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5 Ways to Dress Up for Halloween Without Wearing a Costume

We love dressing up for Halloween. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we want to wear a costume. That’s why we’ve put together these five outfits, to prove you can still be festive without pretending to be someone you’re not.

1. Nightmare dressed like a daydream

 
 

This look is admittedly a little bit femme fatale, but if you can’t take a walk on the wild side for Halloween, then when can you? We also like that the Halloween nods in this outfit are subtle—the bat print, orange/black combo, the slightly scary face on the clutch. Put them all together, and you’ve got a killer ensemble.

2. Indoor trick-or-treating

 
 

 

Grey top
shein.com

 

 

Wildfox costume
revolveclothing.com

 

 

Legging
asos.com

 

 

 

Latte mug
etsy.com

 

What is indoor trick-or-treating, you ask? Well, it’s basically sitting in your lounge clothes watching Netflix while devouring bags of Halloween candy while your roommate is out at some party or other. You may not feel like going out for Halloween, but you can still look the part within the confines of your apartment. Just make sure you’re comfy, and turn out the lights lest you encounter trick-or-treaters attempting to steal your tasty snacks.

3. Witch better have my candy

 
 

 

Top
etsy.com

 

 

Slim fit pants
romwe.com

 

 

Boots
asos.com

 

 

White watch
modcloth.com

 

October 31 may come at the same time each year, but you’ve got to stay relevant. This Rihanna-inspired sweatshirt should do the trick. Add faux leather leggings and these insane shoes that, trust us, you can only get away with on Halloween. Your costume? A feisty gal, what else?

4. From: your closet

 
 

 

Dress
forever21.com

 

 

Charlotte Russe black boots
charlotterusse.com

 

 

 

Forever 21 headband
forever21.com

 

Realistically, this is the avenue we all take. Pick some orange and black items from your existing wardrobe and carry on as normal. But for the girl aiming to show she really tried, a cat ear-adorned headband makes this everyday outfit into a costume all its own.

5. Horror chick

 
 

 

ASOS clothing
asos.com

 

 

Aso
asos.com

 

 

Handbag
urbanoutfitters.com

 

 

Whoever said orange is the new black was lying. You don’t need a drip of it if you’ve got an all-black ensemble like this one. A midi dress with considerable bite can be excellently accented with bat accessories—we love sneaks with a sleek dress any day! A bucket bag that transcends the month of October is the final piece to the puzzle.

Will you be dressing up (sans costume) for Halloween, collegiettes?

Erin was previously the Entertainment Editor of Her Campus. She graduated from Belmont University in 2015, where she studied English and Elementary Education. Before joining the team full-time, she was a national contributing blogger, viral content writer and editorial intern at HC. In addition to her work for Her Campus, Erin was formerly an editorial assistant at Nfocus Magazine and has been published by HelloGiggles and Man Repeller. In her free time, you can find Erin falling for yet another TV boyfriend (her long list of ex-lovers includes Nathan Scott, Chuck Bass and Pacey Witter, to name a few), reading chick lit and/or celeb memoirs and hanging with her puppy/soulmate, Cooper.