Halloween Costume Ideas: Start With What You Own

There’s a particular satisfaction in putting together a costume and realising the best part was already in your wardrobe, whether it’s the slightly excessive coat, the dress you’ve been saving for an occasion that never arrives or a shirt that suddenly makes perfect sense as something a character would wear.

Halloween is a good excuse to look at those pieces again. Assembling a costume from clothes with a previous life often produces something more interesting, with details and textures that give the outfit character.

In a costume department, that’s familiar territory. We’re constantly looking at what exists, what can be used again and which details will tell the story. The same thinking works for a party, even without a wardrobe truck parked outside.

What Makes a Character Recognisable?

A convincing costume often comes down to a handful of decisions, with colour, proportion and silhouette telling you who someone is before you register the individual garments.

Wednesday Addams is a good example: her black dress, white collar and severe centre part work together to establish the character. Once you recognise that combination, it becomes easier to recreate the look using pieces you can find.

Choose a reference image you love and look at how the outfit is put together. An oversized jacket creates a different impression from a fitted one, while high-waisted trousers change the proportions of everything worn with them. Even the condition of the clothes tells you something about the character, from immaculate tailoring to a shirt that looks as though it’s been slept in.

You don’t need to reproduce every detail, but you need to know which details make the character recognisable.

Let Your Wardrobe Suggest the Costume

Sometimes it’s easier to start with a garment than a character. A pink dress might send you towards Barbie, a blue apron and white T-shirt could suggest Carmy from The Bear, and an extravagant coat might be the beginning of Mabel from Only Murders in the Building.

Borrowing opens up more possibilities because friends and family have entirely different wardrobes, including things they’ve held onto for years for reasons they may struggle to explain. An invitation to dress up is finally a job for those clothes.

Try putting a few pieces together before making a shopping list, as you might find that a single addition is enough to bring the outfit together.

A Few Characters to Borrow From

Carmy — The Bear

A white T-shirt, dark trousers and a blue apron make this an achievable starting point, with the fit of the T-shirt, the apron and the hair carrying the reference. An air of having too much to do would be entirely in character.

Wednesday Addams — Wednesday

Her everyday look works well with a black dress and a white collared shirt underneath, while the Rave’N dance outfit offers inspiration if you already own something black, sheer and rather dramatic. Look at the ruffles, the shape around the shoulders and the movement of the skirt to see whether something in your wardrobe could work.

Barbie and Ken — Barbie

Choosing a particular outfit from the film gives you a clear direction, whether you’re working with pink gingham, a coordinated beach set or western-inspired separates. For a group, different versions of Barbie and Ken leave room for everyone to use what they have while still belonging to the same world.

Mabel Mora — Only Murders in the Building

Mabel’s first-episode look is built around a yellow faux-fur coat, an orange beanie, checked trousers and headphones. The statement coat does much of the work, making this a useful option if you can borrow one or find something similar at a hire store.

Eleven — Stranger Things

Eleven’s season three shopping outfit is a useful reference for anyone with a bold geometric print hiding in their wardrobe. Look for a loose, short-sleeved shape, add a belt and take your cues from the styling, with vintage and second-hand shops offering plenty of possibilities for the print.

Older films and television shows are worth revisiting, too, particularly when you love a character’s style or already own something that brings them to mind. That enthusiasm gives you something to build on and makes the process more enjoyable.

Second-Hand Shopping With a Purpose

Costume sourcing involves a lot of looking, and having a reference gives that looking some direction. Once you’ve identified a cropped jacket, a particular shade of green or a handbag with the right shape, you can start spotting useful pieces across second-hand shops, vintage stores and resale listings.

Allow some flexibility with exact matches, as a jacket with the right proportions in a slightly different shade may capture the character more successfully than one chosen solely for its colour.

Consider what you’ll do with the piece afterwards, too. A shirt you’ll wear again, a coat you’ve wanted anyway or a dress you can pass on gives the purchase a life beyond the party.

Give Your Local Costume Hire Store a Look

Some outfits call for a piece you’re unlikely to find in the back of a cupboard, which is where costume hire comes into its own. A period coat, an elaborate gown or a very particular hat can transform basics you already own, and hiring one distinctive piece may be enough to complete the outfit.

Local hire stores also bring years of accumulated costume knowledge, so take a reference and be open to suggestions. The person who knows those rails may pull out something you would never have thought to ask for.

Supporting those stores helps keep their collections and expertise available for the next person with an unusually specific invitation.

The Details Give It Character

Once the clothes are together, return to your reference and look at the styling, from the way the shirt is tucked and the position of the belt to the pushed-up sleeves and hairstyle. These finishing decisions help the clothes feel as though they belong to the character, and most cost nothing to try.

There’s plenty of room for interpretation, humour and an inspired substitution, which is part of the pleasure of putting the outfit together yourself.

At COSPRO, our hire collection is for film, television and photographic production. For Halloween and private parties, we encourage you to explore your local costume hire stores, borrow from friends and family, and give existing clothes another outing.

Before you buy anything, have another look at that excessive coat, because it may finally have found its moment.