Okay I admit it: I’m one of those crazy people who starts thinking about upcoming holidays months in advance. I mean, Christmas is only three months away, right? Kidding. October is here, which means it’s time to start thinking about Halloween costumes, and everyone knows the best costumes are homemade. Here are a few D.I.Y. ideas for your costume this year.
I recently worked on a fairy costume for the N.Y. Renaissance Fair, which was a huge hit. The only item I bought was a tutu, and the rest I made from wire, fake flowers, and cellophane. For a cute woodland top, I used a plain bandeau and completely covered it in fake flowers with hot glue. I also made a flower crown and vine wrap from the remaining flowers by attaching them to Panacea Decorative Accents floral wire. I then wrapped the wire around my legs, arms, and heads.
Lastly, I created wings from 14-gauge wire by bending it into the shape of large butterfly wings, and then sandwiching the wire between two pieces of cellophane. I used a spray adhesive to hold everything together.
Want to turn it into a cute and nerdy couples costume? Stick to a blue palette for your fairy costume and get your boyfriend to be Link and suddenly you’re Navi, the crazy cursor fairy! You can even make a sign to tote around that says, “Hey! Look!”
If you feel comfortable enough to do a little sewing, you can make a great werewolf costume from your current wardrobe and some faux fur fabric. All you need is a flannel shirt, a pair of ripped jeans, work boots, and some faux fur.
Use the fake fur to make ears (attached with clips or a headband), a tail, and arm warmers. For the feet, thrift a pair of cheap work boots and cut open the toe. Find a pair of wolf or bear paw slippers to slide in through the opening in the boot—now you’ve got a pair of furry feet poking out of your shoes!
Want another awesome fairytale creature idea? YouTube user TiffyQuake makes an awesome mermaid. Start with shiny or scale-patterned leggings; you can either buy them ready-made or get crafty. Next, cut two pieces of ribbon and a bunch of pieces of tulle as long as the length from your knee to the floor. Tie the ends of the tulle to the ribbons and then tie those right under your knees to make fins. Similarly to the fairy top, hot glue a bunch of seashells to crop top or bralette. Experiment with various accessories, like seashell crowns, cellophane fins, and jewelry.
Looking for something a little nerdier? Lara Croft makes an excellent costume for a girl who wants to be badass and nerdy at the same time. The most difficult part will be finding fake holsters, but the rest of the costume can come right out of your closet! All you need is a pair of brown short shorts, a blue tank top, brown combat boots, and a small backpack. Pull your hair back into a French braid and throw some dirt on your clothes and you’ll look like a Tomb Raider for sure!
Another easy costume for anime lovers is D.I.Y. Sailor Moon! Start with a dark blue skater skirt or tutu and white T-shirt, tucked in. Cut her cape out of dark blue fabric and attach some white ribbon for the detailing. You can also make her red bows out of cloth or wide red ribbon and pin them on. For shoes, wear tall read socks with red sneakers, flats, or heels (or buy boots!). Get some white gloves and add red cuffs using the same material as the ribbon, and pull your hair into high pigtails.
Hopefully at least one of these ideas will save you in the week-before panic of “what am I going to wear on Halloween?!” Happy Costuming!
