Make your own Halloween costume

The best Halloween costumes aren’t bought in a bag. They’re the ones someone put together from a closet, a thrift store and a free evening, and then explained to a stranger at a party. This is a simple way to do it without spending much or being a craft person.

Start with the idea

Pick the character first, and don’t worry about every detail. The goal is a costume people can recognise from across a room, not a perfect copy.

Good starting points:

• A character with a signature outfit. A witch, a pirate, a detective or a figure from a favourite film or book.
• A character with one obvious colour. A single bright colour head to toe, with one accessory.
• An animal. Ears, a tail and drawn whiskers are enough for a cat, a bunny or a fox.
• A concept. A ghost, a scarecrow, a vampire, a flower, a painting.

If it’s for a party, think about whether you can sit, eat and dance in it. A costume that is fun for the first ten minutes and awkward for the next four hours is a mistake.

Raid your closet first

Lay out everything you own in the right colours. You usually have more than you think: a black dress, a trench coat, striped tights, a long skirt, boots, a hat, a scarf. Build the base from those, and write down what’s missing.

Thrift store for the rest

Thrift stores are the best place to find costume pieces, because they have strange items for cheap. Shop with your list and look for the one or two things that make it a costume: a blazer, a wig, a hat, a bright shirt. It’s usually possible to put a whole costume together for under $20 this way.

Make the extras

This is where cardboard, glue and safety pins come in.

1. Cut shapes from cardboard for wings, swords, crowns, a sign or a prop.
2. Paint or cover them, and let them dry before you wear them.
3. Use hot glue to attach small pieces to fabric, and safety pins for anything you might want to take off later. Hot glue is very hot and burns skin easily, so go slowly and keep your fingers back.
4. Add face paint or makeup last.

Keep it light. Cardboard props get heavy and awkward quickly, so make them smaller than you think you need.

Face paint and makeup

Use products made for skin, and test a small area first to check you don’t react. Craft paint is not meant for faces, so don’t use it. Take everything off before bed with soap and water or a makeup remover.

Try it on before the night

Wear the whole costume for ten minutes at home and move around in it. Sit down, raise your arms, walk up and down the stairs. This is when you find out that the hat falls off, the shoes pinch or the mask fogs your glasses. Fix those things now.

Make sure you can see properly, especially if you’ll be outside after dark, and that nothing drags on the floor.

If something goes wrong

• It isn’t recognisable. Add one big, obvious prop or a sign. People understand a costume faster with a prop.
• It’s uncomfortable. Swap the problem piece for something simpler. Comfort wins over detail.
• You’re out of time. A black outfit, cat ears and drawn whiskers is a costume in about five minutes.

Costume ideas to start from

If you’re stuck, these need very little and are easy to recognise:

• A witch. A black dress, a pointed hat from a thrift store and a broom, or a wooden spoon if you can’t find one.
• A ghost. A white sheet with eye holes cut out, or a pale dress and a sheet as a cape. Make the holes big enough to see out of properly.
• A scarecrow. Flannel, jeans, patches sewn or pinned on, and some straw or yellow yarn sticking out of the cuffs.
• A cat or a fox. Ears on a headband, a tail pinned on and whiskers in eyeliner.
• A character from a favourite book. Find the one detail everyone knows, such as a scarf colour or a hat, and build around it.

Make it a fall evening

Put on music, spread everything on the floor and make it your whole evening: it’s calm, cheap and you end up with something that’s yours. Then wear it to a Halloween party, a haunted house or just a movie night with friends. Keep your favourite pieces, because a good costume is easy to bring back next year.