Easy and cost-effective costume ideas
It is finally time to get your head in the game and plan out some iconic Halloween costumes! This is your friendly reminder that you have one week until Halloweekend, and a little over a week until the big event itself. I understand that this holiday tends to sneak up on us, as we often become so focused on the start of the semester, and midterm season becomes the scariest part of October. With that in mind, I hope to give you some cheap and easy Halloween costumes for groups and individuals. For all my procrastinators, this is my early holiday gift to you.
There are a few cost-effective places to acquire the necessary items for your costume(s). One of these is the tried and true site and global conglomerate: Amazon. Here, you can do a quick search for exactly what you’re looking for. Even without the Prime subscription, items typically deliver within a few days. On this site, you can compare prices and even read reviews from other buyers to guarantee you are getting bang for your buck. Other good places to look for costume necessities include Five Below and the Dollar Tree. In the tiny town of Geneseo, it can sometimes be difficult to find exactly what you need, but these two stores are right next to each other and provide cheap accessory pieces to complete any look. Walmart is a tried and true place to scout out some Halloween necessities too. Now, the least cost-effective or accessible (but unfortunately, most fun) place to shop would be Spirit Halloween. There are stores located in Henrietta and Batavia if you are willing to travel a bit and spend some extra change for the experience of a proper costume aisle.
One good idea for this season’s costumes is to base your idea on a favorite TV show or movie! We are expecting to see many Barbie and Oppenheimer costumes this year due to the immense popularity of the films. With a few staple pieces, these seemingly difficult costumes could be easy to recreate. Other popular solo costumes include characters from Clueless, Mean Girls, Friends, Ghostbusters, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and more. Duo or group costumes can be influenced by popular shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, Orange is the New Black, Wednesday, Scooby Doo, and more.
We can also take a look at current pop culture phenomenons for inspiration. We’re all aware of the immense popularity that Taylor Swift has been gaining recently. Swift has many iconic outfits from music videos and performances that could be easy to recreate. Other artists you may think about finding inspiration from include Britney Spears, Olivia Rodrigo, Elvis, and Freddy Mercury.
If you’re still struggling with ideas, Pinterest is the place to go to spark some inspiration. The site has hundreds of funny or realistic costumes, whether it’s solo or with a large group. Many costumes you can even put together with items you already have in your closet! When in doubt, go with something you find funny or even niche. Even if you didn’t find inspiration in this article, my goal is to convince you to get a move on with your planning. Don’t wait until the Friday of Halloweekend to put together an outfit that leaves you feeling meh. This kind of free-reign opportunity to dress up only happens once a year, so make the most of it!