Hi everyone!

I can’t believe we’re halfway through the semester! While being an English and creative writing major does exempt me from grueling midterms, I do have a few papers and assignments calling my name from the near-distant future that I’m not ready for. That being said, I know something that I’m looking forward to (and I’m sure other students can agree!) is one of my favorite holidays: Halloween!!!

There’s always something to do in Iowa City during Halloween which gives me the chance to wear multiple costumes; literally one for every occasion. I know I might be alone in the sentiment of having too many costume ideas, but overall, figuring out what to wear can be pretty hard (not to mention expensive!). As someone who plans on using things from my closet to assist me this holiday season, here are some ideas that I didn’t go with, but might be the costume for you!

Hopefully, if you’re a UIowa student scrambling for ideas, I see you wearing this costume around campus!

Anything and Everything Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has taken the world by storm and with it, she’s given us SO MANY MEMORABLE OUTFITS!!! As a Swiftie myself, I am so excited to see how many people dress up as her. Whether it’s a sparkly dress from her Eras tour, the white T-shirt and pajama pants from the Young Belong With Me music video, that jean dress she was recently photographed wearing at a dinner in NYC, or maybe one of her outfits from the Chiefs Games (bonus point if you make it a couple’s costume and get your boyfriend to be Travis Kelce!!!)

These costumes are not only recognizable but a great talking conversation topic for you and other Swifties hiding in plain sight! There are so many to choose from, so hopefully you’ll have something in your closet that’ll help you hone in on a single idea.

Barbie

I can imagine it now: seeing all the Barbies walking around and yelling out “Hi Barbie” as they pass by. Lots of pink and color and fun for you, your friends, and everyone else around you!

While the outfits from the movie might be expensive, you can always search for the different types of Barbie dolls and fashion your costume after one of those. Since you probably won’t be wearing a pink jumpsuit or a rainbow leotard again, this is a second option that might be more affordable for your bank account and still a lot of fun to play around with.

Bonus points if you get your boyfriend/guy friend to dress up as Ken or even Oppenheimer!!!

Characters from Popular TV Shows

This is always a safe bet if you’re willing to do a little shopping around to add a couple notable pieces to an already classic costume. If you’d like to go for something more recent, some ideas could be buying a floral corset to be a Bridgerton character, or a fur coat to be a member of Daisy Jones and the Six, or a dirty apron for The Bear, or some survival gear to dress up as Pedro Pascal from The Last of Us. 

All of these options are guaranteed to be fun, and they can act as a solo costume or a group costume. While they might take a little extra searching and buying to be perfect, it’ll definitely be worth it to see the full scope of the costume come to life before your eyes!

Never Before Seen Characters (Until Now)

Something else that I think is a massive hit on Halloween is dressing up as a character from a movie/show that hasn’t come out yet. It’s a bit of a gamble but could work sooo well if enough people are also anticipating the film and if that film becomes a hit!

Some notable ones for this Halloween season could be Priscilla and Elvis from the upcoming movie, Priscilla. Or maybe you could go as Lucy Grey or a young President Snow from Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Or maybe you want to do something a bit easier, but just as iconic, like an orange T-shirt to be Percy Jackson from the new TV show coming out!!!

Looking ahead at some upcoming shows and movies could be great for costume ideas and will definitely make you stand out in the crowd if you decide to go with them.

Iconic Celeb Moments

Sort of going off of Taylor Swift, dressing up as celebrities is also a great choice for costumes. Some memorable and recognizable moments from this past year could be a pregnant Rihanna performing at the Superbowl, Olivia Rodrigo’s bloodstained white dress from Vampire, Beyonce’s bee fit from her Renaissance tour (get a friend to be Blue Ivy!), the dancers from the popular music video, Back on 74, and if you want to go the silly route, maybe Hailey and Justin Bieber (specifically the photo of her with the red dress and him in the grey sweatshirt and yellow crocs!)

Personally, I’ve never gone as a celeb for Halloween, but this list is making me think that I should!

Niche Advertisement Characters

This might be a bit strange but hear me out. If you’re going for something unique and easy, why not go as your favorite advertisement character? Some ideas could be Jake from State Farm, Flo from Progressive, the owl from Duolingo, Kool-Aid man, you name it! Just watching some commercials while you wait for your show to come back on could give you some ideas on what to do this holiday season! While it might take a bit of creativity and spending, costumes like this are sure to stand out and be an all-time favorite if you put in the work!

That’s all I have for Halloween costumes! I hope this short list gave you some ideas or places to look in order to come up with the perfect costume this holiday.

Enjoy the spooky season and talk to you guys soon!