2008 Woodie Awards
Better than bedsheets
Have some extra trash bags lying around? Are your curtains out of style? Want to get creative with coat hangers? With some quick thinking, you can make (almost) anything into a clever Halloween costume!
Andrea Furlong
Issue date: 10/27/05 Section: A&E
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Halloween is just around the corner and you have a problem, a big problem. There is a party in two hours and you don't have anything to wear. What are you going to do?
Look around. What do you have lying around your apartment? You may not be able to afford that pixie costume at Hot Topic but you can improvise with a pair of panty hose and wire hangers cleverly assembled into wings. For a wand, use a mechanical pencil with a duct tape silver star on the eraser. With some fairy dust and duct tape you can have the most clever costume in the land.
For the guys who aren't cool with the Tinkerbelle look - no problem. Throw on a black shirt and black pants. Find some mirrored sunglasses and don't forget the spoon. Walk around at parties with silverware in hand repeating, "There is no spoon." People will be calling you Neo in no time.
If you're not into sci-fi but theatrics instead, tie some scarves around yourself and put on some big beads to get that gypsy flair. This is a great way to put those Mardi Gras beads to use. Also, a basketball wrapped in tissues and tape makes a convincing crystal ball.
The biggest pitfall you can make is to overlook the everyday, mundane things. With a comb tucked behind your ear, scissors and an enormous can of hairspray, you could go as a hair stylist. This one has some money making potential as well. Who needs a license?
Innovation is the key when under the wire. If you're stressed for time and creativity, look for inspiration from a maniac or an astronaut. With a roll of aluminum foil, you can be either of these things.
Don't forget the time-pressed costumes of the past. However trite it may seem, the toilet paper mummy is a classic, as is the flour-dusted ghost and dirt-covered zombie. If you choose to go this route, be mindful where you sit.
Men, if you're looking to get noticed, jet over to your mom's place and raid her closet.
Serious costumes are always an option. Look sophisticated at parties as "The Intellectual", with a coffee cup in hand and your favorite author's novel in the other (Guys, this is a great costume for meeting women.) Take it a step further and ditch the coffee cup for a permanent marker. Constantly offer to sign body parts as your favorite author. This one can even be rather comical if the author is deceased.
Then there's the door-to-door salesperson. All you need is a suit and vacuum cleaner. You can consider yourself convincing if someone actually buys the vacuum cleaner.
Think simple and work with what you have. If you have absolutely nothing in your apartment but have poor posture, slide a pillow under the back of your shirt and go as a hunchback.
If all else fails, throw some empty pop cans in a sack and drag it behind you as a bum. Carry around a cup that says "Donations." This is another one of those disguises that has cash flow written all over it.
Don't be satisfied with a brown paper bag over your head or that tired bed sheet with two holes. With some creativity and a quick rummage through your junk you're sure to be scary and chic in no time.
Look around. What do you have lying around your apartment? You may not be able to afford that pixie costume at Hot Topic but you can improvise with a pair of panty hose and wire hangers cleverly assembled into wings. For a wand, use a mechanical pencil with a duct tape silver star on the eraser. With some fairy dust and duct tape you can have the most clever costume in the land.
For the guys who aren't cool with the Tinkerbelle look - no problem. Throw on a black shirt and black pants. Find some mirrored sunglasses and don't forget the spoon. Walk around at parties with silverware in hand repeating, "There is no spoon." People will be calling you Neo in no time.
If you're not into sci-fi but theatrics instead, tie some scarves around yourself and put on some big beads to get that gypsy flair. This is a great way to put those Mardi Gras beads to use. Also, a basketball wrapped in tissues and tape makes a convincing crystal ball.
The biggest pitfall you can make is to overlook the everyday, mundane things. With a comb tucked behind your ear, scissors and an enormous can of hairspray, you could go as a hair stylist. This one has some money making potential as well. Who needs a license?
Innovation is the key when under the wire. If you're stressed for time and creativity, look for inspiration from a maniac or an astronaut. With a roll of aluminum foil, you can be either of these things.
Don't forget the time-pressed costumes of the past. However trite it may seem, the toilet paper mummy is a classic, as is the flour-dusted ghost and dirt-covered zombie. If you choose to go this route, be mindful where you sit.
Men, if you're looking to get noticed, jet over to your mom's place and raid her closet.
Serious costumes are always an option. Look sophisticated at parties as "The Intellectual", with a coffee cup in hand and your favorite author's novel in the other (Guys, this is a great costume for meeting women.) Take it a step further and ditch the coffee cup for a permanent marker. Constantly offer to sign body parts as your favorite author. This one can even be rather comical if the author is deceased.
Then there's the door-to-door salesperson. All you need is a suit and vacuum cleaner. You can consider yourself convincing if someone actually buys the vacuum cleaner.
Think simple and work with what you have. If you have absolutely nothing in your apartment but have poor posture, slide a pillow under the back of your shirt and go as a hunchback.
If all else fails, throw some empty pop cans in a sack and drag it behind you as a bum. Carry around a cup that says "Donations." This is another one of those disguises that has cash flow written all over it.
Don't be satisfied with a brown paper bag over your head or that tired bed sheet with two holes. With some creativity and a quick rummage through your junk you're sure to be scary and chic in no time.