By the time this comes out, the countdown to Halloween will be over. Maybe you loved your outfit and feel like out-doing yourself next time, or maybe you were a bit disappointed how it came out and are ready for redemption at next year’s Halloween bash. Either way, here are some ideas for outfits that you can use to highlight your creativity, style and dedication to the spooky season.
1. Monster High
Earlier this year Monster High released Katseye’s cover of their theme song ‘Fright Song’. Instead of dressing them like the franchise’s main characters, the creative team collaborated with the members to create stylistically unique concepts for each of their ‘ghoul-personas’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxY5l4ZK61I&list=RDBxY5l4ZK61I&start_radio=1
Their outfits gave appreciation to their cultural heritages, honing in on the rich history of storytelling that is specific to the places they come from. If you identify with those cultures, you can use the outfits worn by the Katseye members as reference: Sophia as a Filipino Manananggal, Manon as the descendant of the African Mami Wata Sea Creature, Daniela as a Werewolf, Megan as a Chinese Huli Jing, Lara as a South Asian Rakshasa and Yoonchae as a South Korean Jangsanbeom. On the other hand, if you don’t, (or just want to use a different story) you could perhaps research a lore that originates from your culture and adapt it into an outfit for yourself.
In terms of Daniela’s character design, werewolves are not specific to the folklore of her cultural background. However, her personal identity as a Cuban-Venezuelan woman is still shown through the styling of her and her doll.
“Mine has curly hair, and I think that’s a big part. I wanted to incorporate that into my doll because that’s a big part of me and my culture – just embracing my natural curls…”.
In an interview with Her Campus, she mentions how representation of her identity is shown through her Monster High character. Like with Daniela’s design, if your heritage is not able to show through your outfit, consider your hair as a way to implement important cultural features.
Some other questions to consider:
- Does your character have specific non-human ears?
- Could you incorporate traditional jewellery from your culture into your outfit? Fun fact – Lara’s doll has a bindi, connecting her doll to the deep spiritual significance of her heritage,
- What colour palette will you use to tell the story?
- If you decide to do nail art, would it make sense for them to be any specific shape, colour or texture?
I think this is a great way to credit your cultural identity, making your outfit personal to you in a way that is artistic, inclusive and appreciative to your background – bonus points if you design a doll in your likeness like the Monster High creators did for Katseye!
2. DIY Costumes and Props
If you’re thinking of a larger scale, intricate design where the pieces might be more difficult to buy online, the best way to customise your outfit how you want is to dabble in a bit of DIY. We should commend and take inspiration from the community that creates jaw-dropping pieces every time – the cosplayers. Whatever it is that you wish to go as – from a high fantasy character completed with a magical sceptre, to a being that is part machine – look towards the cosplay community as they share some of the best ways to customise your outfits.
A lot of cosplayers I see use EVA foam which is a lightweight and flexible material; if the outfit requires it to be attached to you, consider creating smaller pieces that you can layer. For example, instead of creating one piece that encompasses your whole arm, think about splitting it into at least two pieces: one for your upper arm, and one for the lower part. Considering where your joints are and the fact that you may want to bend and stretch your limbs, are essential to making sure your mobility is not restricted on your fun Halloween night.
Another material that could be useful is foam clay. It is very moldable which allows you to shape and sculpt details onto it before drying. Top tip – it does sometimes expand and get puffy when it dries which is easily fixable with a bit of sanding paper if you feel that it isn’t what you expected. Its greatest benefit is its potential to create those small details of your outfit: fake gems, metal work or any other wearable prop your character has.
Having a one-layered, flat costume could be detrimental to the intricacy and overall ‘realistic’ look. However, this is all circumstantial as it really depends on what you decide to be. Regardless, using foam gives you the freedom to create features that would be hard to get anywhere else. There are really no limits when it comes to DIY.
3. Face-painting
If you’re one to watch a lot of makeup videos online, you might have heard about eyeshadow/eyeliner sealant. I have seen it used in two ways: dabbed on top of eye makeup to make it water resistant and added to eye shadow to create eyeliner. I propose another technique, one inspired by popular Halloween face paint.
If you have ever wanted to create streaks down your face but feel that face paint palettes don’t have your desired colour or are not watery enough to drip down, I suggest you try out the sealant. You can create any colour liquid solution by mixing it with your chosen eyeshadow. Then, take a pipette (or a brush if you don’t have one) and drip the solution down your face. This will create a style that is both controlled and spooky.
The sealant makes the colour much more pigmented than it would have been if you just put the eyeshadow on as it is. Also, since it is not dry, the streaks will look more natural and you have the option to decide what particular shade you want. I tried this 2 years ago and was very pleased with the result and therefore recommend it. Make sure you check the contents of any makeup product before putting it on your face as you may be sensitive to certain products. Another thing I would say as a disclaimer is to make sure you have something underneath your chin to catch the droplets so they don’t stain your clothes… I learnt that the hard way.