Picture this: it’s September, and you start thinking about all of the ideas you have for your Halloween costume(s) this year. You decide to wait just a little longer before you order everything since you are just so busy. You wait a little longer, and a little longer…
Before you know it, it’s the week before Halloween, and you don’t have a single costume. Anything you order online won’t come in on time, and the mall is completely sold out of costumes in your size or to your taste. Now you have no costumes and no idea where to even start finding one.
It happens to the best of us. I will admit this happens to me nearly every single year; as fun as Halloween and planning your costumes can be, sometimes we just get so busy with schoolwork and all the other things we have going on in life that a Halloween costume just falls on the back burner until it’s too late. Fortunately for you, I have become an expert in last-minute costumes, and I have one piece of advice: try a general costume instead of something specific.
I get it, we all want to be Cowgirl Barbie. But it requires very specific pieces of clothing to be recognizable, and when you’re scrambling to put something together with things you already own, it is unlikely that you have a pink starred vest with flared pants to match (and if you do, more power to you!) When it comes to last-minute costumes, it’s best to go with something more generic that is easy to recognize without very specific items. That way, you can put something together with the items you have at home, or if necessary, you can run to the store to pick them up — since the pieces that make up the costume are everyday clothes as opposed to costumes, they are more likely to be in stock in stores. If you’re crafty, you could of course DIY your own costume, but if you would rather use the items already in your closet, you’re in the right place.
With that being said, here are five ideas you can try that use items you likely already have at home:
Speaking of Barbie…
Try Weird Barbie! Her look is perfect for last-minute costumes because the defining feature of the costume is not her outfit, but rather her hair and makeup. All you need is a pink dress, some face paint, and a teasing comb. Make your hair as wacky looking as possible (bonus if you’re already blonde, although totally not necessary), and cover your face, body, and dress with some bold scribbles using face paint or even colorful eyeliner or lipliner. Capturing Weird Barbie’s essence is all about the general vibe of the costume, rather than replicating it, so have fun with it, and get weird!
Channel your inner mean girl
If you really want to keep it simple, go to your local Halloween store and find some animal ears. Once you’ve found a pair, whether it’s a cat, bunny, mouse, or whatever else you can find, put together an outfit that matches the color scheme of the ears. As Cady Heron once said, “The hardcore girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.” However, you certainly don’t need to wear revealing clothes to pull off this costume! You can just as easily accomplish the same look using shorts and a top, or a dress, really whatever you feel comfortable in. The beauty of this costume is there is no specific outfit that you need to wear, as long as it matches the colors/overall theme.
Rep Uconn (or your own school) sports
Lots of us have UConn sports gear, or at least know someone who does. A sports player is a very easy costume that requires some type of sports gear (a jersey, a letterman jacket, etc.) and some black face paint. For a special touch, carry a football or basketball with you throughout the night. If you have the time and the ability, get creative with it and make your own jersey with your own name, or maybe your favorite athlete’s — and don’t forget to Roll Skies!
enter your Halloween era
Calling all Swifties: reuse your Eras Tour outfit, and go as something you already are: a Swiftie! The Eras Tour was full of exciting, fun outfits and no single one looked the same, so you could reuse your outfit if you did go, or create your dream Eras Tour outfit if you were unable to see the show in person. The key is lots of sparkles, fun colors, and overall boldness; other than that, you are free to do whatever you want! If you are looking for a couple’s costume, you could even go as Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift for the ultimate 2023 pop culture costume.
Get creative with some makeup!
This could be a ton of different costumes, but if you’re particularly skilled at makeup, use it to your advantage by creating a look that focuses on the face, not the body. You could wear all black and do some skeleton face paint, rip some clothes and go as a zombie, or even cover yourself in glitter and pastel colors and be a unicorn, or maybe an alien. The possibilities are endless! With a makeup-based look, people will not be looking at your outfit as much, so it is perfect if you don’t have a perfect Halloween outfit to dance the night away in.
No matter what you wear, remember to have fun!
At the end of the day, while Halloween costumes can be a great way to show off your personality, do not let it stress you out. Halloween is all about getting scared, having fun, and eating candy, and you can do all of that without a fancy, expensive costume. There are so many looks you can do beyond these five ideas that are easy to do and won’t break the bank, you just have to find the ones that speak to you! So get out there, put together a spooky outfit, and have fun this Halloween season.