The Costume Ball is Back! 

By: Valerie Mayo

Excited to go to the International Club’s famous Fall Costume Ball? Need creative last-minute outfit ideas? How about something that can handle Central New York’s October weather? Struggling to find a set that’ll work for your whole friend group? Look no further! Here are some Halloween Costume Ideas for every need you may have leading up to this Friday’s dance at 8-11pm in the High School Gym!

Tickets are $7 at the door — come for the music and the fun, stay for the food, games, and prizes!

Funny/Pun/Meme Costumes:

1. “Amazon Prime” -- this isn’t referring to dressing as your average mail carrier and toting an empty box around, oh no. If you’ve got the materials and the know-how, you should definitely consider putting together this awesome pun-turned-costume and knock everyone off their feet this Halloween.

   1. “Transformers”-style Robot Armor made from cardboard boxes

2. Internet Explorer -- another great play on words

   1. Fedora

   2. White Shirt and Brown Pants

   3. Internet Explorer Logo print (on map or shirt)

   4. Map, flashlight

3. Corndog

   1. Dog facepaint & dog-ear headband

   2. “Crop top” (a normal t-shirt with a picture of a corn field on it)

4. “When Life Gives You Lemons”

   1. Grey Shirt and Pants

   2. Wearable sign that says “Life” (or “Life” printed on shirt)

   3. A bucket of Lemons

5. Cereal Killer

   1. Box of your favorite cereal brand (empty to carry your soon-to-be-gathered treats, or still-full for an automatic treat-- your choice)

   2. White shirt with red “splotches”

   3. Black Pants

6. Rasputin

   1. From the iconic song, not from History Class

      1. Dress shoes

      2. Fake mustache

      3. Bright-colored jacket and pants in matching color

      4. Your best dance moves

7. Rick Astley

   1. Rick roll people on demandddddd

      1. Trench coat

      2. Sunglasses

      3. Sneakers or boots

      4. White T-shirt

      5. Jeans

      6. Your best disco moves

8. Thief

   1. Niche Variation: Add monocle and/or mustache, don an accent, and carry and “artifact” of choice and be the British Museum (some example artifacts include fake vase, scroll, painting, etc.)

Individual Costumes:

1. Headless Horserider -- The spooky story told around every campfire comes to life.

   1. Flowy black dress & leggings or black button-down and black pants

   2. Plastic Jack-o-Lantern Decoration (Hollow) with the bottom, eyes, & nose holes cut out

2. The Sims -- show off your wackiest outfit combinations and even wackier vocabulary in a costume inspired by the iconically wacky video game

   1. Headband with Sims Gem

   2. Fall Outfit or Combination of Silly Layers

   3. Your best Simlish & the ability to get stuck in an empty hallway

3. Frozen Mountain Climber --

   1. Cold Weather Clothes

   2. Blue/icy makeup

   3. Hiking Backpack (& Walking stick?)

4. Mime

   1. Black-and-White Striped shirt

   2. Black pants

   3. White gloves

   4. Red Beret & Scarf

5. Scarecrow -- a fun gathering of anything already in your closet that says “fall,” plus some color here and there, and a signature hat to top it off

   1. Straw Hat

   2. Warm Fall Outfit (Flannels, Boots)

   3. Face Paint (Patches)

6. Magic 8-Ball

   1. Black/Dark Blue/Purple Outfit

   2. (Wearable sign with) number 8 on it

   3. Mix of vague and definitive responses

      1. Exs: “Perhaps” “Yes” “Ask again later” “No”

7. Witch -- a classic that you don’t have to go to Disney for. Any wacky pattern and some sparkles will get you a long way in the world of magic.

   1. Pointy Hat

   2. Bright, Colorful, and/or Sparkly Makeup

   3. Dress and Patterned Leggings

8. Stormy Day

   1. Rain-suited clothing

   2. Shape-holding wires hidden within various accessories making it look like you’re walking against the wind

      1. Exs: newspaper stuck to your face, tie flying backward, jacket hem lifted behind you, messy hairdo

9. British Palace Guard

   1. You know the “strong and silent” persona

      1. Red t-shirt or jacket

      2. Black pants

      3. Winter boots

      4. Black fluffy tall hat

      5. White belt

10. Thief

    1. Eye mask

    2. Black t-shirt

    3. Black leggings

    4. Back gloves

    5. “Bag o money” (dollar sign painted on canvas tote bag, etc.)

11. Cashier NPC from any store

    1. Only speak in “greeting dialogue,” etc.

    2. Apron

    3. Hat

    4. Plain white T-shirt

    5. Colorful pants to match your apron

    6. Nametag

12. Rock Star

    1. Iconic outfit(s) of favorite singer/band if you’re going with a group

       1. David Bowie

       2. Elton John

       3. Avril Lavigne

       4. Amy Winehouse

       5. Elvis Presley

    2. Could be generic rock star

       1. Sunglasses or lots of eyeliner/shadow

       2. Back pants or ripped jeans

       3. White button-down or oversized t-shirt

       4. Crazy hairdo — spiky, etc., maybe use colorful hair spray for one-day color

       5. Foam microphone

13. One of the Many Faces of Johnny Depp

    1. pick any one of these iconic characters all portrayed by Johnny Depp!

       1. Mad Hatter

       2. Captain Jack Sparrow

       3. Edward Scissorhands

       4. Willy Wonka

       5. Groom from The Corpse Bride

       6. Rango (chameleon)

       7. Big Bad Wolf from Into the Woods

Group Costumes:

Duo:

1. Sun & Moon

   1. Yellow shirt, brown pants, crown, yellow boa

   2. White shirt, blue pants, Star hair bow,

2. Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck

   1. Grey Shirt and Pants, bunny-ear headband, carrot

   2. Black shirt & Pants, Orange baseball cap, white scarf

3. Peter Pan and Captain Hook (Or Peter’s Shadow)

   1. Green shirt & pants, hat and plastic flute, “pixie dust” gold glitter

   2. Pirate Hat, Hook, brown jacket, white button-down, red pants

   3. All black long-sleeve shirt and leggings, gloves, beanie

4. Tourists

   1. Souvenir (city name) T-shirt, or a Wacky Patterned/Hawaiian shirt,

   2. brown pants/khakis

   3. Bucket Hats, sunscreen on your noses

   4. Camera, map, fanny pack

5. Time-periods

   1. Anything recognizable of your specific time period

      1. Exs: Flapper dresses with tights underneath, poodle skirts with leggings underneath, peace signs/headbands and frayed jeans, headbands with bright-colored t-shirts and patterned leggings underneath shorts, etc.

6. Witch(es) -- a classic that you don’t have to go to Disney for. Any wacky pattern and some sparkles will get you a long way in the world of magic.

   1. Pointy Hats

   2. Bright, Colorful, and/or Sparkly Makeup

   3. Dresses and Patterned Leggings

Trio:

1. Mimes

   1. Black-and-White Striped shirts

   2. Black pants

   3. White gloves

   4. Red Berets & Scarves

2. Scarecrows -- a fun gathering of anything already in your closet that says “fall,” plus some color here and there, and a signature hat to top it off

   1. Straw Hats

   2. Warm Fall Outfits (Flannels, Boots)

   3. Face Paint (Patches)

3. Fruit on a picnic

   1. Fruit-Specific Patterned shirts & Socks

   2. Leaf Crowns

   3. Picnic basket w/ checkered blanket

4. Ice cream cones

   1. Light Brown pants,

   2. pink, white/dark brown, mint green shirts,

   3. cherry headbands

5. Alvin and the Chipmunks

   1. Red, blue, green shirts (w/ A, S, and T on them, respectively)

   2. Red, blue, green socks or Baseball Caps

   3. Brown Pants

6. Construction Workers

   1. White shirt

   2. Brown Pants

   3. Neon tape

   4. Hardhats (& tool belts)

7. Spa Day

   1. White tank top, white shorts

   2. Bathrobe to tie over

   3. Fake (paper cutout) Cucumber slices

   4. Towel wrapped around hair

   5. Slippers, weather permitting

   6. Light Green/Aquamarine face paint to mimic spa face mask

4 or More:

1. Band

   1. Iconic outfits of favorite band

      1. Kiss

      2. Spice Girls

   2. Could be generic rock band

      1. Sunglasses or lots of eyeliner/eye shadow

      2. Back pants

      3. White button-down or oversized t-shirt

      4. Crazy hairdo — spiky, etc., maybe use colorful hair spray for one-day color

      5. Foam microphones/blow-up guitar/saxophone

2. The Many Faces of Johnny Depp

   1. One person is each character

      1. Mad Hatter

      2. Captain Jack Sparrow

      3. Edward Scissorhands

      4. Willy Wonka

      5. Groom from The Corpse Bride

      6. Rango (chameleon)

      7. Big Bad Wolf from Into the Woods

3. 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse

   1. Matching outfits or color-coded shirts and pants, with makeup that matches each character

      1. Death — Xs drawn across eyelids, red lipstick

      2. Famine — heavy shadows on eyes and cheekbones drawn with makeup, black lipstick

      3. War — “wounds” drawn with red and brown makeup, brown lipstick

      4. Plague — “boils” and “nausea” shown with green and yellow makeup, green lipstick

4. [Your Favorite Sport/Team] Fans

   1. Jerseys/merch/etc.

   2. Black pants

   3. Popcorn bucket, face paint, foam finger

5. Seasons

   1. Yellow shirt, light blue pants, sunglasses, lei

   2. Light pink shirt, green pants, watering can

   3. Orange shirt, Brown pants, Boots, “fallen leaf” crown,

   4. Light blue shirt, navy blue pants, white ear-warmer headband, gloves, and/or scarf

6. Zoo Animal(s)

   1. Patterned Onesies

7. Magic Cards

   1. Shirts with A/Q/K of Spades, Clubs, Hearts, and/or Diamonds

   2. Black pants

   3. Magician’s Hats and wands

Costumes That Take More Effort to Put Together/Craft:

1. “Amazon Prime” -- this isn’t referring to dressing as your average mail carrier and toting an empty box around, oh no. If you’ve got the materials and the know-how, you should definitely consider putting together this awesome pun-turned-costume and knock everyone off their feet this Halloween.

   1. “Transformers”-style Robot Armor made from cardboard boxes

2. Internet Explorer -- another great play on words

   1. Fedora

   2. White Shirt and Brown Pants

   3. Internet Explorer Logo print (on map or shirt)

   4. Map, flashlight

3. The Many Faces of Johnny Depp

   1. One person is each character

      1. Mad Hatter

      2. Captain Jack Sparrow

      3. Edward Scissorhands

      4. Willy Wonka

      5. Groom from The Corpse Bride

      6. Rango (chameleon)

      7. Big Bad Wolf from Into the Woods