It is that time of year once again … spooky season! As the leaves turn colors, and you sip on a pumpkin spice latte, the ever-present question looms: what are you going to be for Halloween? It’s always a tricky question, but being a college student on a budget raises unique difficulties. Within this article, I have compiled some suggestions on how to create costumes mostly with clothes that you either already have in your closet or you will wear again. The only other tools you might need are some craft supplies and your imagination.
1. A Modern Take on Classic Costumes
Of course, many people will initially think of classic costumes such as witches and scarecrows when deciding on an inexpensive Halloween costume. Don’t be swayed away from these options because they are common. You can put a unique spin on a classic if you take a step back from your closet and think outside the box. For example, you could do a brightly colored version of a scarecrow or witch instead of sticking to neutrals and black. All you need are the pieces such as dresses or overalls that you would typically see with these costumes. To accompany these, you can match makeup and accessories with your chosen color palette to heighten the look.
2. cartoon characters
Another reliable costume concept is that of cartoon characters. Their character designs are commonly very consistent from episode to episode, and this makes it easy to recognize even when the clothing pieces you use are not exactly the same as what they wear. Additionally, if you go with a classic character such as one of the members of Mystery Inc. from the Scooby-Doo franchise, there have been so many iterations of these characters that virtually any outfit that fits the color scheme of each member would be recognizable. For example, you could wear a purple jumpsuit and a green pendant necklace rather than a purple dress and green scarf as a Daphne costume. To sell your costume further, you could carry around a magnifying glass if you have one, or even make one out of paper. (Got to love a trusty DIY project!)
3. cElebrity Looks (IRL Or ON-screen)
Finally, you could turn to celebrity inspiration for your costume. There are two paths that you can take here: celebrity fashion or live-action character styling in movies or TV shows. If you choose the celebrity fashion route, between award shows, street style, performance looks and late-night show appearances, there are so many options that people will recognize. You can try to recreate a look verbatim, or if you find a celebrity like Stevie Nicks or Madonna that have a very definable style and create a new outfit from your closet inspired by them. When you choose such an iconic celeb, people are bound to love your look! And, of course, you can always DIY props! (Think, microphones.)
Whatever you choose, Halloween is supposed to be fun, so don’t stress. You’ll look great! Happy costume hunting and happy spooky season!
