Halloween Closet Costumes

The time of year where young adults get to dress up as their most creative and extravagant self has finally rolled around. The holiday is not only filled with autumn leaves and a cool breeze, but a day that allows us to transform into any character we desire. Halloweekend lets students break away from their sense of conformity and branch out with a new costume each night.

After being beaten down by the everlasting length of midterms and the mundane feeling of getting through the first half of the fall semester, Halloween can finally be the perfect pretext to try those detailed makeup looks or become a whole new different person from day-to-night. Except, some of the ideas we all had required borrowed time, pre-ordering outfits and hours of practice to perfect hairstyle that looked so good on the model.

Maybe you were just notified of an event that same night, or are finding the college student budget a little tight after embellishing your second costume with an excess of accessories. Now you are out of time and money and cannot think of some unique way to blend into the ghostly festivities by standing out in a fashion-forward ensemble for the night. But your largest array of expressive material is hanging right in your closet.

Latent with classic costume pieces simply needing to be thrown together into an outfit, your own clothes may be the gateway to curating some stellar and personalized Halloween apparel that can easily pass as a figure in pop-culture or a textbook paranormal. The Look presents its own renditions of personalities and creatures of the night to base last minute closet costumes off of. Each outfit is gender-neutral and leaves room for individual creativity and customization to fit their own style.

The Matrix

Airing on the brink of the early 2000s, “The Matrix” leather look has made a full circle in the fashion industry and became a foundation in fall fashion layering this year. But pairing any all black outfit with narrow and dark sunglasses will give your own version of this recognizable character costume.

Accessories to be featured are chunky platform boots, thigh holsters in combination with a mini skirt and, of course, a long leather jacket. With a gelled back hairstyle and Trinity’s confident walk, a mysterious powerhouse will make an appearance that night. This costume execution comes with loose guidelines.

Allow yourself to pick articles of clothing that individualize your character and could even make you look like a new addition to the Nebuchadnezzar's crew. With fall night temperatures playing a role, think of a black top tied together with a mini skirt, sheer tights and bold knee high boots to make a statement. Or keep it more modern with a square-shouldered blazer, wide leg trousers and leather accents.

Farmer

This outfit is both playful and requires only one essential piece of clothing: denim. Whether it be overalls or a jean ensemble, a farmer costume must also incorporate a bandana to seal the deal. The red paisley fabric can lay around the neck or be woven into the hair for the desired look.

With the southern California heat and surf culture becoming accordingly laced through year around fashion, overalls are almost essential to any closet that seeks comfortable beach attire or an effortless outfit for class on campus. It makes this last-minute outfit just as easy to put together.

Adding cowboy boots or a high top sneaker can change the style depending on your destination. Relaxed and secure, this outfit is well-rounded in its occasion and can be dressed up or down to the wearer’s liking. Braided pigtails or faux freckles could be the cosmetic inclusion that brings this costume to life.

Greaser

A staple pair of worn denim jeans and a stout leather jacket could make this a swoon worthy costume if executed with style and essential detail to hair. Many films emphasize the biker aspect to the common greaser outfit. But the constant combing shown on screen creates a soft trait to these hardened characters that makes them suave rebels in the eyes of the audience.

In actuality, the persona of a greaser is diverse. They can either be tamed and humorous – using more neutral greys and browns in their outfits – or be ardent and derisive by showing their flashy cars and naturally ripped jeans. The specific personality of a greaser also lies in the details the wearer chooses to include.

This character requires a late 50s to early 60s tone where style was everything. A black tee rolled up one inch on the sleeves and tucked into a belted pant. Small gold or silver accessories can build onto the complexity of the outfit’s original basics. Leather pants and bigger curled hair with a red lip take the greaser ensemble to a more efforted level.

This versatile costume is most noted by its attention to hair. Using hairspray and gel, create your own impression of acknowledged greasers in the past, like the Curtis brothers from the movie adaptation of The Outsiders or Sandy Olsson in “Grease.” This timeless look is waiting to be worn and styled this Halloweekend.

Monochrome Moments

One-colored costumes are especially creative because they give you the leeway to create an outfit in the silhouette of your own style. You can pick individualized pieces from the closet collection built over the inspirational period of your tailored style. Here, you can take a simpler idea and mix in self expression.

While considered basic, these are indeed low-budget and require minimal effort. Yet, you can decide how to make it your own and escalate these foundational outfits to an eccentric design. A light and dark angel, a skeleton or a devil could be the beginning of a monochrome blueprint that is altered into an eye-catching display of pieces all from your closet.

Steal the night in one of these home-made and elaborative outfits that may save you from a terror filled evening in. With fashionable ideas brewing this Halloweekend, tag @thelooksdsu on Instagram sharing your best closet costume.

Melody Bathaee — October 26th, 2021