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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wisconsin chapter.

The Spooky Season Inspiration You Need This Year

It’s still September as I’m writing this but, in my opinion, it’s never too early to start brainstorming Halloween costume ideas. As a kid, my sister and I would begin looking through the Halloween catalogs in the middle of the summer, so it honestly feels late for me to be planning now. Something I love about college is that you can dress up and go out multiple nights in a row to celebrate the holiday, but that also means you need to have more costume ideas ready. And at least for me, the idea of spending money on three or more different costumes I’ll only wear once is stupid. So, I’ve been brainstorming some ideas for outfits that I can create from my own closet. These ideas are great for big and small group costumes, as well as couples or individuals, so there’s something for everyone! 

The first idea my friends and I decided on for this year is “Despicable Me” characters. We’ve seen this one online a ton, and I think there’s a reason for that – so many people can be included in this. Multiple people can dress up as minions, as well as the three daughters, Gru, Vector, Dr. Nefario; the list goes on. I think this costume is honestly hilarious, and my plan to dress as Vector in an orange tracksuit will keep me nice and warm. 

If you’re looking for something a bit more mature than “Despicable Me,” another idea my friends and I are planning for this year is the characters from “Sex and the City.” This show has become one of our favorites and we can’t wait to dress in 90s style as Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda. While this one may be less recognizable for people who haven’t seen the show, I think it’s very easy to replicate from items you already have in your closet. 

Next, a costume idea for a group of three that I definitely want to try this year is the witches from “Hocus Pocus.” Their second movie came out recently, so I think the timing is perfect. This takes a spin on the basic witch costume, as each character has their own unique style. 

If you’re looking for duo costumes, I have some fun ideas that could work for both couples and friends. Barbie and Ken is a classic and definitely would be easy to put together with whatever pink you already own. Some other fun duo costumes are Lilo and Stitch, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Wanda and Vision, or – my favorite – Bob Ross and a happy little tree. 

For single costumes, my favorite ideas are Cleopatra, Barbie, Sue Sylvester from “Glee,” and any classic monster costume like a vampire, ghost, witch or mummy. 

I think that Halloween is one of the most fun holidays, but coming up with costumes for it that you actually like and can put together from what you already have can be difficult. Whether you’re going with a group, in a couple or flying solo, hopefully this gives you some ideas for this year! 

Lily Wood

Wisconsin '26

Hi! My name is Lily, and I'm a junior at UW Madison studying psychology. I love to travel, read, listen to music, go on walks and hang out with my friends and little sister. I'm so happy to be a part of Her Campus!