Master of Disguise

Boo!

For the third installment of my "I freaking love Halloween and you should too" series (recipes HERE; decor HERE) I thought I would tackle the trickiest of all the Hallo-weeny topics: costumes. Sure you can always go to the store and purchase a packaged costume in a bag (Marie Antoinette was a fan favorite of those for me) or, if you are a lady, be a "slutty ___" (nurse? construction worker? referee?) and pull it off, but sometimes a little DIY can make you the star of the party. Here are a few ideas (from my crazy brain and around the web) to help get your creative juices flowing.

* Get Witty

This is GENIUS!

Rock, paper, scissors anyone!?

This little girl is legit my hero. Easy peasy
how-to instructions HERE

Think about a play on words, your favorite food or a classic song... how can you bring it to life? Maybe you need to be a "Devil in a blue dress" or "Hell on wheels" (devil costume + roller skates!)? Cup of Jo has an AMAZING collection of ideas for adults and kiddies HERE and Coolest Homemade Costumes is an online gallery filled with genius inspiration.

* Be a Star

Khakis, jacket, button down, hat =
instant Indie

Dr. H will forever be attempting to match the
greatness of the year he was "Most Interesting"

Put your LBD to work!

One of my favorite costumes from recent years was when I dressed as Ms. Holly Golightly of Breakfast at Tiffany's fame. Black dress, sunglasses, gloves and a tiny tiara instantly transformed me to another era. Consider Indiana Jones if you're an action movie kinda guy, or a recognizable television or commercial character (two friends once donned maid of the mist ponchos to perfectly portray The Office's Pam and Jim on their wedding day).

* Go Classic

Frank is as iconic as Halloween itself!

A witch, ghost, mummy or Frankenstein are all exceptionally easy to execute and probably require very few purchases beyond what's already in your closet. For a Witch: black dress, black tights, black nail polish. Buy the pointy hat and a broom as well as some green face paint if you're going for authenticity. Ghost: White top sheet and a friend to help  you mark where to cut your eye holes. Frankenstein: Black suit and a black shirt. Purchase some green face paint and use eyeliner to make your "stitches and seams". Black spray-in hair color completes the look.

* Keep it Simple / Pick a Theme

Halloween-y & HOT!

If you're looking for a way to mix up your Halloween party costume theme (because you KNOW I love themes) consider encouraging people's creativity with something like "Heroes & Villains  or "Twice as Nice: Your best costume ever, again" (I literally JUST thought of that and I'm tooootally doing it next year. Is dressing up as Raggedy Ann 3 times in 1 lifetime too many!?) If you know your audience isn't big on theme participation, maybe a simple "Masquerade" or "Black & Orange" is the way to go. 

It's not often that adults are invited to dress up like children (without being considered whack-a-doos) so don't miss your chance to play pretend for a night!