Yes there’s candy corn, bobbing for apples and blah, blah, blah.
But for many, Halloween is a litmus test for which celebrities, television shows, pop cultural references and movies have gone over big this year so far. While 2010 is destined to have the usual cast of suspects haunting the streets, a few unexpected faces have gotten our creative costume juices flowing this year.
Eric Northman of True Blood
The tools: During season three, he blew past Bill The New Bad Guy Compton to become the show’s most loved vampire. It doesn’t hurt that he is also the hottest. (The ladies will love the new Halloween you.) He’s got all of the ingredients of a costume party hit. Assembling his look is easy. Just put on a t-shirt, jeans and leather bomber jacket, all in black. The trickiest part will be nailing the makeup. You’ll need to pile on lots of light foundation and experiment with eye shadow to get his pallid complexion and dark under-eye circles just right.
Joan Harris of Mad Men
The tools: Everyone’s favorite drop-dead gorgeous office manager inspired a season’s worth of runway trends. That should make it easy to craft your costume; the high street is filled with knockoffs of all those Harris-like tight cardigan sweaters, body-hugging dresses and knee-grazing skirts that Prada, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton showed for autumn/winter ’10. Oh, and don’t forget the red lipstick, ginger wig and padded bra. The best part: you could conceivably wear your office-perfect Halloween costume again and again.
Snooki
The tools: This look is less about the clothes and more about the lack thereof. Start by gathering all of the hair spray you can find. Or save yourself the time and just buy an Elvira wig from your nearest costume shop. Next, the tan. Not just any old D.I.Y. product will do. It’s got to be the darkest fake-bake-in-a-bottle you can find at the drugstore. Finally, buy a tank top, cover it in fabric glue, roll it around in glitter, and — most importantly — wear it as a dress.
Lady Gaga
The tools: The diva is a gold-mine when it comes to Halloween ideas. But serious costume party pros will want to be as au courant as possible, which means there’s only one real option: The Meat Dress. To create this glorious wonder, you simply need to stock up on raw steak from your neighborhood butcher. (Don’t go for pork or lamb, which doesn’t look quite as bloody.)?Find a sleeveless dress that has been cut on the bias. Break out the sewing kit and start attaching the beef to the dress. Et voilá! You are a walking PETA magnet! Happy Halloween.
Sleeper hit: Antoine Dodson
The tools: “He’s climbing in your windows. He’s snatching your people up. …So y’all need to hide ya kids, hide ya wife!” Sound familiar? No, this is not some tale of the bogeyman, but lyrics from Bed Intruder Song ’07, the iTunes hit based on the Internet sensation that was Dodson’s impassioned, cringe-inducing evening news rant against his sister’s attacker (15,764,912 views and counting.) While the Dodson look appears easy, it’s also the trickiest. Do’s: a black tank top and a red bandana around the head.
