DIY Halloween costumes for trendy students on a budget

By Ashley Diaz •

If students don’t have enough money to buy costumes this year, they shouldn’t fret! They can make costumes with any materials they have in their homes. And if they don’t already
have the materials, there are tons of inexpensive options available in thrift stores. A great DIY way to celebrate Halloween on a budget is recreating characters from popular shows and movies.

Rue from “Euphoria”

This is a simple, yet extremely recognizable option. All students have to do to dress up as Rue is put on a maroon hoodie over a tie-dye dress or shirt paired with shorts. Along with the tie-dye outfit, students should look for a pair of Rue’s signature Converse sneakers. And to really sell it, they should act sarcastically and introvertedly, staying true to Rue’s iconic character.

A fairy from “Winx Club”

This is a fun and unique option for any students looking to do a group costume. All students have to do is pick their favorite “Winx Club” fairy, find out her signature color, and simplistically recreate her outfit with whatever find in a local thrift store. For example, for the fairy Bloom, they’d get a teal-colored top, skirt and pair of boots. Or for Tecna, they’d grab a lavender bodysuit and knee-high boots. The outfits are simple— it is the wings that may cause some complications.

The wings could be constructed with fabric like chiffon or tulle. To start off, students need to measure their arm width and height to determine how much fabric to cut off. After cutting off the excessive fabric, students must fold the fabric being used in half. Then, they should cut the unfolded edges into the shape of a wing (if it’s not perfect, a rough-edged look can be charming). If they want their wings to sparkle like the Winx fairies’, they should lay the fabric flat on a table and sprinkle on sequins. The final step is cutting two holes into the upper corners of the wings and putting either a ribbon or an elastic band through each of them. This gives the illusion that the wings are moving and flapping naturally when they are put on. Students can use safety pins to keep the wings in place on the outfit. Now, they will be flying and looking stylish at the same time.

Persephone from “Lore Olympus”

“Lore Olympus” is a very popular Greek mythology comic about the love story of Hades and Persephone. One costume students could construct is Persephone’s look after she battles Kronos and becomes the queen of the underworld. For this costume, students should raid their closets for a black dress and black heels, as well as make a goddess crown. To make the crown, they could wrap zip ties around any headband, creating the illusion of a halo, and spray paint the headband black.

Wednesday Addams from “The Addams Family”

Wednesday Addams is one of the most iconic Halloween characters, and her look is easy to replicate. If a student does not already have a black dress with a white Peter Pan collar, they can get a shirt with a white collar and put it under a black dress. They would then pair this outfit with black tights and any black boots. For makeup, students should aim to make themselves look paler by using black lipstick, and for hair, pigtail braids are the way to go.

And to really convince people, anyone dressing as Wednesday Addams should act as morbidly as possible with a deadpan expression and a quick wit.

Any character from “Stranger Things”

“Stranger Things” is a sci-fi/mystery show set in the 1980s. It is possibly the easiest DIY Halloween costume. Most of the clothing trends this year involve clothes from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, so many students may already have some fitting clothing pieces. All that is required to dress up as any character from “Stranger Things” is some ‘80s-style pants and shirts, which can easily be found in thrift stores or online markets like Depop.

For a more creative “Stranger Things” costume, a student could dress up as Eleven during one of her most memorable moments, like in the scene where she was wearing a pink dress and had blood dripping from her nose. For this, any pink dress will do. Fake blood can be found at Party City, Walmart, or Target. But if a student is really on a budget, old, forgotten ketchup in the fridge would also work.

These easy, affordable options are perfect for students whose bank accounts are looking worrisome, but who still feel like being festive this Halloween.