Badge: Halloween Costumes

You don’t need to go trick-or-treating to get dressed up. Parties, contests and parades are all great places to show your costume.

NOTE: Some links below are for shopping sites. They are provided for inspiration only.

Steps

Individual Items

1. Masks.

Masks can be made easily or you can purchase them. More decorative masks are available around Mardi Gras while Halloween is a great time to get full-face and scary masks. Templates for some simple masks are provided in the supplements if you wish to make your own.

2. Wands.

Fairies, princesses and even Hogwart students all need wands. You can find directions online to make them in a variety of ways or purchase one that will fit your needs. Look at wand designs and determine which would work best for you.

3. Wings.

Insects, fairies and even monsters might have wings. You can often find these at dollar stores for smaller children. Incorporate wings into your own costume design. Look online to see how others have incorporated this element into their costumes for inspiration.

Find a video showing how to create wings. Is this something you might want to create?

4. Heads.

You can use a headband and attach ears, antennae, horns, eyestalks, halos . . . well, you get the idea. It makes it easy to put on and take off. Your hair can be used to help disguise the headband. You can also attach many things to barrettes, combs, sticks or even a plain ribbon. For a more “normal” look, attach flowers, greenery or hats to your hair piece of choice. This little addition can take a normal outfit and make it a costume.

5. Make-up.

You can find so much information on make-up online that you will never need another reference. I have seen people completely transform their faces in a short period of time. This will take some practice, but I know you can do it!

With your costume design in mind, see what others have done with make-up to compliment the costume. Experiment with your own unique look.

6. Accessories.

There are many more accessories that can make the difference between everyday clothing and costume. Some might include:

Boa
Cape
Eyepatch
Gloves
Jewelry
Purse / pouch
Scarf
Tie

Explore costume sites and find items that can change your look.

Full Costume

7. Abstract.

From making a piece of abstract art come to life to taking an idea or word into a costume, these types of costumes take a lot of creativity. Have you thought of being a haunted house or a gumball machine? How would you portray mathematics in a costume? Brainstorm ideas and see what you can come up with.

8. Cosplay.

While cosplay is normally part of Japanese manga / anime, it can also be used to describe replicating the look of a movie, television or book character. Many of these allow you to wear normal clothing and add a piece or two to make it cosplay. Some are more intricate as you may need cat ears or horns. It helps that you have a guide to follow. Look at your favorite characters and choose one. Can you get / make the items needed to become that character?

9. Ordinary.

A costume might include dressing like an ordinary person. People will be trying to figure out who you are supposed to be. You can be yourself or perhaps Aunt Mabel. Even dressing as yourself . . . but in the opposite sex . . . is a great costume. Do you think you could pull it off?

10. Occupation.

How many times have you seen someone in scrubs as a costume? Dressing as someone who is part of an occupation allows you to have easy access to clothing and props. What occupation might you like to portray? Do you have the pieces necessary to make the costume?

11. Historic.

Historical costumes are often available as patterns so you only have to choose your fabrics . . . well and be able to use a sewing machine. Depending on how “historical” you choose, you can find discontinued fashions at local resell shops. Check out your closet to see if you have some out of fashion items you can adapt into a “historical” costume.

If you are looking for a period costume (Medieval, Victorian, Edwardian, etc.), see if you can find a group or person that does reenactments or studies the time period. They can help you make your costume authentic and perhaps teach you a thing or two as well.

12. Fantasy.

Instead of following the design of a fictional character, create your own. How do you visualize a fairy? Can you create your own demon face? Perhaps you’d prefer to be a time traveler with a flair for the dramatic. Don’t follow what others provide, create your own fantasy costume.

13. Supernatural.

If you’re looking for popularity, this is it. With media pushing vampires, zombies and other supernatural creatures, you don’t have to look far to find a costume and all the accessories available for purchase. You can choose to look like a fictional character or make your own.

A Bit More

14. Women.

My daughters tend to make their own costumes. They are firm in their belief that the costumes you can purchase are sexist . . . too bad costume providers don’t realize it. Everyone doesn’t have the body to carry the overly sexually explicit outfits and the gap in sizing from children’s costumes to adults makes teenagers look to adult costumes. Be aware of what is available and be prepared to discuss this with your own girls. Have alternative ideas available for popular fictional characters or other costume ideas.

15. Pets.

You may choose to also dress your pet. You may want it to match your own costume or let them have their own look. Check out costumes for pets before deciding on one.

Supplements

SUPP_ Halloween Costumes_2in_12up_larajla

Avery 2” round label printable, 12 up

SUPP_ Halloween Costumes_Checklist_larajla

Badge checklist

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Template Fun: Mask 01

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Template Fun: Mask 03

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Template Fun: Mask 04

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Sites to Explore

Get the infographic here > larajla blog post

Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs