’Twas the night before Halloween, and you had nothing to wear. You begged your friends for their hand-me-downs, yet not a single pair of animal ears survived last year’s blackout.
This conundrum may seem insoluble, but having nothing to wear actually guides you in the right direction (especially if you’re heading to Flash). Regardless of what your plans are, there are myriad directions you can still take to have people talking about your costume for weeks after.
Before you get started, remember that the first step of any outfit is a thorough shower followed by deodorant. You might be dressed like a professional wrestler, but you shouldn’t smell like one, too.
The most important consideration is where you’re going for the night. If you’re headed to a quaint consulting club party, you might want to save your chaps for a later date. They’ll come in handy more often than you think, but not if you’re trying to make board next semester. Conversely, if you’re leaving at midnight to go to a club, don’t wear heavy clothes. In fact, in this scenario, you’re probably better off minimizing the amount of fabric you wear. It gets hot on the dance floor, and your class crush usually only gets to see you in a sweater and baggy jeans, so seize this moment!
Once you have a rough idea of the kind of outfit you would like to wear, it’s now time to decide on a direction for your costume. Anything is on the table: funny, niche, classic, or downright slutty. If you’re tight on time, it’s best to pick out pieces from your wardrobe that you could work with and decide your costume from there. Childhood cartoon characters are an easy option that lets you forgo meddling details. For example, if you have a yellow sweater and jeans, you’re basically Arthur. I also suggest trying to use an article of clothing you bought but never ended up wearing. This will both help the outfit seem curated and justify your purchase!
If you’re trying not to spend hundreds of dollars on five costumes this Halloweekend, there are plenty of ways to make affordable, yet impressive costumes. If you’re feeling stuck, expand your definition of a costume: find a pair of baggy jeans, a tight top, and some sort of head accessory, and make it work. With this method, you could be anything: a Twilight-esque vampire, a Subway Surfer, or a mouse, duh. For the details, use the color printer on Lau 2 and cut out what you need, or head to the Maker Hub and get crafting! As a nuclear option, you can always ask your favorite Sig Ep groupie for a wig—she’ll have you covered.
A classic Halloween costume is hard to mess up. In my opinion, the simpler the noun, the better. Although you can almost guarantee that everyone has seen a ghost or a princess trick-or-treating, a simpler costume gives you freedom to showcase your sense of style and personality. You can simply be a ghost, or you can make your ghost a zeitgeist by throwing on an absurd amount of watches. The best Halloween costumes are immediately recognizable, and with classics, you can’t go wrong.
Now, if you’re looking to get creative with your costume, a play on words or a popular-enough meme can be a great option. Obviously, with this approach, you risk coming across as a bit “unc,” but your best judgment can do you wonders. An example of such a costume would be tapping a partner to be the Thing 6 to your Thing 7 (I’m proud of that one. Someone please do this). Being funny absolves you from the expectation of looking hot, and being comfortable is always a plus.
While leaning into your interests can lead to some of the best Halloween costumes, it’s important to remain realistic and socially responsible when it comes to your expectations. With the past couple of Halloweens feeling like they were the niche Olympics, it’s easy to fall into a trap of trying to have the most obscure and esoteric costume of the night. It’s embarrassing. Or self-serving. Or both.
If you do decide to wear a hyper-niche costume, I have two recommendations. First, don’t spend your night on Google Images showing people the reference photo and explaining your costume. I promise you no one cares, and when you finally finish explaining it, they’re going to nod and hope the interaction ends soon. If you want to wear something no one will understand, accept that they won’t. Secondly, if it’s going to be niche, it’s got to be good. With a super-specific character in mind, even those most in tune with your corner of the internet will rely on the fine details to recognize you. No one’s gonna recognize an AMC-ad Nicole Kidman if you don’t wear a pinstripe jumpsuit.
Regardless of which direction you choose, what’s most important is that you wear something you are comfortable in. Of course, if feeling hot in five-inch stilettos is more appealing than throwing on your tennis shoes, go for it. But the beauty of Halloween is in the fun and freedom to choose to wear whatever you would like. Don’t let the time pressure or Amazon charges to your card make you lose sight of that. Get creative, get excited, and have a safe and batshit Halloweekend!
