So you’re having or attending a Halloween gathering, but you have no idea what to wear? Here are some ideas to get you started.
Begin by thinking of your favorite aesthetics. This can be clothing, or it could just be part of the universe of a character in your favorite book. It can even be an aesthetic you only know by imagining it. You might be thinking of your favorite character from a cartoon you watched as a child, or a favorite movie, or the world of Lord of the Rings.
From this you can decide whether you want your costume to be topical, current, retro, fantastical, conceptual, etc. Maybe your icon is Jackie-O, and you want to make a political statement with your costume. Or you just want to look like her! Or maybe you love Lord of the Rings and want to create your own character for that world, or just be Sauron.
And, of course, you don’t have to stick exactly to your character with your costume. Just think of cosplay and costume-based conventions. These characters aren’t always exactly the way the creators portrayed them. Fans take liberties with their characters all the time – and you’re free to do the same. Often, the way people do this is by taking their character and placing them in another time period. There are many retro or steampunk versions of their characters, which is a great way of personalizing them, making them your own. And it lets you get creative with your DIY skills.
Perhaps the simplest way to choose between your Halloween costume ideas is to go with your gut. Nostalgia can be a big pull when it comes to making decisions, and that’s because it is based on things you love! Why wouldn’t you want to be Jackie-O if she’s your style icon?
Other changes and gimmicks you can do to make these characters your own include gender-bending. If Link is your favorite video game character, but you’re a girl or woman, go as Link anyway! You can take two routes with this one. One, you can just be a woman dressed as a man. Or, two, you can make your Link into a more traditionally feminine woman – giving her a more fitted shirt and a full skirt instead of pants. Perhaps a pillbox hat instead of Link’s cap.
Another way of making a decision is just walking right into a costume store and putting together accessories. Take a few down from the racks and walls, and figure out how they can go together. Or, start with a theme and build your accessory inventory from there. For example, you can take a fringe jacket, some long, wavy hair; and a big peace sign necklace, and create 1960s style. There are endless possibilities for Halloween costume ideas, and hopefully these can help you make that decision.
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