Fifteen Minutes to Fabulous: g’s Guide to last-minute Halloween costumes
by Pia B. Guballa on October 30, 2010
Little Lulu and Tubby
Gone are the days when the end of October only meant waiting for little kids to ring your doorbell, asking for candy. Halloween isn’t just for the kids who go trick or treating anymore—it’s for the big kids who like to dress up, too. It’s that time of the year again when you’re probably being invited to a ton of Halloween parties, and are clueless as to what to wear. Worry not! Here are a few things g suggests you do to help you find that perfect Halloween costume—in fifteen minutes, or less!
Bring back the memories: Toys and things you liked best
Mickey and Minnie Mouse
An easy way to look for inspiration is by looking back at the things you liked most as a kid. Explore your old toy box, comics, books, dolls, and stuffed toys. Recall all your favorite cartoons and the movies your parents played before repeatedly on the VHS. Were you a Disney fanatic? Bring back the days when you wanted nothing more than to be Woody from Toy Story or Ash, complete with a stuffed Pikachu and your Pokedex. Think of the things you played with the most—whether it was your Matchbox cars, your Polly Pockets, Sky Dancers, or even your Lego blocks. If this fails, you can try to draw inspiration from the kids of today and shop where they shop—you can always drop by Toy Kingdom, where they actually sell costumes in extra large!
Unforgettable stars: Dressing like an Icon
Dress Like Gaga
Another good way to look for ideas is by looking at who people do remember most—celebrities, athletes, and all sorts of icons. You can think vintage and dress like the classic Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, or Michael Jackson. You can be a timeless superhero like Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman. You can be someone people talk about now—think Justin Beiber or Lady Gaga.
Another option is to stand out from the crowd by dressing like someone they probably couldn’t guess the first time—think Albert Einstein, Mozart, or even a saint. Another interesting twist is by dressing like a local celebrity—wear something casual but add a cool nameplate like Kris Aquino or John Lloyd Cruz.
Terrific Together: Ideas for groups or couples
Mean Girls
If looking for ideas by yourself is futile, friends are always there to provide the much needed inspiration! Find a group of people and make a joint costume, or ask your significant other if he or she wants to do something together.
Lexi Gancayco, young entrepreneur and owner of online store, The Second Shop, is familiar with creating outfits and costumes that become the talk of the party. She shares, “In 2007 I did Salt and Pepper with my friend. We had matching labeled headpieces and a big S and P on our bodies.” Think of cute tandem things you can do, like bacon and eggs, or spoon and fork. Consider things you liked as kids too—Mario and Luigi, Deedee and Dexter, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, or even Little Lulu and Tubby. Think of movie couples like Bonnie and Clyde and Danny and Sandy from Grease.
Groups can come as a set of Crayola crayons, a whole basketball team, or even as The Addams family.
Ordinary to extraordinary: Seeing costume potential everything!
Bonnie and Clyde
Aside from toys, Hollywood inspiration, or even your friends, you can try to find ideas in everyday materials. The most unique costumes are actually the things that people take for granted or wouldn’t think of at all. The best thing about these things is that they’re usually right in under your nose! Lexi shares, “Another year, I went as a permanent marker. I just painted a shirt, sewed on some stripes to my pants and painted a huge tag price! “A mere glance around your desk will probably give you a number of ideas that’ll make you stand out from the rest of the crowd. Why not go as your favorite Stabilo highlighter? Or as a giant USB? Burrowing through your schoolbag can give you a whole bunch of ideas too—and trust us when we say you’d probably look amazing dressed as a scientific calculator.
Another way to make the most of what you probably already have is to go through your clothes and try to put something together from what you already have. Think of costumes you’ve used for past presentations- whether it’s that Filipiniana gown you used for Buwan ng Wika or the costume you put together for your English play, you’re bound to have some outfit already assembled from the past and ready for use in the present.
Putting these outfits together shouldn’t be all that hard either- remember to look at what you already have in your closet, and be as creative as you want to be by layering pieces or cutting up things you don’t use anymore. Remember that dressing up doesn’t have to be expensive either—make sure to ask your friends if they have certain things or drop by the nearest ukay-ukay—you’re bound to find something on their 70% off rack! We at g are sure you’ll come up with something quick and fabulous. Happy Halloween!
