What will you be for Halloween this year?
If you don’t know yet, it’s not a problem. Here are some ideas to get you started. Most items can be found within your own closets. The extras can be easily bought cheaply at Target or Wal-Mart.
So, whether you’re heading out alone or partying with friends, you’re sure to get attention in any one of these ensembles.
For Girls:
Hippie:
Materials Needed:
Peasant blouse
Jeans
Love beads
Turn on, tune in and drop out, man. Then, cue up Jefferson Airplane’s “Surrealistic Pillow” and sway in the fields – or at least pretend to, while flashing the peace sign all night.
Taylor Swift:
Materials Needed:
Sundress
Cowboy boots
Guitar
What girl doesn’t have a sundress in their closet? Combine this with item number two, and you are on your way to talking about the teardrops on your guitar and dating Joe Jonas. Good luck if you run into Kanye, however.
For Guys:
Dane Cook:
Materials Needed:
Black short-sleeve T-shirt
Jeans
Microphone
Be sure to shout your routine at least three decibels above everyone else’s indoor voices. Don’t forget to flash the “Superfinger” gesture every five minutes.
For Guys and Girls:
Ninja:
Materials Needed:
Black shirt
Black pants
Black shoes
Samurai sword
The ability to move swiftly and silently
Sneak up on everyone you know. They’ll never see you coming.
(Hipster) Lumberjack:
Materials Needed:
Plaid Shirt
Jeans
Hiking boots
Axe
All the cool kids are wearing those plaid shirts these days. Don one over jeans, add hiking boots and wield an axe for the total effect. If you’re going for the hipster route, mention that the whole lumberjack thing is so played out, and you’re just doing it to be ironic.
Cowboy/Cowgirl:
Materials Needed:
Western-style shirt
Jeans
Galloon Stetson hat
Rope for lasso (optional)
Turn on some Rascal Flatts and kick back on the farm (or wherever you’ll be Halloween night).
Traffic Signs:
Materials Needed:
Two pieces of poster board
Paint or markers
A general knowledge of transportation signage
Whether you pick a stop sign or one that advertises upcoming turns, you’ll stop traffic.
The Barrel Monster:
Materials Needed:
Orange and white-striped shirt
Orange and white-striped pants
It’s topical, timely and local! Dress up as the biggest (if not the most fun) local news story of the year. (Time magazine named creator Joseph Carnevale, senior in history, one of the top 10 guerrilla artists. It’s big: he’s up there with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy.) Grimace menacingly and point towards downtown all night.
For Couples:
Bella Swan and Edward Cullen from “Twilight”:
Materials Needed:
Bella:
Gray jacket
Jeans
An endearing tendency to trip
Edward:
Gray jacket
Jeans
A smoldering stare
Body glitter
Girls, sit silently and endlessly pine for your sparkly would-be lover all night. Guys, act as if you’re manic-depressive and filled with self-hatred. (In an Esquire interview last year, Robert Pattinson describes approaching his role as exactly that.)
Fred and Wilma Flintstone:
Materials Needed:
Fred:
Orange shift with black spots and jagged hem
Wilma:
One-shoulder white dress with jagged hem
Pearls
Dress as the modern Stone Age couple and have a yabba-dabba-do time wherever you go.
For Groups:
The Scooby Gang:
Materials Needed:
Overall, a passion for solving mysteries
Specifically:
Shaggy:
Green short-sleeve T-shirt
Tan pants
5 o’clock shadow
Fred:
Blue shirt (preferably wide-lapelled)
Orange scarf
White sweater
Jeans
Daphne:
Purple dress
Lime-green scarf
Pink tights
Velma:
Orange sweater
Orange pleated skirt
Orange knee-high socks
Mary Jane shoes
Glasses
Zoinks, Scoob! If you’re heading out with friends, try this fun one. Everyone will know who you are as you cruise around town in your Mystery Machine (or Shaggin’ Wagon, whichever you prefer). Just don’t forget the Scooby snacks.
The Sterling Cooper office of “Mad Men”
Materials Needed:
Overall, an adherence to 1960s gender roles
Specifically:
Don Draper:
A great suit
An ever-present glass of whiskey
The ability to pull an ad pitch out of thin air
Peggy Olson:
A shift dress
High ambitions
Pete Campbell:
An ill-fitting blue suit
Awkward social skills
Roger Sterling:
A black suit
An endless supply of quips
Joan Holloway Harris:
A curve-hugging shift dress
Red lipstick
Flirt, fight and fume your way around the office. Just don’t let the secretary run over your foot with a lawnmower.
