Easy Halloween Costume Ideas to Make
What to Wear and Best Ideas for Trick-or-Treat and Parties This Year
Aug 28, 2009
Halloween costumes don't have to be complicated; in fact, they can be simple to make and fun to put together.
How to Come up With a Halloween Costume Idea
For adults, some of the most fun of Halloween is dressing up as fantasy and pretending to be something a person is not. Kids enjoy this too, especially older kids. But little ones sometimes like to be bigger versions of what they already are or do.
So the easiest way to decide on a costume is to go one of two ways: Fantasy or Reality.
Kids Halloween Costumes
Realistic Costumes
For kids who dream big, they can help make costume crafting easy by dressing as something they love: a Soccer Player, Football Star, Dancer, Karate Kid. It's wonderful when the items for this costume are already in possession – either from an older sibling who used the clothes and equipment, or from a youngster just starting out in an activity and wanting to share with the world their latest endeavor.
Munchkins can simply wear their new uniforms or dancewear for trick-or-treat. Add a little sparkle and glitter for girls, or some under black lines under the eyes (war paint) for boys or girls in sporting attire and the costume is set! If the costume is a football player, an extra helmet makes a great container for trick-or-treat too.
Fantasy Themes
- Indian – Can be made with a basic tunic style dress, cut fringes into the bottom. A beaded or leather belt at the waist. For shoes: regular brown winter boots, like UGG style, work fine and look great. Add jewelry- braided or beaded necklaces, bracelets and anklets ares fun to make. Braid hair and add face paint. Lipstick and eyeliner work fine, no need to buy expensive Halloween makeup.
- Cowgirl – Blue jeans, button down shirt (plaid is nice), vest, braids, and cowgirl hat, and bandana round the neck. Cowboy boots if available are the perfect addition. Inexpensive ones can be found in resale shops.
- Cleopatra – Use a plain dress (brown, white, red-solid, simple colors) and add gold mardi gras beads to wear on the head, neck, and wrist Adding gold shiny fabric to make a simple cape dresses up the costume. Shoes can be gold or leather sandals.
- Fairy – Always a fun costume, inexpensive wings can be found at almost every major discount retailer, add to a brightly colored short dress with colorful tights. Sausage curl long hair for a sprite-y effect. Dance slippers add a nice touch.
- Clowns – can be basic, silly or scary. Big puffy pants and mismatched shirt, plaid and polka dots, stripes and paisley. Use simple face paint, wear rainbow colors, (non matching) funny bright colored socks. Colorful wigs are fun, but a silly hat works too. Shoes can be oversize and floppy, wear parents' or older sibling footwear.
- Bed head –This sleepy costume involves a bathrobe over clothes. Put hair in curlers or put curlers in a hair net and wear on head...add messy make up smeared lip stick and slippers. Hair can also be teased or for boys, mussed up and held in place with hair wax or hairspray. Carry a large, empty coffee cup.
- Mime – Use a black and white stripe shirt, black pants and white face paint and black eyeliner. Add black gloves and hat and presto, the perfect mime.
Adult Halloween Costumes
After junior high and high school, the majority of costumes tend to be homemade. College students can be very resourceful when they have to come up with outfits for Halloween parties and campus activities.
Realistic Costumes
The same idea for kids' costume applies for adults, using readily available material and equipment. However, since the idea of adult Halloween usually involves pretend, even for reality costumes, friends and family in certain occupations and hobbies become a good source of costume clothing. If a friend is a nurse, borrow scrubs and a stethoscope. Add a medical face mask and latex gloves. Uniforms are a good costume to borrow, as long as the loaner won't get in trouble with his or her employer.
Fantasy Themes
Adult fantasy costumes can be much more scary than a child's; some people like to add in the element of sexy, although wearing something like that should be done with discretion. It's not a good idea to hand out trick-or-treat candy while wearing a sexy negligee or in a mask that will terrify little ones. For adult parties, dress can be more silly and well, "adult."
Simple costumes can be made from clothing found in the closet or local resale shops. Short skirts and very high heels can be converted into sexy sailor, waitress, librarian or school girl costumes for women (or even men!). Longer dresses with no sleeves and a long necklace can become a flapper outfit.
Men can use a business suit, slightly oversize, for a 20s gangster costume. The right hat and shoes really make the outfit. If a plastic Tommy Gun can be found at a costume shop, even better. Or use a suit that fits a little snug, add a slim dark tie and make a 50s singer or one of the Rat Pack. For the latter, slick back hair and carry a martini glass.
Another way to get ideas for a Halloween costume is to visit online costume sites or local costume stores. Check out some of the styles and themes and then see if there is anything at home that might be used to make something similar.
Don't forget to that planning Halloween food can be easy, too.
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