Get Spooked! Speedy Costume Ideas For This Halloween

Zombie Boy!
Zombie Boy!
Rick "Zombie Boy" Genest is a crazy-hip, crazy-spooky costume--all it takes is some patience and a steady hand! | Photo Courtesy of the Flickr Commons

You’ve had midterms, homework, extracurriculars, and partying your face off to worry about–we know. Who then has the time to come up with a killer costume idea? The clock is ticking! Before long you’ll be that jerk at the Halloween party who forgot to put a costume together–or worse, bought some terrible “sexy ____” monstrosity. But never fear! The Quad is here with suggestions for guys and gals who want to be a little creative in a pinch.

Gals:

1. The night sky. This one is super easy and elegant! Wear all black and then stud yourself in sparkly pins, jewelry, and accessories. Extra points if you arrange the sparkles in the pattern of a constellation (think Orion’s belt across the waist, a poodle skirt with Sirius the dog emblazoned on the side, or grab a friend and be the Gemini constellation). Top it off with dark and sparkly eye makeup and work the cosmos.

2. A binder full of women. This one’s a group costume! Make Mitt Romney’s recent gaffe your own, grab a lady buddy or two and a large piece of cardboard, and get to work.  Paint the cardboard in whatever style of binder you prefer (we’re partial to classic navy or, if you’re feeling sassy, Lisa Frank), make a few rings out of wire, and affix the construction around you and your female pal(s).

3. A flapper. With Baz Luhrmann’s highly anticipated new adaptation of The Great Gatsby coming out in just a few short months, anticipate a bevy of 20’s costumes on the street. This one is great because it’s all about hair and makeup and easy basic clothing; finger waves, a bob (or faux-bob: see a tutorial here), loose, shimmering clothing, and a string of beads are all you need to capture the essence of Daisy Buchanan. Bonus add-ons: feathered headband, long gloves, a cigarette holder, moonshine, and a sense of purposelessness.

Guys

1. A ceiling fan: Chances are you’ve got a crew neck sweatshirt lying around somewhere, right? Take said sweatshirt and some masking tape and get to DIY-ing. Spell out the words “GO CEILING GO!” in block letters with the tape and you’ve got a quick costume that’s high on wordplay and low on effort. For an added effect, paint war stripes on your face, shout enthusiastically, and if you can get your hands on one, carry a foam finger.

2. An old man. This is a very simple idea, but with commitment and some creative repurposing of basic items, can be the best costume in the room. Powdering your hair white is easy and will cost you nothing, or virtually nothing if you don’t have talcum powder (expert tip: spray hair with hairspray before and after you powder so it will last longer). Then, it gets fun. Wear your most formal pair of khakis (especially ones with pleats!), a flannel, and then go crazy! Add a bathrobe, slippers, glasses, a pipe, anything that screams elderly. Have a friend draw on some wrinkles with a brown eyeliner pencil–it’s the lines around the mouth that really make a difference. Then, it’s up to you to act crotchety and awesome all night.

3. Rick “Zombie Boy” Genest. This costume is neither for the faint of heart nor the uncreative, but doesn’t require much material other than a buzz cut,  face paint, markers, some very cool clothes, and a bit of patience. Zombie Boy, for those unfamiliar, is absolutely covered in tattoos (to see how many, check out this video). Wear a leather jacket and a shirt buttoned all the way up to the neck (this will also cut down on the amount of surface area you’ll need to “tattoo”), your raddest boots, and get to spooky tattooing. You’ll be the coolest zombie in the room.

 

Happy haunting from the Quad!

 

 

About Sharon Weissburg

Sharon Weissburg (CAS 2015) hails from the lovely city of Providence, Rhode Island and loves fashion, literature, music, and art. She's a pretty big fan of pretzels dipped in marshmallow fluff, too.

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