The evolution of Halloween costumes is an interesting conundrum. It seems that this holiday is a never-ending battle between Halloween costumes that should or shouldn’t resurface from childhood. So many of these costumes are reinvented in new ways or worn as a reminiscent cliché of a childhood favorite. Fourth-grade favorites of black body suits, spandex pants, face paint and cat ears develops into a blank dress, eyeliner whiskers and the same headpiece. Other costumes should be left alone, only to be remembered by pictures from Halloween pageants and trick-or-treating. Only certain costumes have what it takes to last the test of time.
Classic: Pumpkin
The timelessness of the pumpkin costume is quite remarkable. So many of us were little pumpkins on our first Halloween, virtually immobile and asleep inside our bulky suits. In elementary school you could don an orange ensemble with a few construction paper cutouts and green pipe cleaners and viola! Now the options are expansive for pumpkin ensembles: collegiates can revisit their bulky pumpkin suits for a comic effect, create their own for a DIY challenge or turn an orange dress and a green headband into a minimalist version of this Halloween classic. Â
Forgettable: The Doo Wop Girl
Why it doesn’t work in one word: felt. Who really ever wanted to wear a massive tablecloth with less elegance than a Christmas tree skirt? Combine this fabric choice with the giant silhouette of a poodle and neck scarf and you have a recipe for disaster. These costumes were endearing on third graders in Halloween parades, but they read as clunky and cliché for the holiday’s older demographics.
Classic: Childhood Characters
There’s something charming about childhood characters reinvented for college, especially when done in groups. Whether you’re the cast of the Wizard of Oz, Super Mario brothers, the Seven Dwarfs or a slew of Disney Princesses, there’s an inherent hilarity to these costumes. There’s also a wide variation in types of costumes you can buy and make, from the this-ain’t-your-childhood-costume dress that’s made from less than a yard of fabric, to the floor-length Cinderella-gown renditions that are as funny as they aren’t sexy. They all work; just in different ways.
Forgettable: Clown
The only thing more horrifying than a pint-sized clown is a full-sized clown. This is a sure fire way to keep trick-or-treaters running from your house. There’s a reason that kids like clowns way more than adults do; as we grow older we realize how truly scary they can be. The over-the-top face makeup on your adult-sized stature will make this costume a sure-fire Halloween party kill-joy. Note: dress variations are equally creepy.
Classic: Flapper
This costume has always been a compromise between wearing something elegant and wearing a costume. You can doll yourself up with hair and makeup that you’d be proud to be photographed in and still get credit for dressing up for themed parties. As a kid you were that adorable six-year-old in a fringe dress, and now you can wear sequin gowns and bejeweled headpieces a la Great Gatsby.