Halloween costume ideas

With October 31 inching ever closer, here are ten tips to help guide you through the chaos of choosing a Halloween costume.

1. Research first 

A quick Google with provide you with lists of costumes crowd sourced from all over the web. Browse through the ideas to get inspiration for your own.

2. Start…now!  

Well, preferably yesterday. Or last July. Waiting until the last minute to pick a costume means insufficient time to ship from a website and long lines and leftovers at local costume shops.

3. Work with what you have 

Hunt down old sports equipment in the garage and dress as a football player or a boxer. Look through your closet to see if a striped sweater can become Where’s Waldo, or if a fur coat can turn into Cruella de Vil.

4. Get crafty 

Pull out the scissors and paint. An empty cardboard box can transform into anything from a giant live playing card to a driver’s license with a cutout for your head.

5. Be topical, not trendy 

Remember Halloween ’08, when everyone dressed as the Joker, just after the release of Dark Knight? If you think others might wear your costume, it’s safest to pass. This year, don’t even think about dressing as Steve Jobs.

6. Get a little help from your friends 

A good group costume is a major coup. Think all five Power Rangers knocking on your door. But remember you have to stay together; no one wants to see Thing 1 without Thing 2.

7. Avoid thrift megastores 

Value Village and the like are packed from mid September straight through November 1. Most large thrift stores are also picked over nearing Halloween. Instead, look out for smaller charity shops and Salvation Army stores in out of the way neighborhoods.

8. Dress as a character, not a celeb 

Your peasant blouse won’t make you look like an Olsen twin, nor will a furry vest and pair of sunglasses make you Rachel Zoe. Instead, pick a look iconic enough to recognize right away. Actors are harder to identify than their best-known characters—the costume is Holly Golightly, not Audrey Hepburn.

9. Couple with caution 

Couple costumes can be clever—John and Yoko in a blanket or Charles Manson with Sharon Tate. Stay away from anything too syrupy sweet to maintain speaking terms with single friends. And remember: the only couple costume worse than Prince Charming and Cinderella is Prince William and Kate.

10. Go wild  

It’s the costumes you didn’t wear that you regret, not the ones you did. Don’t be nervous to wear your obnoxious, skimpy, scary, bloody, cheeky costume out. Remember, grownups won’t be dressing in silly costumes again until October 31, next year.