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78 Best Halloween Costumes of 2022 to Inspire Your Best Look Yet
Funny, scary, easy unique — you name it, we've got a look for you.
Halloween is the perfect time to step out of your comfort zone. While it can be easy to fall into the rut of safe costumes year after year, (yep, we're talking about your DIY cat costume), taking a risk and going as something new is part of the fun and magic of the holiday. Now that we are in October, time is ticking for the largest dress up contest of the year and it's time to start drawing up some spooky costume inspiration.
The easiest way to figure out a unique costume for Halloween is to take notes from the best of the best, so we’ve rounded up some of the most innovative celebrity costumes, costumes for women, funny DIY ideas, couples costumes, best friend getups and more to get your creative juices flowing. You and friends could recreate Beyoncé’s iconic Coachella performance dressed as her backup dancers (with matching white boots!) or you could draw inspiration from a funny pun and go as a "Bread Winner." If you have kids you might be looking for kids costumes that can be easily made at home with few supplies or quickly purchase in time for Halloween. You may even be inspired by a look that features an outrageous wig or even by your favorite Disney Halloween movies. No matter your Halloween vibe, if you're dressing up in any of these costumes, you’re sure to have a hair-raising good time.
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1
DIY Mermaid Halloween Costume
Mike Garten
Use cupcake liners in a creative way to DIY this mermaid costume! To make the tail, you'll need a green apron, green and gold metallic cupcake liners and hot glue.
First, you'll want to fold the cupcake liners in half. Start by adding a line of hot glue to the straight folded part of a cupcake liner and attach at the bottom of the apron. The rounded part should be facing down.
Then, continue to fill out the entire width of the apron and alternate the cupcake liner colors. Next, you'll want to continue by adding another layer, making sure that they overlap the first line. Continue until the entire apron is covered.
To complete the look, throw on a colorful pink wig and dress up with a green shirt and leggings.
2
DIY Houseplant Halloween Costume
Mike Garten
This adorable plant costume is too cute not to make this Halloween. Take a grasscloth basket and cut a hole in the bottom for hips and legs to fit through.
Download a leaf template and trace onto green paper. Trim and fold in half. Next, you'll want to get craft wire and cut at different lengths. Create stems by threading with green straws, dabbing hot glue as you thread to hold in place. Once you finish threading, you can hot glue the leafs to the end of the stems.
To attach the stems, hot glue them to the inside of the basket and reinforce with duct tape if needed. Avoid attaching on the sides.
Then, make the shoulder straps by cutting green ribbon and attach to the inside front and back of the basket with velcro tape or safety pins.
As for finishing touches, bend the stems around you for a realistic look!
3
DIY Bird Halloween Costume
Mike Garten
Fly door to door collecting candy on Halloween night with these amazing DIY wings.
First, take coffee filters and cupcake liners and fold in half. With leftover cardboard boxes, cut out two oval wings. Start with one wing and attach the coffee filters with tape, making sure that they overlap to create a feathered look. Next, add in a few white and metallic cupcake liners to add texture and create depth to the wing.
Create a tube out of cardboard that fits the circumference of your arm. Fasten to the back of the wing and secure with duct tape. Cover with more cupcake liners and coffee filters to hide where it attaches. Now, all that is left to do is the second wing!
MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
We'll never get over Beyoncé's iconic Coachella performance, and if you can't be Queen Bey for Halloween, this group costume is definitely a close second. Grab some friends, yellow bodysuits and white knee-high boots, and you'll never be out of formation.
This costume deserves all of the infinity stones! Once you nail down the purple face paint and either DIY or buy an Infinity Gauntlet, the rest of the gear you probably already have at home.
Clueless may have been released in 1995, but Lupita Nyong'o recently breathed new life into Dionne. From the hat to the nose ring, this costume is spot on!
Channel your inner Agatha Harkness this year to honor the awesomeness that was WandaVision. Honestly, once you find the right dress, you can outfit the rest of the look however you want.
Serena Williams is known for serving up some serious fashion moments on and off the tennis court. Take a page out of her book with this effortless DIY black bodysuit and black tutu tennis costume.
So we may not have gotten a Lizzie McGuire reboot, but any fan of the Disney series will instantly recognize this look. It was one of several looks Hillary Duff's character tried on in 2003's The Lizzie McGuire Movie and, needless to say, it still works.
You can't have a rainbow without some rain, after all! This adorable mother-daughter duo costume will add some color to your Halloween — not to mention it will make for a fun DIY craft project.
Here's an easy last-minute costume for couples or BFFs: Just put on your best black suit, a tie, and a pair of sunglasses to recreate the iconic look from Men In Black!
Ashitaka and San from 'Princess Mononoke' Halloween Costume
Craig BarrittGetty Images
We're totally stealing this creative couples costume idea from Barbara Palvin and Cole Sprouse, who killed it as the characters Ashitaka and San from the Studio Ghibli filmPrincess Mononoke.
'Grease' is definitely the word! Model Gigi Hadid stole the show with this stunning post-makeover Sandy costume from Grease, and we honestly haven't been the same ever since.
We're suckers for an adorable, punny couples Halloween costume. With a green and white shirt, you're just four letters away from one of the best (not to mention, easiest) costumes ever.
Heidi Klum's annual Halloween bash is a big Hollywood ticket every year. Back in 2006, she went with a Bible-inspired look depicting the temptation of Eve.
A three-year-old Chihuahua named Pony channeled Alien with its human companion at the annual Dog Halloween Costume Competition in Tompkins Square Park in New York City.
If you're going to dress as a teacher for Halloween, make that teacher Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. It's a costume that's as easily recognizable as it is to make.
Goofy Movie fans may recognize this look created by Brooklyn-based designer Sam Branman. An obscure Disney character like Powerline really stands out in a room.
This pop culture pun costume is also ridiculously simple to do. Just make sure you're going to a party with people who have actually seen Blade Runner.
The Morton Salt girl is one of those instantly recognizable costumes that you might not think of right away. Supermarket product mascots also works as a great group costume idea.
The Rice Krispies elves is the kind of group costume that everyone will love. Toss in someone wearing a Michael Myers costume and then you have a cereal killer.
Whether you call them jimmies or sprinkles, you'll scream for ice cream with this quick and easy DIY costume. Complete the look with a cute sugar cone topper.
Holy heist, Batman! Show off your DIY chops with this stroller-to-Batmobile transformation. Your little ones will absolutely love to go trick-or-treating in style as the dynamic duo.
Celebrate Halloween with your sweetie this year with this DIY pencil and paper costume. While magic is in the air, resist the urge to transform "Paper" into a Honey-do list.
