I know that putting the time and effort into figuring out your Halloween costume can be time-consuming and easily pushed off until the night before (or hours before) your Halloween party. But I truly think that within everyone is the capability to plan and pull off a well thought-out and perfect costume that will have all of your friends talking for years to come. I’d like to think I’ve perfected this process over the years. Lately I’ve stayed true to a few tips and tricks that have ensured that have guaranteed iconic Halloween costumes every year, that I have no doubt can help you too.
1. Don’t confine yourself to costume stores
To me, Halloween season doesn’t really start until I’ve taken a trip to Spirit Halloween. I love the scary animatronics that cause the periodic shrill screams you hear from kids as you browse the store. I’ve also bought plenty of great spooky decorations there. But Spirit Halloween is, first and foremost, a costume store, and while their selection is perfectly acceptable, I know that we can do better. While their fully formed costume bags can be convenient, it kind of takes the fun out of curating your costume to fit your personal tastes. That doesn’t mean that costume stores like Spirit should be avoided; they just shouldn’t be your only resource. I usually look at their costumes to spark my imagination for ideas of my own. They also offer great, affordable costume accessories that can help you build your perfect outfit.
2. Consult pinterest
For the past few years, I’ve had a Halloween costume Pinterest board that I’ve added to over time. But it’s not too late to do some deep diving of your own while you still have the time. Something great about Pinterest is that it doesn’t seem as confined or oversaturated with just the current trends of the day as some other social media platforms. There’s always great inspiration for popular characters and costumes, but there’s also an infinite amount of more niche and maybe overlooked costume ideas that you’re likely to be the only one wearing this season. If you’re looking to do a group or couples costume, Pinterest has a great feature where you can create a “shared board” with others, so everyone can contribute and share their ideas. I made one this year with my bsf, and it’s been so fun looking through the updated pins and collaborating to create our outfit aesthetic.
3. find pieces that can be worn after halloween
I know that shopping for costume clothing and accessories can be tricky, especially when trying to justify buying things that you’ll wear for just one night of the year. But that’s not entirely true. Some of my favorite costumes have been ones where I could repurpose and wear pieces regularly. I remember a few years ago, I was Veronica from Heathers (side note, pretty much any Winona Ryder character will make an A+ costume in my book). I wore her post-explosion messy grunge look, and the jacket and skirt (which I also got from a thrift store) were pieces I could wear casually even after Halloween. There have been particularly bloody costumes I’ve worn over the years that, unfortunately, I haven’t had other occasions to reuse. But blood and gore aside, if you’re having trouble justifying spending money on a single-use outfit, going for a character or themed costume that can be worn for versatile occasions is the way to go.
4. figure out your costume goal
A super important aspect of finding a Halloween costume is figuring out what goal you want to achieve with it. This doesn’t require any real thorough or complex thought. It’s more about reflecting on what you want to get out of your costume and the experience of wearing it. Do you want to go more slutty or cute, scary or funny? Narrowing down the central prerogative of the Halloween costume has always helped me when I’m stuck on what to be. Over the years, I’ve figured out that I have a sweet spot for slightly niche but recognizable costumes. One of my favorite parts of Halloween is bonding with strangers over our costumes and having people yell out across rooms or streets the name of the character or person I’m dressed as. My costume last year was a total success in this department. I dressed up as “The Bride” from Kill Bill with her iconic yellow jumpsuit and katana, and aside from a few people mistaking me for “Vector” from Despicable Me, I met and befriended tons of other Tarantino film buffs. So if your goal is to curate the perfect hot Halloween Instagram post or wear a costume so esoteric that you’ll have to explain it 100 times over Halloweekend, figuring this out now may help you find that perfect costume.