Between midterms, club meetings, and a laundry list of events to attend, October has become one of the busiest months of the semester. Even as the month comes to a close, Halloween seems to be the last thing on my mind. The holiday is a short week away, and I still have no costume and little time to order one. Below are some DIY costume ideas that are easy to throw together last-minute.
1. Alien
This costume is easy to assemble under time constraints and can be super cute. You’ll need any color metallic leggings, shorts, skirt, or shirt (silver, gold, blue, etc). Your costume would be even better if you managed to get your hands on galaxy printed clothing. Tie your hair up in space buns, throw some glitter on your face, and maybe wear some jewelry with stars on it. With these materials, your alien costume will be out of this world!
2. Athlete
It might seem overdone, but dressing as an athlete is a great last minute option. Whether it’s soccer, basketball, lacrosse, tennis, throw on a pair of athletic shorts, sneakers, a jersey and maybe a headband, and you’re set. To mix it up a little bit, you could wear a cropped sweatshirt and leggings to be a yoga instructor or wear a leotard, tights, and leg warmers to be a dancer.
3. Nerd
If you wore a school uniform in high school, now would be the time to dig up your old plaid school skirt and polo (and just about any shoes will work). Wear a backpack if you’re feeling extra ambitious, and your look is complete.
4. Zombie
This one may require you to run to the store to buy materials, but nonetheless, this costume is easy to make, cheap and requires little-to-no artistic talent. Get an oversized plain white shirt and tear it with scissors. Then splatter some fake blood (or red paint) on it, and cover yourself in dark eyeshadow. Finally, either wear fishnets and spandex or dark-colored shorts.
5. Cowgirl / Cowboy
All you’ll need for this costume is some sort of denim— jeans, denim shorts, skirt, or overalls—a flannel, and a bandana. If you’re feeling extra dedicated, or you already own these items, throw on cowboy boots and a Western hat.
6. Patriotic American
Halloween is a day where you can be anything you want to be with no questions asked, but you can also just be yourself: a proud American. Dig up your most festive red, white, and blue attire (which you should own for the Fourth of July anyway), and you’re set!
7. Devil / Angel
If and your friends are looking for an easy duo costume, devils and angels is classic and cute. For an angel, wear a white tennis skirt, a white top, and white shoes. Make your own halo with a wire or a pipe cleaner, and if you want, buy (or borrow!) a pair of wings. Adding some glitter to your look is never a bad idea. The devil costume calls for all red clothing, fishnets, dark makeup, black boots, and a headband with red horns. Together or separate, you can’t go wrong with this one.