Last-Minute Halloween Costumes

Most people have felt the pressure of needing to come up with a cute, funny, or scary Halloween costume at the last minute. Whether we completely forgot that the holiday was right around the corner or we got invited to a party with little notice, lots of us have scrambled to put something together in time.

But don’t worry! For lots of costumes, you don’t need to spend a lot of time or money to have a great costume that you’ll love wearing. Keep reading for some of our best tips for putting together an easy DIY costume.

Use What You Have

If you’re really crunched for time, you can definitely make a costume with things you already have at home. Here are some ideas for costumes you can create with your wardrobe or common household items:

• Rosie the Riveter: This famous icon from World War II is a simple and fun costume. You just need a jean or blue button-down shirt, jeans and a red bandana! Pull your hair back into a bun and you’re set.
• Tom Cruise in “Risky Business”: Put on an oversized button-down (make sure it’s pink!), white tube socks and underwear or a pair of shorts.

These costumes are easy, they come together fast, and they don’t require you to get crafty. Just rifle through your closet and find what you need!

Get Creative

If you have a little more time to get ready, you should try getting a little more creative! These costumes are simple, but they need a little bit more time and a few extra items that you probably don’t have around at home:

• Pickpocket: This costume only needs you to go pick up one new thing: guitar picks. After that, you just need any pair of pants with pockets! Use double-sided tape to arrange the picks around the front and back pockets of your pants, and voila!
• Pop Art: For a colorful costume, turn yourself into a living pop art painting! You need some dots painted on your face, possibly some exaggerated makeup and a colorful wig.

When you’re feeling a little creative, you can turn some useful items into a unique Halloween costume.

Do Some DIY

If you’re ready to use some crafting skills, these costumes are a way to have some fun while you make it. When you go out to your party, you can proudly show off your work.

• Ice Cream Cone: First, you’ll need to go out and buy a simple white dress. Then, you need some brown poster board or construction paper and some puffy paint in rainbow colors. Use the puffy paint to make straight lines on the dress, making it look like rainbow sprinkles. Roll the construction paper into a cone to wear as a hat.
• Chill Pill: You’ll need a white top, pink pencil skirt and adhesive letters. The letters can either be iron-on or adhesive. Spell out the word “chill,” vertically, on the clothes.

Any of these homemade Halloween costumes will come together fast and let you have a blast at your upcoming party!