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BY MAYA MARZOUK

In print | Published October 29, 2009

It’s two days until Halloween, and you still don’t have costume. Maybe you’re freaking out about having nothing to wear and thinking that maybe you won’t even dress up this year. Maybe you went through pages and pages of costumes online, but the price tags freaked you out, or maybe you just kept changing your mind and never settled on a costume.

Either way, right now you’re probably thinking you’re screwed. But fear not! I’ve got some costume ideas that are minimal cost, and you probably already have everything you need in your closet.
Animal costumes are always fun (and can be made more creative with a piece of paper and a cleverly tacked-on TY sign, à la Beanie Babies). All you need for this costume is an outfit of the same color.

Got pink bottoms and a pink top? Find a pipe-cleaner and some felt, wind the pipe cleaner around your index finger and pin it to your pants. Cut the felt into two triangles and stick them onto a headband. Voilà! Instant piglet. And for a cute, modern take on the costume, a respirator mask and an H1N1 sign turn you into swine flu.

If you have all green clothing, simply draw out a long tongue and make ears out of green felt. Practice your “ribbit”s, and there you have it — you’re a frog.

All brown clothing can be adapted to a teddy bear or a puppy costume; all black, and you’re on your way to being a kitty cat; all red and you’ve got a devil costume. These are really great costumes because they’re simple and easy to make, and you don’t have to destroy or modify any of your clothing.

A great costume that I’ve seen for a hefty price online but that you can easily recreate on your own is a bumblebee costume.

Tutu skirts have been in for a while now and a black one could be found easily enough at a thrift store or costume shop. Pair it with a black-and-yellow striped top (and we all know how in stripes are) and a pipe-cleaner-and-pom-pom antennae headband, and you could give the generic e-version bumblebee costume a run for its money.

Another set of Internet costumes that are cute but would take a chunk out of your wallet is the superhero set. Wonder Woman, Robin, Supergirl and Batgirl are some of these costumes, and all four can be remade for a fraction of the cost.

Let’s start with Wonder Woman (beware, however — she requires a bit more shirt-surgery than the animal costumes). For this costume you need a red T-shirt, some sort of gold fabric and a blue skirt (if you can find one with polka dots, that’s even better). Cut the red T-shirt from midway down one side up around the neck and down to the other side on only the front half. Cut the back of the shirt across from one of the bottom points to the other. You should have a halter (because of the neck-loop) with a very low back and cutout sides. Fold the sleeves in and sew them: This piece now becomes your cape. Take the gold fabric and “fill in” the front of the red top. Remember to make it decent, girls! (If you don’t want it decent, find a metallic bikini top and wear it under the shirt.)
For a Robin costume, wear a green long-sleeved top under a red tank. Pair it with a green skirt and a yellow belt, and you’re good to go.

Supergirl’s costume is essentially a red skirt, blue top with the iconic ‘S’ logo, gold belt and red cape. For Batgirl, your little black dress paired with a yellow belt and bat-logo is instantly transformed to fit Halloween standards.

And to guys, here’s a hint: You should dress up. By not dressing up, you’re not acting “cool” or “chill.” You can be cool and chill and dress up. It’s the truth.

A great costume that you can easily throw together is Clark Kent / Superman. Get a blue shirt with the Superman logo (vintage superhero shirts shouldn’t be too hard to track down) and wear it with jeans and a button-down shirt. Unbutton the shirt at random intervals to switch back and forth from your alternate identity.

Guys can wear denim cutoffs and a white T-shirt layered under a plaid flannel shirt and pair them with hiking boots to turn into an instant Paul Bunyan. And all your unfashionable sports jerseys finally have a place: Wear one and be a famous athlete.

All in all, I hope I’ve made your Halloween costume hunt a bit easier. Just remember: It doesn’t matter what you dress up as, it only matters that you dress up to begin with — and that you have a very happy Halloween!

Maya is a first-year. You can reach her at mmarzou1@swarthmore.edu

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