With Halloween coming up in a few short weeks, collegiettes are scrambling to come up with cute costumes that can be made with a very tight budget. Luckily, some of the cutest Halloween costumes take basic wardrobe pieces and minimal effort. Here are some to try out this Halloween, or save for Halloweens to come.
1. Animals
Whether you choose to be a cat, a bunny, or a mouse (duh!), animal costumes are the easiest to make. All you need is a solid color dress depending on your animal (so to be a cat, you’d need a black dress), a cute pair of shoes, animal ears (available at any party store for under $15) and eyeliner, to draw on a cute nose and whiskers.
2. Colored iPods
Duct tape has been used to create plenty of different, easy costumes. iPods are great for a cheap group costume idea, and the directions for the costume are easily available online. You’ll need a trash bag, colored duct tape, Velcro and white duct tape for iPod buttons.
3. Lax Bro
Dress up as those cute lacrosse boys you and your friends have been crushing on all semester! The costume is easy, and you get bonus points if you can convince your lax bro crush to lend you a jersey. You’ll need a snapback hat, a lacrosse pinnie, a solid colored bandeau, gym shorts, mid-calf socks and shoes (sneakers or boat shoes are the comfiest).
4. Nerd
It may be a little bit cliché, but there’s tons of ways to make a nerd costume cute on Halloween. You’ll need black-framed glasses taped in the middle, a button down shirt, a bow tie (totally optional), a pair of shorts or jeans, suspenders, knee socks, and shoes of your choice.
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5. Flappers
With The Great Gatsby being such a hit this summer, 20’s style costume parties are totally in. Embrace your inner Daisy Buchanan this Halloween. You need a lacy or sparkly dress, a headband (with or without a feather in it), red lipstick, a pair of heels and lots of pearls.
6. Dalmatians
This is another great costume idea for you and your group of friends. Everyone loves puppies, and a Dalmatian costume is super easy to make. You’ll need a black tank top, a white tank top (with holes cut in it, varying in size), a black skirt, dog ears, and eyeliner to make a nose. To create a dog collar with your puppy name on it, cut a red ribbon that can be tied around your neck and attach a round piece of yellow construction paper to it.
7. The “new” Snooki
Jersey shore Snooki is out, but new and improved mom Snooki is totally in – but no worries, she still LOVES her animal print. All you need is animal print clothing (top, skirt or a dress), high heels or slippers, cool sunglasses and a cute hair accessory, like a headband with a bow. Go crazy with your makeup, but ditch the poof – Snooki has been rocking a relaxed curly look lately.
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8. School Teacher
Class is in session! The school teacher costume is an older, more sophisticated take on the schoolgirl outfit. You’ll need a button down shirt, a cardigan (optional), a pencil skirt, black-framed glasses, a pair of heels and a sexy-classy hairdo.
9. Black Swan/White Swan
This costume is great for you and your best friend to take on. It’s a vamped up version of the typical ballerina costume, but it still requires a lot of the same pieces. You’ll need a leotard, tights, a tutu, ballet flats or slippers, and feathers to dress up your ballerina bun. Your makeup should be bold and dramatic. The color of your costume depends on what swan you want to be!
10. Your Favorite Sports Team
What better way to cheer on your favorite sports team than to dress up as their biggest fan for Halloween! To create this look, all you’ll need is your favorite team’s shirt or jersey, matching shorts, matching knee socks and accessories. Don’t be afraid to go wild – this costume is all about team spirit!
Have fun brainstorming costumes, collegiettes!