Halloween is hurtling towards us like an oncoming train, and with it the inevitable invites to costume parties. When it comes to playing dress-up, you can only be one of two types: either you’ve had your outfit meticulously planned and picked out way in advance (how to be you?) or you’re partial to just pulling a sheet over your head with two holes for your eyes and calling it a day.
If you’re here, I’d wager a thousand bucks that you’re the latter. Worry not! Trust me, you don’t need to spend an exorbitant amount of money and time to wow your fellow partygoers. I’ll prove it. Here are 13 character outfits you can definitely pull off.
1. Britney Spears in “Baby One More Time”
Oh, baby, baby. She’s an icon, a legend, and she was the moment—when Britney Spears released “Baby One More Time” in 1998, it topped the charts in dozens of countries worldwide. To this day, the song and its artist remain steadfast in an ever-changing pop culture.
How do we recreate a little bit of what made Spears the icon she is today? It’s simple. If you’ve got a white button-up, all you need to do is tie it at the front to expose your midriff. Ideally, you’d use a tie-front cropped button-up, but an ordinary one works as long as you tie it properly. Pair it with a gray cardigan, a black skirt, black knee-high socks, and black shoes and you’re good to go!
2. Olive Penderghast from “easy A”
I’m going to say it right off the bat to ease your worries: you don’t need a corset for this one. Yes, Emma Stone’s iconic ensembles in this film involved corsets, but it’s only because she really wanted to make a statement and lingerie was the way to do that. Not that corsets are strictly lingerie anymore, but hey, it was 2010.
The idea behind her outfits was that she wanted to own her reputation as a sleaze, so she wanted to dress as indecently as she could. She sewed an A onto her corsets as an homage to Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter, who was forced to wear an A as a brand marking an unfaithful woman.
All you need is a daring outfit with the letter “A” emblazoned on the chest—sewn, glued, taped—and the confidence of a woman outcast by her peers and owning it, et voilà!
3. Olivia Rodrigo on the cover of “Sour”
You know the one. SOUR was an instant hit when it dropped in May of last year, and our girl Olivia went from “that girl in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” to three-time Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo.
Want to channel her? Here’s what you need: a soft pink tank top, blue striped bottoms, and a lot of accessories. The good thing is that we don’t really see what kind of bottoms she has on, so you can get away with pants, shorts, or skirts just fine.
The real trick to making your costume recognizable is the array of cute multicolored stickers, which you can print yourself. I don’t think you need to have your tongue out with letters that spell “SOUR” for the entirety of the night, but it could be cool to have a few photos taken like that for your Instagram!
4. Literally Anyone from “The Breakfast Club”
Even if you haven’t seen John Hughes’ 1985 classic, I’d bet you know the looks. At the very least, you probably know the iconic “Don’t You Forget About Me” ending scene, with John Bender raising his fist to the skies and Brian Johnson reading the group’s collective essay/letter describing each of them as an archetype. Their outfits are good shorthand for said archetypes, and luckily, they’re not difficult to replicate.
This is definitely done best as a group, so if you’re a group of five, here’s how you can be your own breakfast club.
The Brain, Brian, dresses in a simple green sweater and khaki pants.
The athlete, Andrew, usually dons jeans and a blue varsity jacket, but you can get away with only a blue tank top like he does towards the end of the film.
The Basketcase, Allison, absolutely did not need a makeover and so I recommend her original look: a baggy black sweater, a long gray skirt, gray tights or leggings underneath, a black patterned scarf, and a big sling bag.
The Princess, Claire, wears a loose pink v-neck tee and a long brown wrap-around skirt. Complete the look with a brown belt and brown boots, and you’re golden.
Lastly, John Bender, the criminal, wears layers upon layers. Jeans, obviously, and a white-long sleeved shirt to start with, then a red plaid button-up with short sleeves on top of that. In this climate, I’d stop there. But if you really want to go for it, he also wears a denim jacket for a good portion of the film. Accessorize with leather fingerless gloves and black boots, and you can be confident that people won’t forget about you.
5. Freddie Mercury
Surprising no one, one of the most talented vocalists of all time has also served up some unforgettable looks. Over the course of several decades, he’s pulled off countless styles and outfits you wouldn’t think would look good on anyone—but if you carried yourself with the unshakeable swagger that Freddie did, then you could perhaps make anything look good.
The look he’s probably most known for is one of his simplest ones: a wifebeater (hey, why do they call it that, anyhow?) and washed out blue jeans. Complete the look with a studded black belt and matching arm band, and your confidence will do the rest.
6. Wednesday Addams from “The Addams Family”
Who else is vibrating with excitement over the upcoming Netflix series dedicated to our favorite goth girl herself? If you’re in a group, you could totally do the whole family, but Wednesday can hold her own.
I haven’t met a girl who didn’t have a little black dress. It’s simple and reliable, and when you claim it fits any occasion, you’re actually right. The best thing about Wednesday is she’s recognizable no matter what look your black dress has—short sleeved, long sleeved, patterned or not—as long as you match it with the white collar. You could wear a collared white shirt underneath the dress, but if you’re not up for extra layers, faux collars are a thing. Then it’s up to you whether to wear black knee-high socks or leggings/tights. Or both, even. Finish the look with black shoes and ta-da! You’re creepy and kooky enough to make Morticia and Gomez proud.
7. Billie Eilish
Many hairstyles and colors have come and gone for Miss Billie, and she may be showing up to the Met Gala in some gorgeous gowns, but her style has not fundamentally changed. And the best part about it is that it’s completely attainable.
Billie favors graphic tees at least two sizes bigger than her own. She used to wear baggier shorts if that’s more your thing, but lately, she’s gone for the skin tight matching ones instead. Top it all off with sneakers and you’re set.
8. The Plastics from “Mean Girls”
Mean Girls is one of the most quotable films of the last two decades. People still celebrate October 3rd, and Regina George still has a real claim to the title of the greatest mean girl of all time. Halloween this year, regrettably, does not fall on a Wednesday, but there is no reason you can’t still channel the inimitable Plastics and wear pink.
Picture it: white shirt, pink skirt, and cardigan—like Regina in the poster. Maybe a blank tank top paired with a heart-patterned skirt like Karen Smith’s that one day Kadie fell into a garbage bin. Hell, it wasn’t Wednesday either when Regina sported a pink button up with a blazer. Have fun with it—as long as you wear pink. Otherwise, you can’t sit with us.
9. The Powerpuff Girls
You weren’t consuming the best of childhood media if Powerpuff Girls wasn’t on your docket. They were my Avengers. My Justice League. They were girls I could admire for different strengths. And it’s awfully easy to dress like them, considering the art style doesn’t allow for much detail.
Best done in a trio, all you really need is an outfit that matches the signature colors of blue, green, and pink. You could wear a short dress and simply add a black stripe or belt. You could do the same with any sleeveless top and a skirt. Finish it off with knee-high socks and black shoes.
Now, I’m no cartoon purist by any means, so I am all for updating the looks as you please. As long as you get the colors down, you can’t really go wrong.
10. Mia Wallace from “Pulp Fiction”
I’m such a fan of casual but iconic looks—the ones that you can pull off as an outfit you just came up with for the day, but anyone who is in the know might recognize what it is.
Uma Thurman’s breakout role was Mia Wallace. As it should be, because she certainly gave her the air of a femme fatale that she was meant to embody, even with such a simple ensemble. You can replicate it yourself with a simple white button-up—and make sure you don’t button it all the way—and black pants that flare out at the bottom. If you really want to lean into the character, you could smear some red on your face to give the appearance of blood running down your nose.
11. Shaggy from “Scooby Doo”
Did you guys know his real name is Norville? If you’re like me and you didn’t, well, that’s a nice little surprise fun fact for you. He’ll always be Shaggy to me, though, and Shaggy is a simple guy with simple wants. He’s laid back, which shows in the way he dresses.
Shaggy’s ensemble consists of a green v-neck shirt, brown bell-bottom pants, and simple black shoes. This look is adorable if you’ve got a great dane of your own—but barring that, a friend could always dress up in all brown and be the Scooby to your Shaggy.
12. The Rock’s Iconic Fashion Moment
It’s been meme’d a hundred times, but it never gets old. There’s just something about it that makes it timeless in its absurdity—the necklace over the turtleneck collar, the tissue underneath his elbow, the thumb tucked into the fanny pack. It’s a lot. But it’s also not hard to recreate—I would know, I did it for my yearbook photo.
The core pieces are a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and a fanny pack. After that, it’s just a matter of details: you’ve got the brown belt, the aforementioned necklace, the watch, bracelet, and single earring. If you’re posing for photos (as you should, with a look like this), then you can’t forget the tissue paper.
13. Waldo from “Where’s Waldo?”
Okay, technically his original name was Wally, but it’s been changed a dozen times over for different translations. Waldo is what stuck in North America and, as I understand, the most well-known version.
If you’re unfamiliar, Waldo is a character from a series of puzzle books where the goal is to find him amidst a sea of other people, animals, buildings, and other such clutter. It’s a fun game to eat away your time. The premise, though, requires Waldo to be distinctly dressed from everyone else in order for players to be sure that it’s he you’ve found in the pages.
To dress like Waldo, you need a white and red striped sweater and blue jeans. The striped bonnet and cane are good bonuses, though I find that the sweater by itself is recognizable enough to get away with.
In the Philippines, Halloween may not be as popular as Christmas, but for those who love sweets, the spooky theme, and dressing up, it’s still worth celebrating and celebrating in style. It’s good to remember that you don’t need to spend a gratuitous amount of money or time to do that.
Photo Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-u5WLJ9Yk4, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNbPnqyvItk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG78fq6KAPA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAahtIiHw1s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flLiIaN06Eo&t, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETtX7DlS0Rw, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78RUyWC–bQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edr6_-L3bi4, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khqRIHcEXVc, https://www.instagram.com/p/CNnSB-7L80g/, https://www.instagram.com/p/CCo-M2foifd/, https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccy88h-J5Xd/, https://www.instagram.com/p/BUdR1j2FHjB/
