Ideas for clever (and cheap) Halloween costumes

  • By Jennifer Forker Associated Press
  • Friday, October 4, 2013 12:35pm
  • Life

If you’re thinking of making this year’s Halloween costume yourself, you can stick with simple or go Hollywood pro. Neither has to take much time or money, and either can create a convincing costume, whether you’re looking to draw guffaws, shrieks or admiring nods.

Brenda K.B. Anderson, who builds creatures and costumes for the touring “Sesame Street Live” show at VEE Corp. in Minneapolis, says some of the same theories she uses there also apply to making Halloween costumes.

A good costume blurs the line between reality and fantasy, she says; even simple subterfuge, such as donning a wig or wearing thick-rimmed glasses, can suffice.

“When people can’t see what you really look like beneath the makeup, hair and clothes, you are much more believable,” said Anderson, author of “Beastly Crochet.”

For instance, she suggests padding a costume — such as around the middle for a clown or bear — to disguise your own shape and make it more authentic.

Start pulling your costume together by visiting a thrift shop, Anderson said.

“Thrift stores are kind of a gold mine for the beginnings of Halloween costumes,” she said. “For very little money you can get a whole bridal gown — something that looks more authentic.”

Kim Conner of Burlington, Vt., writes about thrifty craftiness at her blog, Seven Thirty Three (www.733blog.com).

“I try to utilize things that I have, and what I have to buy is inexpensive,” Conner said.

For instance, her simple pig costume: Felt ears attached to a pink headband and a plastic bottle cap wrapped in felt and topped with a pink button to resemble a pig’s snout. Her mermaid costume, a little more complicated, involves sewing.

An added challenge is trying to keep her children warm on Halloween night without having to cover up with coats. Some tricks: Incorporate a hat, wig, hooded cloak or long gloves into the costume. On bare arms, wear nylons. Legs stay warm in thick cotton stockings, leggings or tall boots.

The editors at Real Simple magazine also focus on scrounging around the house for supplies, such as brown paper bags and cereal boxes, or buying the bare minimum to fashion costumes for kids and adults. For a flapper, for instance, attach horizontal rows of fringed pink Post-it notes with red metallic tape to cover a simple dress; glue two mini cupcake liners, with gold-dot stickers in their centers, as flower decorations.

“It’s tailored toward having fun with the kids and getting them into it,” said Krissy Tiglias, deputy editor of Real Simple’s website, which offers more than 50 costume ideas.

Many of the magazine’s adult costumes can be assembled moments before a Halloween party. The outfit often hinges on a pun. For example, wear a white chef’s hat and apron, and carry an iron (real or toy) to be an “iron chef.”

The creative types at Martha Stewart Living have turned out another Halloween Special Issue magazine full of costumes, some of which can be had in a flash: Glue blue and green craft-store feathers and a beak cut from yellow paper to green plastic glasses and wear a matching boa. Presto! You’re a parrot.

What’s really enchanting in the magazine this year? The plethora of faux lashes, contact lenses, lip appliques and gruesome tattoos, evidence that Hollywood’s professional makeup secrets at long last can be ours.

“Special-effects makeup is really making its way into the marketplace. We wanted to show people what they could get themselves,” said Marcie McGoldrick, editorial director of holiday and crafts for Martha Stewart Living.

These items aren’t cheap — the featured snake-eye contact lenses cost $70 — and require planning ahead. But the effect can be haunting. For example, the “snake charmer” costume includes contact lenses, faux lashes, snakeskin-patterned lip tattoos, ample eyeliner and a rubber snake worn around the neck like a choker.

Other makeup effects include 3D scars and the latest in tattoos that mimic bruises, cuts and scars — all easy to apply, McGoldrick said.

She recommends buying one or two items, such as $10 Latex elf ears or a big wig, to add “that little extra bit” to a homemade costume.

The October issue of Martha Stewart Living includes instructions on making temporary tattoos and offers spooky clip art — spiders, vultures, skulls and owls — designed by tattoo artist Stephanie Tamez of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.