Hallowe’en is objectively the most important night of the year when it comes to wardrobe. Whether your costume party this year is with a small group of people or on Teams, there is no excuse for not dressing up. But I can hear you saying that COVID’s put a dent in your finances – worry not. There are ways of putting together easy Hallowe’en costumes that still look unique and beautiful without spending anything at all. Just use your closet.
The added benefit of making your Hallowe’en costume out of clothes in your closet is that you know it’s going to look good. Most of us pass on clothes that we don’t enjoy to thrift stores or friends, so by choosing items in your closet, you’ll be sure to have a costume that fits beautifully and flatters you. Not to mention it would match your personal style. Also, you’re helping to avoid fashion waste by not purchasing a costume you’ll only wear once or twice!
All that’s required for a closet costume is a little ingenuity. You have a favourite TV show? Odds are you can probably put together an outfit inspired by one of the characters. A favourite art piece? Play around with makeup! It’s all a matter of effort. To give a quick demonstration, Arts Editor Marlowe Evans took a little trip through her closet to come up with some possible Hallowe’en costumes that were at the very least worthy of this magazine, if not quite worthy of Vogue.
Riveting: Rosie from the Closet
Perhaps easiest to pull off, this Rosie the Riveter inspired Hallowe’en costume involves nothing except a denim jumpsuit and a bandana. The makeup is minimal – just a lot of blush and a sweet pink lip. This look isn’t very involved at all. If you don’t have a denim jumpsuit hanging about, it’s not difficult to sub out for a denim button down or even a jean jacket over a white T-shirt for a “modern Rosie” look.
Van Go Get Yourself This Look
Next to the Rosie outfit, this is the easiest to put together. With a neutral button down and pants, the focus of this costume is surely the makeup. Inspired by an 1889 Vincent Van Gogh self portrait that may have been his very last, this costume is done simply by using eyeshadow to loosely mimic the brushstrokes in the painting. Blues, yellows, and oranges are used to turn your face into an impressionist painting. Will people at the party know what you are? Probably not. Will you look absolutely stunning and show up half the people at the party with a costume you didn’t pay for? Yes.
Euphoria (Beyond Rue)
While Rue’s looks from Euphoria are iconic, the glitter tears are getting tired. Everyone did them during the Euphoria trend on TikTok. But you know whose looks were neglected? Maddy’s. Maddy Perez is a fashion icon, and the mini-jewels she uses along her crease aren’t hard to do when you’ve got some glitter and some lash glue languishing in the bottom of your makeup bag. With a blue mesh T-shirt and a blue silk slip dress, the clothing for this costume isn’t hard to make out of your regular party clothes. Our creative addition to the Maddy-inspired look was the glitter star freckles. Those were just cool.
The Chilling Adventures of a College Girl on a Budget
Inspired by The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, this costume is a no-brainer for any dark academia fanatic. Throughout the series, Sabrina Spellman wows the audience with her casually witchy attire, and while having one of the lace-collared dresses she wears when hanging out with the Weird Sisters would be fabulous, it’s a lot easier to make our simple outfit than it is to order one online or to make your own lace collar. All that’s required for our closet Sabrina is a black turtleneck, a plaid skirt, and a red hairband. Bleaching your hair is fun, but not necessary.