How to throw together a last-minute iconic costume

Graphic by Janet Xiong

Still have not thought of a costume?

We have all been there. 

Are you running out of time?

Yes.

But do not worry. It is a lot easier to throw something together than you might think, and you can do it sustainably. 

Do you already own it?

First, take to Pinterest. Look up last-minute costumes. Try to pick something you already have in your closet. 

Before I move on, I want to note there is a common misconception that your costume has to exactly replicate who you are portraying. Not true.

Sometimes it is the vibe you have to replicate, not the certain outfit. 

This year, I am going as Kesha. Instead of choosing one of Kesha’s looks, I took inspiration from her style in general. Kesha, especially in the early 2010s, has staples in her style that uniquely resemble her. 

It could be easier to pick a character or persona with multiple looks. Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and The City, for example, can be brought to life in many ways. 

One of Bradshaw’s easier looks to replicate is her “walk-of-shame” outfit. It is a simple white button-up worn as a dress and a black belt.The heels are not necessary, but those would be a nice touch. 

Ava Kharin, the vice president of the Environmental Student Association, has been meticulously planning her costumes for months. Kharin is dressing up as Charli XCX, and she used items she already had in her closet. She also advises asking your friends for costume pieces. 

“One way that students can thrift last minute costumes without having to buy from fast fashion is seeing if their friends have any costumes from previous years that would be able to be repurposed,” Kharin said. 

Thrift it

Secondly, take a trip (or multiple) to the thrift store. I recommend having a simple idea in your head first. Maybe use an easy costume idea from Pinterest. 

When you have an idea, dig for it. Turn the Goodwill inside-out. Take a Saturday, drink some caffeine and knock it out in one day. 

If you only find one item at one thrift store, go to another. Go to a Goodwill Bins, Saver’s or any local vintage store. 

Kharin said Goodwill has a surprisingly large Halloween section as well. She only bought one, a cape for Winnifred Sanderson from “Hocus Pocus,” while having three costumes. 

DIY it

Make your costume yourself. Take an old sheet or t-shirt and rip it up if you have to. Consider clothes you do not wear anymore and think about what you could turn those into. 

Thinking of wordplay could make this easier. 

Do you have some newspaper and a trenchcoat? Fashion the newspaper into clothes, and put on the trench coat. Now you are “news flash.” 

Take from Jim Halpert from The Office. Take three pieces of paper, tape them on your shirt and call yourself a three hole punched paper.

In 2022, I saw a Tik Tok of a woman who recreated Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress. This goes to show the possibilities are endless. 

Kharin’s last costume is a mermaid for which she repurposed an old bodysuit using beads from Michaels. 

“While I definitely am not a perfect consumer, it is fun to explore different ways to put together an outfit in nontraditional ways,” Kharin said. “An added bonus is that it will make your costume unique!” 

One last thing that is important to mention is it is okay to rewear the same costume. Students typically go out a few times for Halloween and you do not need a different costume for each night you go out.