5 minimal effort Halloween costumes you can pull together last minute
Being roped into an impromptu costume party this Halloween weekend? Here are some super simple but extremely effective options that you can pull together with ease…
Say it with me now: Being basic when it comes to your Halloween costume is okay. In theory, spending weeks perfecting and executing the perfectly niche pop culture reference or surreally spooky convoluted makeup look is a noble and commendable cause, but when it comes down to crunch time, laziness always seems to prevail. At least it certainly does in my case.
And let’s face it, some of us still want to look relatively nice when we’re out howling at the moon.
So, with that in mind, I’ve rounded up five perfectly basic costume ideas that are likely to be trending this Halloween season. You can either attempt to pull pieces together from what you’ve already got in your wardrobe, or shop some essential items to make you instantly recognisable.
And if worse comes to worst and panic starts to set in, you can always swing by your local costume shop, pick up a Whoopee cushion costume, and spend the night regretting that decision. Yes, I’m speaking from experience.
Barbie core
Take a drink every time you see a hot pink Barbie this Halloween. I hope that every ladies room throughout the length and breadth of this country is a regional recreation of that iconic ‘Hi Barbie!’, ‘Hi Barbie!’ scene.
If you’re blonde, you’re already halfway there in terms of nailing the instantly recognisable mark. You can go for a specific motion picture Barbie, make up your own weird spin, or just go full fifty shades of pink and people will get the message.
Wednesday Addams
A pair of plaits, all black everything, and a dead pan expression to rival that of Jenna Ortega are all absolute essentials for this one. Bonus points if you can nail the choreography of that viral school dance scene. Maybe you could make one of your friends be a floating hand to really make your costume pop.
If you’ve got a wider group, maybe band together and step out as the whole Addams clan, Cousin Itt and Uncle Fester included. Maybe draw straws to decide who’s who.
Regency core
First there was Bridgerton, then there was Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and throughout it all, Regency-core remains ubiquitous in the fashion world. This corsets, tulle, satin gloves and notions of grandeur.
You can go all out with your accessories with this one, and amp up your makeup (read: blush) to new, borderline excessive, heights. Put some feathers in your hair and some pearls around your next and you’re good to go.
The Little Mermaid
I remember getting ready for a Halloween party when I was in secondary school (by which I mean, putting some blood at the side of my mouth and darkening my already much too noticeable under-eye circles), when I saw my friend pull out a pair of fishnet tights, pull them on over her head, and apply various different shades of iridescent eyeshadows to her forehead, cheekbones and jaw.
It was like watching Picasso at work, and when she whipped off the tights to reveal near perfect fish-like gills, I was thoroughly floored. She threw some shell clips into her hair, popped on a purple bralette, and stepped into a floor length green skirt, and she was Ariel. It didn’t matter that her hair wasn’t that fire-engine red shade, she was her. And you can be too.
Lingerie and some form of animal ears
“In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it. The hard core girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.” And do you know what? That is culture. And poetry.
If you feel like being a little subversive, you go all out on the scary makeup, embodying some sort of post apocalyptic zombie-mouse hybrid. If it’s a Mean Girl reference you’re keen on making, cut two holes in a tank top and call it a day, or wear army pants and flip flops.
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