20 Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas

i’m a total procrastinator.  and sometimes, the pressure of last minute helps me to come of with some of my most creative ideas!

are you still trying to decide what to do for your halloween costume?  over the last few years, i have pulled together easy ideas for our school’s thrift store instagram feed, and i think you might find them helpful, too!  almost all of these items can be easily found in a thrift store, and i bet you have a lot of these things in your closet already!

I Love Lucy (or any ’50’s lady)

vintage dresses can always be found in a thrift store.  go for a fitted waist and mid-calf length.  throw on a vintage apron, a red wig, and heels – always heels.  finish withe bright red lips and pencilled in eyebrows.

robber

so easy and so cute! i think i have 5 black & white striped shirts in my closet (wanna borrow one?), and i’m sure you have one, too.  add black leggings or jeans, black gloves and beanie, and a simple black mask.  done.

pineapple

you can be just about any type of fruit for halloween.  this solid yellow dress inspired the idea for a pineapple costume.  you can even use a sharpie to draw little “v’s” on the dress to look like the spikes on a pineapple.  make a cute hat out of green paper or tie a green scarf on your head.

grandma

dig in your grandma’s closet or head to the thrift store.  grab all the polyester things and you are in business.  a grey wig, a walker, and maybe a chain to hold your spectacles.

forest and jenny

gosh, just so cute!  and these characters went through so many decades that you can be forest and jenny in so many ways!

Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Audrey Hepburn)

easy easy easy!  any little black dress, strands of pearls, black heels, big black sunglasses, and pile your hair in a big bun.  bonus points for the black opera gloves.

stick figure

my friend jess and her family were a stick figure family this year and so adorable!  this is an easy version – thrift all white and use electrical tape to add lines, then a paper plate face.  easy and hilarious.

pumpkin? carrot?

grab all the solid orange you can and top with a little green.  boom.

the real “real housewife”

get a “housecoat” from a thrift store, add a robe and fluffy slippers.  maybe put on a face mask and curlers in your hair.  not only will you be ultra comfy, but your face and hair will look great the next day!

pirate

an oversized white blouse or button-up shirt, a vest, a large belt (or scarf), leggings and tall boots.  pretty much any nasty black wig will do.  don’t bother combing out the knots!

mary poppins

i can’t say her name without using bert’s british accent!  i did this last minute a couple years ago – a mid length black skirt, white button-up shirt, red ribbon, black tights and boots or heels, and add an umbrella or hat if you have them.  practically perfect in every way!

velma from scooby doo

nerdy cute.  orange and red and some oversized glasses make this a fun and easy costume!

deer

gracie and i have both been deer for halloween.  we thrifted her all brown outfit and added felt circles to the back of the shirt and a big oval to the belly.  we made ears out of felt and a thrifted headband.  the makeup was the best part!

80’s jazzerciser

rock the side pony, put bikini bottoms over a pair of leggings, and maybe add some sweat bands.

carol brady

thrift stores are full of great/horrible 70’s dresses. also full of really bad blond wigs.

rosie the riveter

another super easy one.  chambray shirt, jeans, a red bandana, and bright red lips.

wednesday addams

put a collared shirt under a black dress.  the key is the pale face, black lips and liner, and that widows peek.

waldo

find a red and white striped tee, add jeans and a red beanie.  bonus points for accessories, like glasses, binoculars, and a cane.

gym teacher

awkwardly shirt gym shorts, a tucked in tee, striped knee high sicks, running shoes, sweat bands, a whistle and a clipboard.

hippie

bell bottoms or flared jeans, all the brown, camel or avocado colors you can find, long beaded necklaces, a head scarf, and round sunglasses.

i hope this helps you find somethings quick and easy for halloween!  do you have any other ideas?