It’s almost Halloween!
If you need a costume in a pinch, here are six ideas using items you probably already have in your closet . . .
Remember the days when you had to make your own costume from what was already in the house, or from mom’s Halloween box of stuff in the basement? I recall putting on my dad’s old winter coat and smearing ashes on my face to look like a hobo or a little tramp. I carried my candy loot in a bag on a stick just like the old fashioned bum (I know that we don’t use that term anymore so forgive me)
Big Halloween Stores have take over
It’s not as common for kids to make their own costumes anymore. Let’s face it, most of the time parents take the kids to one of those super high priced pop up Halloween stores. They peruse the hundreds of different costumes, everything from Little Mermaids to very cool Spiderman. These costumes can run a family of four way over a couple hundred dollars. Sure, it’s easy because these costumes come complete with everything you need.
Why not do it yourself?
There’s something fun and appealing about making your own costume. The satisfaction of knowing you didn’t pay an arm and leg for pre-packaged over priced costume. You can still go to these big box Spooky stores to help outfit your costume. One year I went as Clark Kent in mid Superman mode. Basically I got a nice white shirt half open and had my tie hanging loose. I bought a cheap Superman t-shirt with the signature S emblazoned on it., (so people understood my attempt at being a Super Hero’s real persona). I added a nice pair of horn rimmed black glasses, the same that Clark wore while working at the Daily Planet. It was the easiest costume I ever put together, and it only cost $20.00 for the t – shirt and another 5 bucks for the cheap glasses.
1. Tourist.
Some combo of shorts, a brightly-colored tacky shirt, socks with sandals, a straw hat or visor, sunglasses, a camera, and sunscreen on your nose.
2. Lumberjack.
A flannel with some jeans and a beanie. Bonus points if your kids have a toy ax lying around. If you don’t have a beard, stop shaving today to have enough scruff to pull of the manly lumberjack look!
3. Mummy.
Just need some of those fabric bandages to wrap around you. You can also tear old white T-shirts into strips and use those. Remember to walk with both of your arms straight ahead to get that proper “mummy vibe” going.
4. Bank robber.
Nick Jonas is The Hamburgler at Maxim Halloween Party, 2015. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Karma International)
Black leggings, a black and white striped shirt, a little black mask, and some kind of loot bag. You might want to add a hat to go along with the disguise, especially if you have a nice Irish Scally cap around.
5. Bob Ross.
Button-down shirt, jeans, and you can make a small paint palette out of cardboard. Of course you will need a beard of some sort to pull off the Bob Ross look. If you don’t have a beard, you find one pretty cheap at a costume store, everything else you probably already have in the house.
6. Barbie.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie attend the “Barbie” European Premiere at Cineworld Leicester Square on July 12, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
It’s one of THE trending costumes this year. Get the look by dressing in anything pink with high heels, or brightly-colored workout clothes, tube socks, and rollerblades.
