With Halloween looming just days away, teenagers are scrambling to put together last-minute costumes.
Between packed schedules and limited budgets, many students do not start planning until the final week of October. However, that time can be difficult, as stores start selling out, shipping can take too long, and it becomes hard to find inspiration. Under pressure, students must become more resourceful to create a costume successfully.
“You have to think more out of the box because you’re on a time crunch,” said Juliette Draaijer, a sophomore at Carlmont High School.
Although it can be stressful, there are many solutions to coming up with a costume on short notice: using items from home, thrift shopping, using makeup, or hand making a costume can all save the day.
One of the easiest and fastest ways to come up with a costume is using items already owned and accessories from previous costumes or events, according to Arianna Yeung, a junior at Carlmont.
“An easy solution is finding clothes you already have in your closet,” Yeung said. “Like basics, you can do a black cat. If you have headbands and stuff around the house, then you can always use that.”
Thrift shopping also offers an easy, affordable option. Quickly stopping by a local thrift store can help find countless inexpensive items that can turn into a Halloween costume. It is also much more sustainable and can reduce a lot of waste that comes from Halloween spending.
“Thrift stores are going to be your best friend because I bought my costume off of Amazon that I didn’t really like, so I decided to just thrift it, and then I found the exact pieces I was looking for,” said Hayden Bunce, an employee at Spirit Halloween.
Not everyone wants to spend time hunting for clothes or accessories, though. For those looking for a faster, more creative solution, makeup can instantly turn an ordinary look into something creative and recognizable.
“For example, for a vampire, you could do vampire makeup, which would make your costume better,” Draaijer said. “Or for a boxer, you could do bruises with makeup, which would also enhance your costume.”
Additionally, although it takes up more time, hand making a costume at home is a great way to find an outfit on a budget and often magnifies how unique and innovative a costume can be.
“Making a costume yourself can give you full creative freedom,” Yeung said. “You can get good sizes and stuff if you’re talented like that, but it’s definitely a lot more labor compared to going to a Halloween store and just buying a costume.”
However, not every student feels free to explore their own ideas. Before social media, Halloween costumes were primarily a way to showcase one’s imagination while having fun. But now, apps like TikTok and Instagram prioritize trends over originality, encouraging students like Draaijer to replicate popular looks rather than invent their own.
“Social media has increased the popularity of a lot of the same costumes,” Draaijer said. “People just wear the same costumes they see online and don’t really come up with their own, creative ones.”
Even with the push toward trend-based costumes, quick and practical solutions like thrifting and hand making costumes can help showcase more individuality and creativity, which are key elements for a good costume.
“You don’t have to fit in with the masses or do what everyone else is doing,” Bunce said. “It’s important, especially on Halloween, to be true to yourself.”
