Halloween is on a Saturday this year, and there’s going to be a full moon to make it extra spooky. Under literally any other conditions from the past century, this should be a banger of an All Hallows' Eve ripe for going out, partying, scaring some friends and drinking responsibly.
But it’s not, is it?
If you are trying to cling to one little thread of holiday cheer this October while staying safe, here are some costumes that flawlessly incorporate masks. These don’t require a trek to Spirit Halloween or incredible seamstress skills. Whether you’re celebrating with a small group of friends or just looking to rock a costume to class on Friday (and not going out to bars or frat parties because that’s personally and morally irresponsible), here are a few ideas to get you into the Halloween spirit:
Jack-o’-lantern or pumpkin: This one is easier if you’re unfortunate enough to have a friend who goes to Clemson who can lend you some of their orange attire. Grab either an orange dress or a shirt and pants and an orange face mask, which is all you really need to be a pumpkin. You can spice it up by adding a green hat to represent a stem or go a step further by adding an actual pumpkin stem with either hot glue or one made out of felt or construction paper.
For a jack-o’-lantern, you can either buy a pre-made mask off of sites such as Etsy or Redbubble that feature classic carved pumpkin mouths or noses or make your own out of an orange fabric face mask. Depending on how much time you have or effort you want to put in, you can either sew black fabric cutouts on or find black iron-on patches to create a unique jack-o’-lantern mouth and nose you cut out yourself. And, voila: You’re a classic spooky decoration from head to toe.
Spider-Man: Yes, this one is kind of cheating. However, I have to include this not only because you can easily wear a mask under it, but also because of the sheer ease with which you can acquire a vast array of Spider-Man attire. You could wear a Spider-Man-themed shirt and a mask with a simple webbed or actual Spider-Man design. Or, you could choose a full bodysuit that takes after the classic superhero. There are many, many Spidey suits. There’s costumes ranging from variations of the classic blue and red suit to those of alternative universe men and women with Spidey suits of varying degrees of complexity. You could even go as Venom with a Venom shirt and a plain black face mask, if you know you’d reuse that one but not one adorned with the insignia of Spider-Man.
It really depends on your budget and how soon you need a costume. You could take a 10-minute trip to Target, Walmart or even, in some cases, the drugstore, and come away with a Spidey suit or just a mask — a costume mask, not the plague kind. You can also use clothing and accessories you already have at home.
Cat: The only accessory this requires is a pair of cat ears and a tail, if you really want to commit. It's fairly easy to come by a black shirt and black pants or a black dress. This also works if you already have a leopard print dress or (for some reason) pants and a shirt.
As with dressing as a jack-o'-lantern, there are online stores both independent and otherwise that sell face masks with cat noses and whiskers on them, but it doesn't require a huge amount of effort to create the design yourself. You could sew or iron on a pink piece of fabric for the nose and draw on whiskers with a white fabric marker or pencil, or draw on both features with a pen/pencil that works on fabric. Being a cat is usually seen as a woman's costume, but it's not if you're confident.
Ghost or mummy: These two require the same color mask, so they’re grouped together. Since your face will generally be covered with this attire, either by a costume or by face paint, why not also cover it with a mask? For a simple ghost costume you can cut two eye holes in a bed sheet or wear a white dress or shirt and pants. A white face mask, perhaps even a little white face paint, will make you look even more ghoulish.
For mummies, whether you’re going full out with ancient-looking wrappings or getting your roommates to wrap you in toilet paper, a white face mask will complete the look for your head and cover an area of your body that will likely move a lot, so you won’t have to worry about your “bandages” getting torn or jostled.