It’s that time of year again—when you’d better outshine everyone on Instagram with a killer, ultra-clever Halloween costume. We sat around and created a list of the best pop culture moments from 2019 to make the decision easier on you. Here are some of the best Halloween costume ideas for 2019. Enjoy!
Cersei Lannister and a Boulder
Because we, uhm, don’t recommend doing a couples costume with your brother. This costume is fairly simple, it requires one person to dress up as dead Cersei, maybe carry a goblet of wine, and the other to dress up as a boulder. A queen costume and a short, blonde wig will do for Cersei, but the boulder may have to be DIY. Use your imagination here but we’re thinking it could happen with a sheet, some stuffed animal guts, and some paint? If you’re single and introverted you could also go as Cersei by simply dressing up in all black and standing in the second floor window of your home, refusing to come down.
Daenerys & Craft Services
Remember the cup of tea? We do. Instead of going with the obvious couples costume of Jon Snow and a dead Daenerys, spice things up a bit by drawing attention to Game of Thrones’ season 8 hiccups. Getting a Daenerys costume will also be easy, as odds are high costume shops around the country will sell three different options of the same character. Have the other half of the couple dress up as a coffee cup (here is a good one) and pass blame at parties on who the coffee cup belongs to.
YouTuber Apology Video
If you really want to earn some clout this Halloween season, consider going as a YouTuber apology video. This costume was a hit at VidCon this year, but its relevancy is eternal. Creating this costume may require some graphic design skills. Take a screenshot of a YouTube rant (bonus points if you use a video with a home studio background—maybe a couch or some cute shelving that goes with your personal brand) and spend only a few minutes (more than 3 minutes is too much effort) coming up with a mistake to apologize for (you’ll need this for talking points when you wear your costume out). Add a title to the video—something simple like “I’m sorry” will suffice, and throw in a few million views on the view count. Print out the image on a large piece of poster board and cut a hole for your face. Bonus points if you can fake cry—but not too realistically. Channel this energy.
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren
A true power couple for the ages. This costume can be split into two to work as a single costume or as a couple. It’s just what the people want, you know? Snag a Bernie wig or a short, blonde cut, a few pairs of glasses, and some politically conservative clothing and take the country by storm by making elaborate promises to everyone you come in contact with.
A Corporate Whistleblower
If you want to keep it simple but make headlines this Halloween we have just the costume for you. 2019 was the year of the scam, starting with the two whistleblower documentaries that went viral throughout the year about both Elizabeth Holmes and the Cambridge Analytica scandal (though a Christopher Wylie/Brittany Kaiser costume would be a good couples costume idea) right through the whistleblower complaint that’s singlehandedly unraveled the Trump presidency just in time for the 2020 election to start going. To nail this costume you have to wear black from head to toe—you’re trying to be discreet, of course, but keep it office-appropriate. Opt for something like a black turtleneck or one of your old American Apparel hoodies and a pair of black jeans or leggings. Next, get a whistle to wear around your neck, and finish the look off with pixelated makeup to really emphasize that you wish to remain anonymous for legal reasons.
Jules and Rue from Euphoria
Which also doubles as Leo DeCaprio and Claire Danes from Romeo + Juliet. Get this costume by having one person dress as an angel and the other dress in a tuxedo. Nailing Rue and Jules requires extra glitter (nail the look by watching this video) and a certain je ne sais quoi level of depression. You could also go as Nate and Maddy, but we don’t recommend it.
Renata Klein from Big Little Lies
Repeat after us: “I WILL NOT, NOT BE RICH.” You are a CEO. You are the HBIC. You are Renata. Fkn. Klein. You could make this a couples costume by dressing your husband up in an orange jumpsuit but honestly, you don’t need him. Nail this costume with a shiny red trench coat and some expensive looking lingerie (expensive is important, you are Renata—remember?). Go blonde, curl your hair, and go around telling people that you’re more important than them because you are. We also recommend as going as the women from Big Little Lies as a group costume, or any of the women in the show on your own.
Charlies Angels
We may be getting another Charlies Angels movie this year, but the real power comes in the three-way collaboration with Lana Del Ray, Ariana Grande, and Miley Cyrus that came out this summer to promote the film. This costume requires: wigs, jewelry, black angel wings, a pair of boxing gloves, a bundle of grapes, a bottle of wine, and stiletto boots.
Caroline Calloway and Natalie Beach
Perhaps the opposite of a power couple, nailing the dynamic of a toxic friendship is at the heart of this couples costume (which also works on its own as Caroline Calloway). For Caroline you will need: A phone with Instagram, a tie dye t-shirt with “tittays” painted on the front (see here for example), a pair of powder blue pants with feathers along the cuff (also see here for example), a blonde wig, purple orchids for your hair, and a major sense of self-importance. Ask people to buy your art via Instagram to add depth of character to the costume. For Natalie: Keep it simple, people don’t think you really exist! Maybe carry around a copy of O! Magazine and keep quiet while you let your BFF do the talking.
A Scoops Ahoy Worker
Since Stranger Things 3 proved to be one of the better seasons thus far, go as the crowd favorite Robin and/or Steve from Scoops Ahoy. This one is likely to be popular because you can simply buy a Scoops Ahoy uniform from Halloween stores. This costume works on its own or as part of a power couple—but just as friends.
Midsommar Cult Members
In theory this costume could also double as a Caroline Calloway costume if you wear just the flowered headdress and tape a pink background behind your head, but Midsommar might be less horrifying, in fact. Nail the look from Ari Aster’s latest horror film to tell everyone you’re edgy but relevant, like A24 itself. Pair the headbands with flowing, white dresses or bed sheets and wear as a group costume for dramatic effect. Good luck looking at a white embroidered dress the same ever again.
Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus
If you’ve ever wanted to singlehandedly re-define the music industry then this couples costume is for you. Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil’ Nas X destroyed the Billboard Top 100 Charts this year when the remixed single “Old Town Road” went viral. This costume requires: fringe, leather, a guitar, cowboy hats, and a wig for Billy Ray’s costume. Each costume would also work on its own, but we recommend going with Lil Nas X if that’s your goal.
Andy King From The Fyre Festival Netflix Documentary
If you don’t mind the loss of your dignity this costume could be a huge hit. Fans of the year of the scam will remember King as the man who offered to exchange oral sex for bottled water in the Fyre Festival documentary that aired on Netflix. All you need for this costume is a short grey wig, a sweater, a button-down shirt, and a bottle of water. If people have to ask what your costume is, simply give them a pleading look.
A Tethered
Following the success of Get Out, Jordan Peele’s latest film, Us, is almost equally as frightening. Channel your inner clone with a red jumpsuit and a pair of scissors, but we recommend keeping the talking to a minimum to really make this costume as scary as possible—after all, the clones never learned to talk. This costume works well on its own, but is particularly terrifying as a group look.
Any Variation Of Jordyn Woods & The Kardashian Scandal
Please baby no more parties in LA. Few celebrity scandals rocked the internet this year quite like the Jordyn Woods/Khloe Kardashian/Tristain Thompson scandal did earlier this year. Word got out that Kylie Jenner’s BFF and roommate Jordyn Woods hooked up with Khloe Kardashian’s boyfriend (and father to her daughter) at a party in LA. This costume has so many options as it encapsulated the Kardashian-Jenner brand for much of 2019. Go alone as Jordyn Woods at her Red Table Talk (pictured above, bonus points if you can sit alone at a red table all night at a Halloween party), or get two friends to go as Kylie and Khloe and get in a big fight in public.
Sexy College Admissions Scandal
When it was revealed that celebrities like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were at the heart of a major scam (2019 really is the year of the scam) to get their kids admitted into Ivy League colleges (and USC) despite low test scores and high school grades, it highlighted a major problem in American culture of the importance placed on a college education and the entitlement that comes with being upper class. Huffman and Loughlin are still facing the legal trouble that goes with allegedly committing mail fraud to get your kid into college today, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have some fun at their expense. This sexy version of the college admissions scandal really exists and is for sale because, like Tyra said: Fraud, but make it sexy.
Camp: Notes On Fashion
Just like the Met Gala, this theme could take you anywhere. The 2019 theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion, was inspired by a 1964 essay of the same name by Susan Sontag. “Camp” emphasizes a larger than life attitude and dramatic effect on the everyday, with a large dose of gaudy, rich, and potentially tacky. For reference: google Andy Warhol’s club kid era. The gala was one of the best in recent years (my opinion, but also objective fact) because it attracted costumes galore and pink carpet antics from the likes of Lady Gaga, who served as a co-chair for the event. The possibilities for this costume are endless, but any of Gaga’s four (yes, four) pink carpet looks will do the trick. Required: a harem of men and makeup artists to serve as your entourage.
Hot Girl Summer and/or #Thotumn
While a Megan Thee Stallion costume is a fantastic idea, expand your horizons by simply epitomizing what hot girl summer means in the first place: Neon, checkered print, skin-tight bodysuits, thigh high boots, fishnet shirts with a bra, and a bedazzled cowboy hat. The beauty of this costume is that you can tailor it to your personal tastes—but make sure it’s you at your most severe spiral. For #thotumn, channel the same energy into an autumnal look—any of these corduroy mini skirts will do, for starters.
Billie Eilish
Feeling edgy? Good, you’ll need to channel that energy into your Halloween costume in order to really go as Billie Eilish. Hit up your local Burlington Coat Factory for a pair of Big and Tall basketball shorts and then head over to Forever 21 to grab a neon puffer coat that matches your latest hair color (we recommend neon green). Finish off the look with this fake diamond-crusted watch and a pout that says “don’t talk to me.” Keep it monochromatic—Billie would never mix colors.
Hard Seltzer Shortage/Sexy White Claw
Remember when we almost ran out of White Claw? That was a scary and dark moment in American history. Glad we all got through it collectively. Commemorate it in a costume this Halloween (while you drink a white claw) with this costume, but add a “SOLD OUT” sign around your neck for a special touch that screams “I’m way too invested in hard seltzer news.”
MoMo
If you really want to scare parents and Kim Kardashian this Halloween, go wander around your neighborhood during trick or treating hour dressed in this suffocating looking MoMo costume. Again, channeling the year of the scam, MoMo went viral earlier this year when news outlets began reporting that children were being pushed to hurt or kill themselves by a “haunted” YouTube video. The story turned out to be fake, demonstrating just how powerful fake news could be in certain cases.
A VSCO Girl
Tsktsktsk—and I oop! VSCO girls took the internet by storm last season when this Tik Tok went viral (before, actually, but this is when things really took off), demonstrating the movement of what any millennial internet aficionado can only describe as the Generation Z version of a Tumblr girl. This costume requires: an oversize t-shirt, an abundance of ~good vibes~, scrunchies, Vans sneakers, a Fjallraven backpack, shorts (if your t-shirt looks like a dress, good), a Hydro Flask, and a burning desire to tell everyone what they’re doing wrong for the environment. For anyone that’s lost: a VSCO girl is the ultimate cultural signifier that you’re a teen girl in 2019.
Area 51 Protester and/or Colorado Big Game Trophy Wook
Speaking of cultural signifiers, nothing screams “I spent my whole paycheck on drugs” quite like a pair of tie dye pants paired with a hemp necklace, a flat brim hat, and a Rick & Morty obsession. Music festival attendees in 2019 are well-aware of the phenomenon of the wook—a heady, long-haired, good vibe lovin’ type of guy with a positive attitude and little to no money for food and water. They’re harmless creatures, but entertaining when spotted in the wild. This 2015 article from VICE sums them up well, and the art of wook hunting became a sensation when this Facebook group, Colorado Big Game Trophy Wook Hunter went viral a couple of years ago before becoming a website. Wooks became relevant again in 2019 because of the “Storm Area 51” event that happened in September when thousands of wooks gathered in the remote Nevada desert to demand to know whether Area 51 harbors alien life. It was basically an impromptu EDM festival, and only a couple of people ended up getting arrested for actually trespassing the grounds. To get this costume: pair a pair of tie dye joggers with a galaxy tank top from the iHeartRaves online shop, tug around a cooler full of cheap beer to offer all of your new friends, and maybe even carry around a totem with an alien on it telling people that you definitely know what’s going on in Area 51 because you watch the science channel when you’re high.
