Let’s be honest, the best part of Halloween is the getting ready. I was having a conversation just the other day with a friend about our Halloween plans, and they commented that they could quite happily just do the getting ready part of it; to each their own.
Every year I spend the weeks leading up to Halloween desperately racking my brains as to what I could possibly be. To save yourselves similar trauma this time around, and for the many years ahead, I’ve put together a quick guide on a variety of tried and tested outfit ideas, ranging from minimal effort to full-blown creative works of art. All of them are suited to a different budget, because Halloween is one of those nights where your cost-per-wear is pretty hard to justify. Some are a little spookier than others – I’m a proper wuss so, I’m sorry. Most of all they are fun, and will ensure that you’re looking your best on All Hallows’ Eve, without sticking to the standard zombie look, cutting eye holes in your bed sheet, and calling yourself a ghost.
Scarecrow
Perhaps not particularly spooky, but definitely quite creepy. A flock of scarecrows is a cheap and cheerful option for a group of varying sizes. You most likely have what you need at home. Clothing wise, you’ll want a lot of denim and a lot of plaid, as well as a variety of accessories: hats, neckties, braces sort of thing. Anything that you don’t already have you’ll more than likely be able to pick up in a charity shop. You’ll also want to get yourself plenty of hay, which you can pick up really easily at any supermarket. Get some eyeliner, draw on a stitched smile, stick the hay wherever you can and you’re ready to go!
Skeleton
Ah, nothing quite says Halloween like a classic skeleton costume does it? How much time and how much money you want to spend on this one is pretty much up to you. The likes of Boohoo and ASOS always seem to bring out some sort of skeleton leotard item which will generally set you back about £30 and a cool 5 minutes of browsing time. If you’re feeling a little more crafty though, you can quite easily DIY something similar. Pick up a black and white full length sleeve top. On the black one, mark out a pattern of a rib-cage and bones on the arms. Then layer the black one over the white to complete your skeleton ensemble. With your face you can either go to town with one of several, fairly realistic YouTube videos, or pick up a mask when you’re doing your weekly Sainsbury’s big shop.
Sim
This is a costume I’ve been dying to do for years. Again – I love that your efforts with this can be really minimal, or you can go all out. At the most basic level, all you’ll need to do is cut out some green cardboard into a diamond shape, and attach it to a headband – the rest is up to you! If you’re feeling low effort, just wear your usual clothes. But if you really want to take it to another level, then dress entirely in skin-tone clothes and print off some pixels, sticking them to the relevant body parts to emulate the ‘showering Sim’ demeanour. If you want to give this one a spooky spin, you could always mix in some sort of ‘zombie’ element to meet your gory needs.
Lego
Got some old egg boxes lying around? Get them painted in primary colours, attach them to some plain clothes, and go as a box of Lego. Admittedly only spooky if you think about standing on some in the dark, but it’s easy and fun (as well as being a good option for a squad effort). Alternatively, if you still have any large boxes from moving in – and a little bit more spare time on your hands – you could always make one big wearable piece for yourself. Just cut holes in the sides for your arms, and the top for your head. Then gather six plastic cups and cut them down so the flat bottom part is about an inch tall. Stick them to your box, paint, and voila! It looks quality – but navigating Sugar in this get up might be a little trickier.
Cereal killer
This is an oldie but a goldie. Get yourself a multi-pack of cereals, some plastic knives, fake blood, and an old t-shirt. ‘Stab’ the boxes of cereal with the knives, attach them to your old t-shirt, and decorate accordingly with the blood. If you’re feeling a bit more enthusiastic, you could always go for a full body version of this look – after all, the more cereals you have the more serial you are. And of course, if you didn’t want to save the cereals for yourself to enjoy, you could strategically stick them to your costume.
