Fashionably Late: Last Minute Costume Ideas for Procrastinators

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We’ve all been there before. You make a bunch of plans for awesome, over the top Halloween costumes but then you put off buying them and eventually, you forget. Then, out of nowhere, there it is. A text message from your best friend that reads, “Hey u comin 2 the party 2nite?” Could it be? Have the weeks flown by without you noticing? You frantically run to your calendar and, sure enough, it’s October 31st. You have no idea what you’re going to wear, and the party is in three hours. Never fear, your personal procrastination professional is here, somewhat late, with a list of last minute, DIY (Do It Yourself) costumes to guide you through this troubling time and leave you feeling less scared about your lack of party preparation. I’ve broken the list up into sections to help you better decide which style suits your needs and/or available materials!

 

Hasty Halloween Hilarity

 

We’re all aware of the usual DIY costumes. A cat with drawn on whiskers, a toilet paper mummy, a bed sheet ghost, etc. These ideas are similar, but a little more unique. First, you could use your brain to put together a scarecrow costume. With a pair of overalls, some loose straw and a woven sun hat, you’ll be walking the yellow brick road to your friend’s party in style. Or you could be a zombie. This one works two ways. Use makeup and tattered clothing to look as though you’re rotting away, or you can glue a copy of the 1994 hit single “Zombie” by Irish rock band The Cranberries to your shirt and call it a night. Some other ideas include a UPS worker (brown shorts and a brown short sleeve button up), a fried and/or deviled egg (white shirt, yellow felt “yolk,” with or without devil horns and a red tail), an adult baby (glue some doll hands to a baby’s onesie, then glue that onesie to your shirt), or even our 45th President, Donald Trump (skin bronzer, a wig and a suit with a big red tie). Any of these are guaranteed to get some laughs and start some conversations.

 

Not Quite 99 Ideas Involving Balloons

 

Some of the most unique and interesting DIY Halloween costumes I’ve run across involve some pretty creative uses for balloons. You can put some green ribbons in your hair, glue purple balloons all over yourself and bam! You’re a bunch of grapes. You can even go the extra mile and fill the balloons with grape juice, although this is not recommended if your friend has light colored carpet in their house. Skip the green ribbons and make the balloons on your shirt black and you’ve got yourself a believable blackberry get up. Perhaps you have more of a sweet tooth than a fancy for fruit. It is Halloween after all. Well, don’t fret because if you ditch the purple and black balloons for a multicolor pack, you’ve got what could easily pass for a bunch of gumballs, jelly beans, or any other small rainbow candies. Whichever you choose, a balloon costume will definitely add some pop to your party plans.

 

Don’t Sweat It. Sweat Suits!

 

There aren’t many costume ideas in this section, but the ones involving a matching sweatshirt/sweat pants combo are most certainly going to be some of the more comfortable options for last minute outfits. With very few accessories needed to make these costumes stand out, they’re sure to please not only you, but everyone else at the ghoulish get together of your choosing. Got an all brown sweat suit? Got some face paint and a spare banana? Boom, you’re a monkey! Got an all green sweat suit and a bunch of clothes pins? Pow, you’re a cactus! Got an all white sweat suit (or outfit of any kind) and some black electrical tape? Viola, you are now a stick figure. Congratulations! These ideas are fun because they are creative as well as comfortable. Too often, people will compromise comfort for costume quality. Well I’m here to tell you you can have your candy and eat it too.

 

Creative Cardboard Concept Costumes

 

Cardboard can be a blessing to those of us that suffer from creative blocks in stressful situations such as not having a costume just hours before a party. You can be anything that’s already box shaped. A boom box, a phone booth, a Rubik’s Cube, the possibilities are endless. Or you can use individual flat pieces cut into whatever shape your idea calls for. Lots of fun costumes can be created out of cardboard, and it’s easy to come by so it’s great for last minute miracles. You can take the top and bottom off of a cardboard box, put shoulder straps on it and fill it with fake flowers to be the floral centerpiece of any party. An empty cereal box glued to your chest with plastic forks and knives shoved into it makes for a killer “cereal” killer costume. Bringing a date? No problem. One of you dress as a pizza missing a slice, the other as the missing slice. Adorable and delicious! Skipping the party scene for a night of family fun and trick or treating? We’ve got you covered, so to speak. One parent can dress as a graham cracker, the other as a bar of chocolate, and a couple white pillows can cleverly disguise junior as a makeshift marshmallow for a costume as sweet as it is easy.

 

Punniest Costumes Ever!

 

These pun-based costumes are sure to get more than a few laughs at any Halloween house party. Any pair of animal print pajamas and a pointy party hat (along with some slightly unsavory behavior) and suddenly, you’re the party “animal” we all knew you could be. Some other animal pun ideas include the “Oh” deer (deer antlers and a shirt that says “Oh”), a cow with a halo, or a “Holy” Cow, and a pig in a blanket. That last one is pretty self explanatory. Another punny idea for a costume is Stephen King. This one is deceivingly simple. Just wear any T shirt, along with a “Hello, my name is Stephen” sticker and a paper crown you can pick up for next to nothing at your local craft supply store. Boom. With one trip to the mall you could pick up an orange shirt, a smoothie and a couple leafy twigs from a tree in the parking lot and you now have the first Orange Julius Caesar costume ever worn. Going with a group? Paint your faces like the band Kiss, wear berets and carry around baguettes. From Kiss to “French” Kiss. These costumes are sure to leave other party goers in stitches.

 

There you have it. There’s absolutely no need to worry about finding a costume in time for Halloween. While your look will surely be more developed if you plan ahead, it is entirely possible to wow a party with a thrifty, comfortable, creative costume that neither breaks the bank nor takes weeks of planning. You now have all the information you need to craft a clever costume of your own, so go ahead and respond to that text message with an “I’ll b there” because you will. In style, no less.

For those of you with time to spare before the big night, checkout our amazing costume collection here: Toynk Halloween Costume and Props

by Bill L. Wallis

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