Simple yet creative ensembles for Halloween on a time crunch
Happy Halloween! Many of you have probably had costumes picked out for weeks, but there may be a few who have left it to the last minute. You might be able to figure something out from the 30- and 50-percent-off bins at Halloween Express or your local retailer, but if the bottom of the barrel isn’t really your scene and you have an eye for creativity, here are a few last minute costumes that you probably have lying in the bottom of your closet.
Cocky
As a testament to our dear mascot, glue on a few feathers, slip on your yellow knee-high socks, black shorts and garnet paint so you can rock on.
Mumford or Son
For this costume all you need is a debonair smile, a guitar, a vest and a sizable amount of hairspray.
Middle Schooler
Pay homage to your former self: drop all of the makeup you were thinking about putting on and emphasize all of the embarrassing things you thought you’d gotten past. Maybe even ‘forget’ to shower or put on deodorant. If you want to prove you really embrace the person you once were, let your zits rage on.
Groucho Marx
You may not recognize the name, but you know the face. This is the disguise most people think of when they are trying to be “inconspicuous” (read: conspicuous). Notorious for a large thick mustache, intense black eyebrows and a large nose and glasses, you have the option to whip this up at home or scour the nearest Halloween, dollar or Acme store.
Nudist-on-Strike
The nudist may not be very family-friendly, but if you wear a trench coat with a cardboard sign that says “nudist on strike,” people might think you’re clever.
Static Cling
Wear a white T-shirt and white pants and staple socks to yourself. If you want to stand out from the crowd further, see if you can get your hair to stand on end with beeswax.
French (wo)man
Paint on the curliest mustache you can, tack on a beret and don your favorite black-and-white striped shirt and black pants. Don’t forget a baguette that can double as a baton to beat away all the men and women chasing you.
Bat
Find a headband that is meant for a cat’s costume then draw on whiskers with eyeliner, but mix it up by taking a plastic tablecloth from the Dollar Store and cutting it to look like wings. Pair this with a black shirt and black tights or shorts and you’re set.
Vampire
If you’re into ditzy teens, take the nearest mound of glitter and just roll around in it. Grab a V-neck and some plastic vampire fangs if you feel like going the extra mile.
Adele
If you are looking for something that barely counts as a costume, pair your nearest black leggings and tweed blazer with the just-right shade of blush, sweeping cat-eye eyeliner and teased hair. All you’re only missing is an armful of Grammys.
Invisible Boy/Girl
Upgrade from the traditional spandex, underwear and cape and wear your undergarments over a white sheet. If you get tired of saying you’re an invisible person, go for sexy ghost. Either way.
Sugar Skulls
These Dia de los Muertos-inspired costumes have been making the rounds on Pinterest and Facebook, but it’s not hard to see why when they’re so simple. All you need is a little paint and some imagination. The designs can be pretty intricate, so just hope you don’t sweat it all off by the end of the night.
Witch
Goodwill has a variety of graduation gowns for only a couple of bucks. Grab a broom from your closet and a stick from under a tree to serve as your magic wand, and hopefully that won’t be the only magic you are able to stir up.
Black-Eyed P(s)
If you want to go solo, people may not understand it, but if you can rustle up a few friends in white T-shirts, slap some black paint on your eye (if no one has punched you recently) and draw a ‘p’ on your chest. Voila! Black-eyed P.
Publishers Clearing House
If you can get a group together, take a fake cardboard check, balloons, a cameraman and someone chasing the recognizable trio. Just make sure to dress to the nines in a muumuu and hair curlers.
Oompa Loompa
I’m sure many of you are already halfway there courtesy of multiple trips to the tanning bed, but now you just have to not wear heels and pick up some green hair spray from Walmart. People will either find you adorable and endearing or totally bizarre.
And if all else fails, just wear a bathing suit and pick up pieces of costumes that have fallen off the drunken masses in Five Points throughout the night. If you somehow wind up with a Viking hat and a homemade beer-can staff, you are officially the Viking God of Beer. Stumble upon a headband halo and a forked devils tail and you are a bipolar demon. Fall face-first into a vat of punch and you are now Carrie, from the famous 1976 film of the same name. Just about anything can be a costume if you come up with a clever enough name.