Clowns, vampires, werewolves and so many other fantasies of yours come to life this Halloween. Hallo-weekend comes but once a year, and it takes lots of preparation. You need to order this, that and the other thing for your costume and even then, you wonder will my costume make heads turn?
This list should make things a little bit easier. Learn what to wear to a party in order to make those heads turn and jaws drop, and learn what costumes to avoid so you’re not at the college party.
Check out these costume dos and don’ts for Hallo-weekend 2K18.
Do:
1. John and Jaqueline Kennedy
Your parents always told you someday you could become the next president, and on Halloween you can fulfill that dream. John and Jaqueline Kennedy arguably exemplified the definition of power couple. They walked into rooms and onto stages, and people just screamed. The couple had the swag and personalities that would make anyone fall in love. This Halloween, you could go as one of most iconic presidential couples in history and turn heads when you walk into that college house party. Go out and buy a nice suit for JFK and a dress with an old fashion hat for Jackie.
2. Orbit Girl
Dirty mouth, grab an orbit, or, in your case an orbit girl. Some of the best Halloween costumes come from the oddest places including commercials. Stop by the store and pick up a white skirt with what blazer. Next grab a blue bandana and throw it around your neck. Go as the Orbit girl this Halloween and show off that million dollar smile at house parties everywhere. “I went as Orbit girl last year and brought a bunch of gum with me. I charged people like 25 cents a piece and made some cash, plus everyone was giving me compliments on how original my costume was,” Temple senior Hannah Deuber said. Pro tip: Orbit gum will come in handy for that dirty mouth after a long night of drinking to get rid of the bad breath.
3. Ninja Turtles
Get dressed, go out, fight crime and save people one day at a time.. One of the ultimate squad costumes of course goes without saying: the Ninja Turtles. It can get difficult to find something that everyone in your friend group can agree on. You can just get a shirt that looks like a shell and a bandana with cut out spaces for the eyes. Quick, easy and you can never go wrong with a childhood cartoon as your theme.
4. Men in Black
You know what the difference between you and me is? I make this look good. Make it look good on Halloween and grab your best friend to go as Agent’s K and J from Men in Black. For one night you could pretend to be Will Smith and fight aliens to save the galaxy. Okay maybe not save the galaxy, but definitely save your friends from making some poor decisions. “I love Will Smith and grew up watching his movies, so when my best friend came to me with the Men In Black idea, I was all for it. Although we were the only people out on Halloween in suits,” Temple University junior Nate Jones said. Dress to impress this Halloween.
5. Fresh Prince and Carlton
Hit the dance floor and show off your dance moves…like the Carlton. Walk into the bar or house party as one of the most well-known duo from modern television. Will knew how to smooth talk the ladies, killed it in sports and rolled with all the cool kids. Then Carlton was, well, just Carlton. Nothing too exciting there. None the less there were many funny moments between the two, and on Halloween night you and your best friend could create laughable moments just like Will and Carlton. “I am from West Philly and I definitely grew up playing b-ball outside of the school, so Fresh Prince and Carlton made sense. My brother grabbed some preppy clothes and I got a track jacket with baggy pants and these costumes had all our friends cracking up,” Temple University senior Dessler Watson-Sharer said. Dive into your mom or dad’s drawer and score the ugliest 90’s apparel you can find.
6. Bugs and Lola
Grab some of Michael’s secret stuff (or your secret stuff) and roll out to the party with your significant other as Bugs and Lola. You grew up watching looney tunes on Saturday morning cartoons, and so your first idea of a power couple looked like Bugs and Lola. They killed it on the court together and were the ultimate athletic couple. Bugs at the one (point guard) and Lola at the two (shooting guard). Now you have a girlfriend or best friend, and what better way to relive your childhood then going as the power couple.
7. Starbucks Coffee
Everything runs on Dunkin…well more like Starbucks. College students have so little energy and always need that caffeine boost. You pull all-nighters regularly to get ready for an exam, then wake up in the morning on four hours of sleep with barely enough energy to get to class. Starbucks saves your life so why not go as your favorite coffee this Halloween? “I’ll be honest, I run on coffee and I spend an ungodly amount of money at Starbucks. This costume would be an amazing idea because it’s so relatable and I know I am not the only one with a coffee addiction,” Temple University senior Hannah Burns said. Grab an apron, khaki pants, green shirt and look for a Starbucks hat online.
8. Jake From Statefarm
Raid your closet, find some khakis and a red polo shirt and you got your Halloween costume all ready to go…Jake from Statefarm. Just like most college kids, you probably ball on a budget. So, getting special affects make up and all these other things may not be within your #brokecollegekid budget. Never pass on a costume that won’t break your bank account.
9. Flo from Progressive
Just go with the Flo. Flo from Progressive makes a great costume. You can go to every college party and sell insurance to your friends. After all they may get some bumps and bruises that need coverage after a night of partying. The insurance you sell them can buy them some gatorade and Advil to cure that next morning hangover or a band aid from that cut after falling on the dance floor.
10. Squints and Wendy Peffercorn
What he’d done was sneaky, rotten, low… and cool. Walk in as the cool kid at the party who comes with the beautiful lifeguard on his arm. Go as Squints and Wendy Peffercorn from The Sandlot. The amazing one-liners from this movie and hilarious scenes make it one of the most iconic movies of our generation. Why not play the part of the stars of the movie for the night? “The Sandlot is what made me fall in love with baseball. So to imitate my childhood hero squints with my girlfriend last year at Halloween was the best idea ever. People kept coming us to us saying we were couple goals,” Penn State Schuylkill junior Juan Familia said. If you take notes from Squints, maybe you can even steal a kiss or two from your date.
Don’t:
1. A Vampire
The Twilight series just acts as a blast from the past. That means Vampires went out of style. Yes, you can easily just throw some fake blood on and call it a day. It makes a costume, but you will show up to the party and find 10 other people dressed the exact same way. “Bella and Edward are characters of the past. That series isn’t the in thing anymore so I would avoid vampire costumes. Try something more recent like someone from The Hunger Games,” Shippensburg University junior Ramses Ovalles said. Pro tip: If the costume sells out at the store then you have the same idea as everyone else and you should rethink your outfit.
2. Risky Business
Halloween presents a unique opportunity to really let those creative juices flow. This holiday provides the time where you can break out of those confined thinking boxes that you spend every class in college working in. Throwing a big button–down shirt on over short shorts does not break out of that box. “Personally if a girl comes to a Halloween party dressed like Risky Business, I would not try and talk to her. It is just too basic of a costume and there are always a thousand girls dressed the same way. The creativity could be better,” Temple junior Bobby Rera said. Don’t expect to win a costume contest dressed like this.
3. A Cop
You have the right to remain silent. You won’t say anything at the party if you go as a cop. Your costume will not start up any conversation with people old or new. Nobody will come up to you to say how amazing your costume looks. Halloween gives you the opportunity to break the ice easy with costumes so going as a cop may lead to some awkward silence.
4. A Witch
Some of you may have grown up watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but that doesn’t make the costume fun. If your parents can wear the costume, more than likely you should not wear that to a college party. A witch makes for a safe bet when you need to throw something last minute, but not when you want something that will pop. Pro tip: don’t procrastinate on a costume so you can avoid throwing something together last second.
5. A Cat
People do their make-up all crazy for Halloween. They go all out with fake blood, gore, skeletons and so many other creative ideas. A cat doesn’t necessarily make the cut in terms of making your make-up bomb. Just draw on straight lines of whiskers and color your nose and you have a cat. “Going as a cat works for something last minute but I always like creativity on people so throwing on a headband with ears and a black outfit with whiskers on your face doesn’t make people interested in you. Heads won’t turn when you walk in to the party nor will you be the life of the party,” West Chester University junior Ashley Marshall said. Anybody with opposable thumbs can squiggle lines across their face, so try something different.
6. Drunk 1 and Drunk 2
At a Halloween party, everyone knows you drank too much, no need to advertise that. Just like with Risky Business, putting on an oversized t-shirt does not count as a Halloween costume. “There is definitely some people who drink every night of the week in college. They party too hard but they could go as Drunk 1 and Drunk 2 everyday if they want. It may be safe to say that a lot of college students could be that each weekend as well. So I personally don’t really consider it a costume,” Temple senior Myles Wyche said. Now switch it up some and make it Thing 1 and Thing 2 with someone dressed as The Cat in the Hat, and you have a great group costume.
7. Boxer
The classic Rocky movies obviously make for a recognizable costume. Who wouldn’t want to emulate a character that represents resilience and the underdog status? But Rocky has been around for a while and represents old news. Nothing screams “basic” more than something everyone did before. Maybe change things and go as a different athlete like a baseball or basketball player.
8. Prisoner
Going as prisoners could make for a convincing group costume, but the same effect falls short when going it alone. Switch things up and go as a chain gang. Dress as prisoners and find cuffs to chain yourself to your best friends. It starts up conversations and you can take the meaning of attached at the hip to a whole new level.
9. Doctor
We get it, Greys Anatomy plays on the TV’s of a large population of college kids. The romance and thrills make it a must watch for everyone. But when they’re repeatedly talking about it or wearing the costume, the uniqueness dies. It makes for an easy spot when you walk into a party. Someone can look at you and know you came as a doctor and that won’t spark any conversation. Spice it up a little bit and put your make up skills to the test and become a zombie doctor instead.
10. Angel and Devil
Every place that sells Halloween costumes has that one clearance section. It has the costumes nobody wants and an angle and devil always sit on the racks. People get tired of going as the same thing year in and year out so people want a change. Angel and devil doesn’t spice things up or make you look creative. “This costume is basic and I know friends of mine who have gone as both angel and devil before. They definitely said they regret it because it never fails to have one person get offended because they are religious. I would not recommend this to anyone just because it draws unwanted attention,” Temple University junior Sylta Cubranich said. Pro tip: This costume works for if you get a last minute party invite but otherwise plan ahead.
