Oh no – your Halloween party is coming up soon and you have nothing to wear! Maybe your office co-workers just made a spur-of-the-moment decision to dress up when they come back to work on Monday. Have no fear! You can conjure up a great last-minute costume in no time. And because you're a music-lover (since you clicked on this article and all), your costume is going to be extra awesome.
Thanks to notable music videos, album covers, and generational trends, there are several last-minute costume ideas available to you if you're a music nerd. Below are 10 great ideas we've found online or have come up with ourselves! Since you're in a hurry, we'll spare you the long-winded article intro and get right to it!
1. Taylor Swift in the "You Belong With Me" Music Video
Taylor Swift is all the rage at the moment due to Midnights mania, so why not pay homage to one of her earliest eras? All you need for this costume is some pajama bottoms (preferably with a buffalo check pattern, but anything works), a white t-shirt, Sharpie markers, and some glasses. If you want to go the extra mile, you can carry a notepad around with you like Swift does in the music video. We recommend writing "You Okay?" or "I <3 You" like she does in the visual! And if you're stressed out by all the designs on Taylor's Junior Jewels shirt, you can always fill the blank space with your own signatures and references – just like a Swiftie does in the DIY tutorial below.
2. The Members of KISS
Sure, you could go all out and get a cool rocker outfit to go with your black and white KISS makeup...but do you really need to? People get the message that you're either Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, or Peter Criss just from your face alone. Therefore, getting some black and white makeup from your local Halloween store and slapping it onto your face is a perfect last-minute idea. This also works as a last-minute group costume idea!
3. An 80s Rocker Look
Our Halloween motto is that when all else fails, just find some leather, bright makeup, funky jewelery, and a heavy metal band tee to use for an easy 80s rocker look. Make sure to tease your hair like crazy and wear a bandana or headband with a funky print. Bonus points if you're able to carry an electric guitar around with you.
4. Or an Emo Kid Look
Alternatively, you can dig up that old My Chemical Romance or New Found Glory shirt and use it to create an emo kid look. Get some black skinny jeans, maybe a black zip-up hoodie or leather jacket and some dark makeup, and voila – you're emo! You could also brush your hair forward to create those iconic emo bangs, spray your hear black, or get some wristbands if you want to go the extra mile. Or, you could always dress up as an iconic emo look from a music video – like the folks below did. They dressed up as Gerard Way and the actress from My Chemical Romance's "Helena" music video.
5. Freddie Mercury in Queen's "I Want to Break Free" Music Video
Popular YouTuber Nicole Rafiee broke out this look last year and we still haven't gotten over how clever it is. True music fans will appreciate this iconic queer look from Queen's "I Want to Break Free" music video. All you need is a short black skirt, tights, heels, a purple sleeveless turtleneck (you could always get a regular long-sleeve turtleneck and cut off the sleeves), and a fake mustache. Depending on your hair length, you may also need a wig. If you've got extra time, you could also paint your nails pink like Freddie's and find something that works for the pink chunky earrings he's wearing. If you're debuting this look at your own house party, you MUST roll a vacuum cleaner around with you. If you're heading to a friend's place, a feather duster is a good prop alternative.
6. David Bowie
Just like with the members of KISS, all you really need for this costume is some makeup. Seriously – all you need is some red, black, and blue-colored makeup to splotch across your face in a lightning bolt design. This look is from David Bowie's Aladdin Sane album cover, and it's considered his most recognizable look. Besides the makeup, we also recommend giving the front of your hair some volume and wearing 70s appropriate clothing, spacy/sparkly attire, or your favorite Bowie shirt.
7. Olivia Rodrigo's Sour Album Cover
Got some extra stickers you need to get rid of? How about covering them all over your face to recreate Olivia Rodrigo's Sour album cover? Butterflies, stars, flowers, and other cutesy designs work best for this look. (The tongue letters are totally optional.) After that, all you need is a light-colored tank top and plaid skirt and you're done! If you've got extra time and are worried about the pain of taking off the stickers later on, we recommend going to your local Halloween store and purchasing some spirit gum or liquid latex as a better sticker-to-skin adhesive.
8. Beyoncé
Black leotard and big boots with a heel to them? Boom, you're Beyoncé. If you've got some cool gold bits/jewelery/baubles to go on your hand, you can be Beyoncé in her "Single Ladies" video. Got more leather, lace, and fishnets? You can be Beyoncé during the 2013 Super Bowl. Seriously: all you need is a black leotard and some high-heeled boots, and people know you're Beyoncé. Just make sure to get your hair to an extra voluminous state before you "get in formation" while trick or treating.
9. A Classical Composer (Beethoven, Mozart, etc.)
If you're lucky enough to have a spare white wig lying around (or can find one at a Halloween costume shop), you've already got the main ingredient to make a killer classical composer costume. After that, all you need is a suit jacket, a white button-down shirt, white or red frilly scarf, and black pants with boots. You could also carry a baton or sheet music around with you.
10. PSY from the "Gangnam Style" video
If you happen to have a blue suit jacket, black bowtie, and black shades lying around, this is an easy costume to put together. Complete the look with a white button-down and some black pants, and you've got that Gangnam Style! If you've got time, you could probably make those black jacket outlines with some black duct/fabric tape, but it's not totally necessary. Remember to do those iconic "Gangnam Syle" dance moves when posing for photos.
BONUS IDEA - "Karma Is a Cat"
Instead of a trick, we're giving you a treat with this extra idea! Okay, this is just an idea that we hope to see people tackle in 2022, so we're giving it to you! It's so easy to dress up as a black cat for Halloween – all you need is some all-black attire, some cat ears (that you can totally find at a dollar store) and a drawn-on nose with whiskers. But if you print out a piece of paper with the word "Karma" on it and tape it to yourself, guess what? You're a lyric in one of the most popular Taylor Swift songs right now! Since Midnights was just released this month, we know people will get this joke – especially if the people you're partying with this Halloween are hardcore Swifties.
We hope these ideas have filled you with inspiration. From all of us here at Live365, we hope you have a happy Halloween!
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Halloween music at Live365.com.
Rather listen on our app? Download the Live365 app on iOS or Android. Ready to start your own station? Contact one of our Product Consultants or visit our website today. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (Live365 (Official) and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter (@Live365 and @Broadcast365)!
Article Image: Nicole Rafiee dressed up as Freddie Mercury, @bayleemartinn in her Olivia Rodrigo Sour costume, a man donning David Bowie lightning bolt makeup. (@nicolerafiee, @bayleemartinn, and @toniguyscottsdale via Instagram.)
