Spooky season is here, October is right around the corner, and it’s time to start planning those costumes. This night of dress-up and “anything goes” only comes around once a year, so we need to take advantage. Think costumes that will turn heads and allow room for creativity and personal style. Here’s the full guide:
Solos:
Fancy Nancy
Every cool girl’s favorite childhood storybook character, this girl knew style. Heal your inner child with this costume by wearing those red high heels that you finally fit into and don’t hold back. This is a costume to go all out on. We’re talking multiple boas, some sort of drapey kimono, patterned tights, frilly socks, glittery makeup, a bold lip, and maybe even some fairy wings. Make Nancy proud with this one.
David Bowie (Aladdin Sane)
Be the coolest in the room with Bowie’s blue and red lightning bolt painted across your face. But don’t stop there; the face paint is just the beginning of this costume. Really sell it with some sort of 60’s boxy cut or babydoll blue mini dress and some bright tights and some silver ballet flats.
Princess and the Pea:
Go the classic route with a long, ruffly nighty, or go 90’s with it with a slinky maroon slip dress. Blow out your hair and finish off the look with a tiara. I think a pea jelly cat could be adorable for the prop, but there are bonus points if you dress your cat or dog up as your pea.
Garden Gnome:
This can be such a silly, fun costume that will have people giggling at the charm of your outfit. Really lean into a vintage feel for this one. Obviously, start with the pointed red cap and then, working down, a frilly, colonial-looking white top worn under some thrifted, potentially even embroidered, overalls would be perfect. Think along the lines of some Mary Jane Doc Martians for the shoes, with some bold or really frilly socks.
Duos:
Black and White Swan
Go for the dramatic Natalie Portman ballerina look if you and your white swan want to be the classiest and most stunning at the party. I also like the idea of taking the more cutesy approach, with poofy tutus and wings.
Princess and Knight
I like the idea of going really classic Renaissance style with this one, with the princess in a long, drapey, perhaps velvet dress and one of those pointed caps with long, cascading ribbon. Find some sort of chainmail headpiece for the knight, with over-the-top silver eye makeup and some tall statement boots or strappy heels.
Challenger’s Boys
This is going to be a crowd favorite, and it is PERFECT for any blonde/brunnette duo. DIY two baby tees: one with the black “I told ya” lettering, and the other bright red with “Stanford” across the front. Pair with some mini boxer shorts and tall striped socks with an adidas Samba or Onitsuka Tiger, and of course, tennis rackets for both.
Couples:
Betty Boop and Popeye
SO fun and different, I’d love to see this one this Halloween. Popeye can get really aesthetic with this one, leaning into the navy sailor vibe and even adding the fake tattoo for fun. This is a great non-basic costume option for the guys. Then, of course, Miss Boop has so much opportunity to have fun with her outfit and look her absolute best. This could be a fun opportunity for some really eccentric hair styling to recreate Betty’s shiny, exaggerated curls.
Fight Club
This couple’s costume could actually go one of two ways. Nothing could be more iconic than going all out as Marla Singer with her wild hair and deep, dark eye makeup, not to mention her crazy outfits throughout the movie. So dressing up as her and her lover, Tyler Durden, is a show-stopping option. However, it could also be fun to go a more unexpected route and have the couple each dressed up as one of the two main characters, the narrator and Tyler. This could also, of course, work great as a duo’s costume.
1996’s Romeo and Juliet
Overdone? Perhaps. Cool and cute every time? Absolutely yes. I am never disappointed when I see the little white angel wings and drapey dress paired with a nice knight. It is perfectly recognizable while still being artsy and classy.
Stars
Lana Del Rey Lust for Life
There’s something so ethereal and timeless about Lana’s daisy-adorned bride ensemble on the cover of this album. There are so many beautiful women out there who would absolutely kill this look dead, and there’s also some really fun opportunity for wacky 1960s eye makeup. It could also be cool to thrift many of the pieces of this costume, like the vintage-looking veil and white dress. Maybe do some DIY with the daisies!
Stevie Nicks
This icon is criminally overlooked when it comes to Halloween costumes. Pull inspiration from some of the old photography of her on stage in the 60s with her long, wavy hair and drapey, bell-sleeved gowns. If these looks are hard to tackle, another awesome way to dress as Stevie is from her ballerina album cover. The only tricky part about this costume is that I’m afraid the groovy rock and roll bangs are essential, and you will have to get the Stevie haircut to rock this one. (Not really, but definitely think about it :)
Elton John
Elton is the king of bright colors, patterns, and glitter himself, and he would be such a fantastically fun star to dress up as. Again, some really masterful thrifting could send this look over the edge if you could find some sort of bright, feathery, shoulder-padded jacket or jumpsuit. A bright, perhaps even sparkling lip paired with some massive sequined glasses would make for the best flash digital photos.
Groups:
Alice and Wonderland
This can be really corny and lame if done wrong, but there’s so much creative opportunity within this group of characters that most people seem to just be scratching the surface. Get really artsy with it and do some crazy Cheshire Cat makeup. Throw on wigs and suspenders with wacky shoes and put Alice in a frilly blue ensemble with conflicting patterns and textures. This group look could really steal the show if people are willing to go over the top and messy with it.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
This is such a fun and versatile group option. Make it silly and comfy by getting with your girls and going for the Adam Sandler look with backward baseball caps and overly oversized T-shirts with the big A, S, and T’s on them. Make it more girly and dressy by finding some cute mini skirts and dressing up as the chippets. However, the best-case scenario would be finding a bigger group of six and going as the chipmunks AND the chippets.
Tinker Bell Fairies
SO fun for a big group of girls because everyone can choose a color/character and really lean into their own personal style. These outfits should be as whimsical as possible, of course. I’m imagining way too much body glitter, little star and heart wands with ribbons, and brightly colored or patterned tights with ballet flats.