easily be created by wearing a blue duffel coat or denim dress, red hat, and using makeup to create a cute bear nose; Fancy Nancy, with an overload of accessories, frilly clothes and tutus, and her signature tiara; or wear some blue cat ears, lace up a pair of high-top Converse shoes, and hold an inflatable prop guitar for an unmistakable Pete the Cat costume.
- Literary References
For those of more classical taste, there are plenty of options to choose from across the literary canon. Shakespearean characters already exist in the world of theatre, so perhaps pull inspiration from the many costumes in stage and film depictions, such as Claire Danes’ iconic masquerade costume in Romeo + Juliet (1996).
Maybe you’re more into young adult and contemporary fiction. Wear a black bodysuit with leather accessories and boots, tie your hair into a braid, and hold a prop bow and arrows for the perfect Katniss Everdeen costume. Or dress Hollister-chic with early-aughts-inspired long sleeve tops and skinny jeans for a Twilight-inspired costume as Bella Swan.
- Medieval Princess
The artistry of Lady Gaga and Chappell Roan has helped usher in a resurgence of the medieval revival, which saw its first wave in fashion during the 1970s, as well as in Dark Fantasy imagery popularized in the 1980s. For this reason, dressing as a medieval princess is the perfect costume to both stay relevant with ongoing fashion trends and provide a sense of whimsy to this Halloween season.
The medieval princess look can be achieved by wearing a long dress with long trumpet sleeves or a corset and skirt, lots of velvet or silk, and a conical-style hat, called a hennin. Hennins are easily DIY-able, crafted from cardstock or paper to form the cone base, then covered with fabric, and accessorized with ribbons. However, if you don’t feel like making it yourself, there are plenty of small businesses on sites like Etsy that sell hennins pre-made for costume and Renaissance Fair use!
- DCOM Realness
The often musical and eclectic universes of Disney Channel Original Movies, colloquially referred to as DCOMs, are the perfect source of inspiration for fun, recognizable Halloween costumes. DCOMs had their renaissance in the early 2000s, where bright colors and layering were constantly worn by young stars on the premiere runway. Skirts and dresses over jeans, sparkling fabrics, and layered tank tops are also more-than-prevalent in these films
Wear a pink, sparkling top and skirt, paired with a silver-sequined bolero (and don’t forget to accessorize and hold a prop microphone) for a recreation of Sharpay from High School Musical’s bold style. Or wear a red-and-white polka-dot dress, a pink flapper dress, a leather jacket and pants, or a yellow, Hawaiian-print dress to resemble the characters from the iconic Teen Beach Movie.