Arts

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Impress your friends without breaking the bank this Halloween

Illustration: Kim Wiens

While dressing up at Halloween is a fun opportunity to express yourself, or to scare your friends, Halloween can be expensive. Halloween costumes from the store often cost money students don’t have.

However, by assembling your own Halloween costume, you can create a unique costume without breaking the bank. Here are four costumes that are easy to assemble from your own wardrobe or a thrift store, without requiring any hardcore sewing or DIY skills.

Pizza Rat

You need:

-Grey cat ears and tail (Tip: if you can only find black, paint the ears with white or grey fabric paint)

-Grey shirt and pants

-Cardboard

-Red and pale yellow construction paper or bristol board

-Gluestick

-Black face paint

Directions:

Step 1: Cut out a large pizza shape from the cardboard. Cut a shape that is the same size from the yellow construction paper or bristol board. Trim about an inch from the widest part of the yellow shape to create the crust. Glue the yellow piece to the cardboard. Using a round object as a guide (Tip: the gluestick cap could come in handy for this part), draw and cut out red circles and glue them to the yellow section of the pizza shape.

Step 2: Put on the grey shirt and pants.

Step 3: With black face paint, colour the end of your nose black and draw whiskers on your face.

Step 4: Grab your pizza and go!

Sushi

You need:

-White shirt and pants

-Pillow

-Pink or orange pillow case

-Strip of black or dark green fabric, long enough to wrap around your body (Tip: this can be from a pair of old leggings or the sleeve from an old shirt)

Directions

Step 1: Put on white shirt and pants.

Step 2: Put pillow case on pillow. If you’re feeling adventurous, use white paint or a black sharpie to draw wavy lines on the pillowcase to simulate a fishy texture.

Step 3: Place the pillow on your back and wrap the strip of black or dark green fabric around, fixing the pillow to your back. Either tie, hot glue or safety pin the fabric to hold.

Step 4: Head out for Halloween and pique everyone’s appetites.

Silent Film Stars

You will need:

-Black and white formal clothing such as a black dress and tights, suit, or white shirt and black pants

-Grey face paint (Tip: if you can’t find grey face paint, mix a bit of black into white face paint)

-Costume Jewelry (optional)

-8×10 inch piece of black bristol board or cardboard

-White paint or white marker

Directions

Step 1: Using white paint or marker, draw a frame around the piece of black bristol board. Add any decorative elements you like, such as swirls in the corners. Write a favourite phrase or movie quote in quotation marks within the frame.

Step 2: Dress up in formal clothing and optional costume jewelry.

Step 3: Apply grey face paint to areas of exposed skin.

Step 4: Amaze your friends with your costume and your silence.

Camp Counsellors

You will need:

-Athletic shorts preferably colourful, and baggy

-An old T-shirt or baseball shirt

-Baseball cap or athletic headband

-Striped sports knee socks

-Running shoes

-Clipboard

-Whistle

Directions

Step 1: Put on all clothing items and accessories.

Step 2: Carry around the clipboard all night while making your friends recite camp songs and cheers.

Author

  • Fall 2023: Sydney Grenier Spring 2022: Desiree Nikfardjam Fall 2021: Zofka Svec 2020-2021: Aisling Murphy 2019-2020: Ryan Pepper 2018-2019: Iain Sellers 2017-2018: Ryan Pepper