1. The Hawaiian shirt
It may not be the most original costume out there, but chances are you either own a short-sleeved, pastel button-down with an allover palm-tree-and-coconut motif or have borrowed one at some point from your downstairs neighbor. While I’ve never heard this costume referred to with any official title (in the past, people have claimed to be tourists, beach bums or Jimmy Buffet), it seems that most people have agreed to consider putting on a Hawaiian shirt to be “dressing up.” Don’t hesitate to add some accessories — the extra commitment might get you “lei-d.”
2. The clever pun
If there is anything I have learned about the student body during my time on Grounds, it’s that we love a good play on words, both in our Instagram captions and in our Halloween costumes. Here at the University, I find you’re just as likely to see someone dressed up as an “ObamaCarebear,” “Tooth Chainz,” a “Bread Winner” or a “Nap Queen” as you are to see someone in a costume they bought off the rack from Party Starts Here. Post a pic on social media before you leave to get the best of both worlds.
3. The enormous group costume
Have you ever been walking down the Corner, wondering why there was one, let alone 12 people dressed as lobsters? There are some group costumes that make perfect sense — the different fruits from the Fruit of the Loom commercials, all the characters in Mario Kart or every different version of Britney Spears over the years. Maybe black cats are lesser-known pack animals and I was simply just not made aware of this fact. Regardless, there is always strength in numbers, and I am always up for learning more creative names of animal groups. Get your squad together this Halloween, and go as a murder of crows or a flamboyance of flamingoes.
4. The bandana
This is arguably the best $4 you can spend at a costume store. A classic red bandana has the power to transform you into any number of last-minute characters. Throw on a plaid shirt and a pair of boots and suddenly you’re a cowgirl. Opt for a denim tuxedo, and bam, you’re Rosie the Riveter. Have a pair of hoop earrings and some kind of peasant blouse? Instant pirate costume. If you think you’re all out of ideas when your roommates drag you out on the last night of the weekend, away from your plan of watching “Halloweentown” and eating candy corn straight out of the bag, a bandana is your new best friend.
5. The jersey
Another fan favorite for guys and gals alike, the jersey is beloved most obviously for its flexibility. Are you going as the player whose number is on your back, or simply as a fan of the team? Do you care about the team at all? Could it be you’re simply dressing up as a resident of the city the team represents? Do you wear it with jeans or athletic shorts or no pants at all? Are you even wearing a costume, or have you been wearing that all day and are just walking home from a late-night library session? Eye black or no eye black? The possibilities are endless!
6. The sexy “anything”
Look, there’s absolutely no shame in it. Maybe you’ve been looking for an excuse to bust out that little black dress, and a witch’s hat fits the bill, or maybe those fireman suspenders have just been burning a hole in your closet. Regardless of the reason — or, for that matter, your gender — there should be nothing holding you back from embracing Oct. 31 as one of the few times you can justify dressing up as a “sexy hamburger” or “sexy Papa Smurf.”
7.The unapologetically unsexy costume
Conversely, some choose to take their costumes in the complete opposite direction. If you feel like staying warm this Halloween, hit up your local Goodwill and stock up on long, button-front dresses, great for your “Big Love” group costume or whoever got stuck dressing up as Phoebe from “Friends.” Or break out your big cable knit sweaters and ill-fitting khaki pants for when you feel like rolling up as Drunk Uncle, or your favorite, and oldest, professor on Grounds.
8.The one that constantly needs explanation
A distant, constantly-misunderstood cousin of the “Clever Pun,” this is a costume that made absolute, perfect sense in your head, but doesn’t seem to translate all that well in the wild — as demonstrated by the person handing out lemons all night, the guy covered in sponges or anyone who has given up and added a “Hello my name is” sticker to their get-up.
9. The pop culture reference
If you’re looking for a costume that’s more topical than timeless, look no further than this summer’s blockbuster, Netflix’s newest original show or the headline of any newspaper. Maybe you break out the baseball bat and the hair chalk this year and go as Harley Quinn from “Suicide Squad,” or maybe you prefer to dig through your own closet — and your roommates’ — and take on one of the characters from “Stranger Things.” The best part about going current is that you’re bound to meet someone along your travels who’s dressed as the Trump to your Clinton.
10. The classic ghost
Maybe you’re consciously channeling an old school Peanuts comic strip, or maybe you just woke up from a nap and are rolling out the door with whatever is closest at hand. Whatever the motivation, watching people float down the Corner in a white sheet with eye holes never fails to put a smile on the faces of passersby. You can never go wrong with a classic.
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