Unique Last-Minute Halloween Costumes You Can Make At Home
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5 DIY costume ideas for spooky season parties
October has flown by – it feels like only yesterday that we were soaking up the last dregs of the summer sun – and Halloween weekend has descended upon us all too quickly. If, like most of us, you’ve left your party costume to the very last minute, never fear. We have some spooky DIY Halloween costumes that you can make out of materials that you have sitting at home (or that you can pick up for a few quid from your nearest charity shop). Close down that Amazon Prime tab – here are five costume ideas that you can make without contributing to the Halloween plastic landfill.
Last Minute DIY Halloween Costumes You Can Make At Home
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Ghost
Starting off with a classic, all you need for this costume is a bedsheet. But this year, the ghosts are levelling up into more glamorous renditions of the age-old outfit: rather than going with a plain white sheet, why not try lace? Instagrammer @lillryb has introduced this idea into the zeitgeist, which takes the outfit from last-minute cop out to a vintage-inspired fit straight out of a magazine spread, while still being just as easy to make. If you don’t have lace at home, try an old lace skirt, or dig through the fabric piles of your nearest charity shop where you’re bound to find something perfectly ghoulish.
How to: Take a large sheet of lace, centre it so the middle sits on the top of your head and mark out two oval-shaped eye holes. Cut out the holes, and if you really want to go all out, line the eyes with lace trim (you can stick this on with glue – no need to bring out the sewing kit). Pair with some platform heels, and you have a ghost straight out of a 1920s cabaret.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime; Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC
Carrie
While this has been a go-to costume since the original 1976 film adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel, this year’s Amazon remake of Carrie makes it particularly topical. All you need is an old dress, a home-made tiara and a bucketfull of fake blood.
How to: Wear an old dress that you’re happy to get drench in the red stuff (or find a cheap one from a charity shop) and make some fake blood out of cornsyrup and red food colouring – recipes for this are very easy to find online. For the prom tiara, cut the shape out of card, cover in tin foil to give it that metallic shine and attach to your hair with clips. Pour the blood over your head and voila – you’re good to go.
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Butterfly
2026 is undeniably the year of the arts and craft costume, but wearable butterfly wings have been being made since the 1930s. This is one to get creative with – there are hundreds of examples on Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration. All you need is a bedsheet (they’re very versatile!) some paint, ribbons – and for a more modern version, sunglasses, a hairband and some pipe cleaners.
How to: Measure out your wingspan (fingertip to fingertip) on a bedsheet and drawer the shape of your butterfly wings on the fabric so that the wings cover the length of your arms. Cut it out, and paint your butterfly pattern onto the sheet – the more creative the better. To attach, cut small holes in the top of the wings at the point of each shoulder, elbow and wrist, and tie to your arms with ribbons. For the antennae, loop pipe cleaners around a hairband and wear big sunglasses to finish the bug-eyed look.
Skeleton
Put away the 2012 glow-in-the-dark jumpsuit – the 2026 skeleton is far more elegant. This is a costume that relies entirely on the makeup, but works best with any vintage-inspired dress to really give that dead-for-200-years vibe.
How to: It’s amazing how far some eyeshadow can go. For this one, take your oldest looking dress and pair it with some skeletal makeup. You can find lots of inspiration on YouTube.
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Coraline’s Other Mother
Seventeen years ago, Laika’s stop-animation film traumatised children and adults alike with its rendition of the Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline. And as an easy, cheap, but terrifying costume, Coraline’s Other Mother has gone completely unappreciated.
How to: The only DIY element of this costume is the buttons: cut buttons out of card with eye holes big enough to see out of, and paint black. Paint your eyelids black with eyeliner, to really give that creepy button-eyed look, and stick to your face with eyelash glue. Cover your eyebrows with foundation and re-draw in stick-thin Y2K fashion, and add a beauty spot above your lip, and straighten and comb your hair in a dramatic side part. Clothing wise, go for a slim-fitting dark-coloured midi dress with a red ribbon around the neck to finish off the vampy vibes.
