As we learned from Karen Smith in Mean Girls, what makes Halloween fun is getting to dress up as anything your heart desires. One night a year we get to be anything we want just for fun. What’s not so fun, though, is the price tag on a lot of those costumes. Trying to avoid spending a fortune on something you’ll wear once can be tricky, but really, who wants to spend $50 on a Halloween outfit? I know I don’t, and finding cute Halloween costumes and staying on a budget is tricky. That’s why I’m here with five closet staples you probably already own and some costumes you can make out of them. They might require a couple of new accessories, but spending $20 on small pieces seems much better than $50 on an entire outfit.
- Little Black Dress
There are endless possibilities with a little black dress, even outside of Halloween! Even though the costume option of a black dress seems basic, the beauty is that you can always put your own spin on them. Easy costumes you can make out of a little black dress include a witch, dark angel, black cat, thief, zombie bride, vampire, flapper (if it has fringe!), Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, almost any Disney villain (definitely Cruelle and the Evil Queen), Black Swan, Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family, skeleton, and bat. There are so many more ideas you could come up with for a Halloween costume using a little black dress. These are just some of the easiest where you’d only need a few accessories to make a sweet costume.
- White Tee Shirt
For this is one, you might have to get a little more creative, but it’s a great base for a costume. Pairing a white tee with the right bottoms and accessories could lead to a Halloween DIY masterpiece! Try these costumes using a white tee shirt: a good angel, deck of cards, pirate, schoolgirl, cotton ball, snow/snowflake, salt & pepper, a little white lie, dalmatian, sailor, tennis player, Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, or a ghost. A white tee shirt is like a blank canvas, which is great when you need a fabulous Halloween costume but want to keep the budget lower!
- Jeans
Jeans can be classic, patriotic, or anything you want them to be. Jeans might not be your initial go-to on Halloween, but hear me out. These are just a few of the things you can use them for in a great costume: Rosie the Riveter, construction worker, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s all-denim outfits, Bob Ross (a personal favorite and past costume of mine!), cowgirl, preppy girl, hippie, Bratz doll, any celebrity from the 90s doing an ad campaign, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, or Princess Diana. If you’re looking for a more celeb-based costume, your favorite pair of jeans could be your best friend!
- Dresses in Pretty Colors
It sounds unspecific, but that’s the beauty of these pieces when forming a Halloween costume! You can do almost anything with dresses in pretty colors of varying lengths. My favorite options are Disney princesses, fairies, jelly beans, the rainbow (with a bunch of pals!), Wizard of Oz characters, Alice in Wonderland characters, Strawberry Shortcake and friends, crayons, cupcake, Care Bears, Trolls (those little dolls whose hair stick straight up!), M&Ms, Mario characters, Scooby-Doo gang, Marvel characters, fruits, or even social media platforms. Colorful dresses go so far on Halloween; don’t discount them based on being dresses. Any dress can be any character or idea, just give it your own special touch and you’re golden!
- Anything Pink
This one is so fun and not only because my favorite color is pink! Pink is so versatile in costumes; I think there might be more options with the color pink than with a Little Black Dress. If you have pink in your closet, check out these costume ideas: Elle Woods, piggies, cotton candy, flamingo, Pink Panther, butterfly, Barbie, unicorn, Mean Girls characters, Energizer bunny, Fembot, ballerina, flower, bubblegum, poodle, or a space cowgirl. Pink is full of potential!
Whether you’re behind schedule on a Halloween costume, the holiday snuck up on you, or you just don’t want to drop a bunch of cash on a one-time costume, these ideas could serve you well. Your closet is full of pieces that you already love and feel great in, so why not use them for Halloween too? With the right ensemble, your wardrobe pieces could make for your best costume yet!