The Strategist team has some intensely dedicated Halloween fans. Senior editor Jen Trolio once built a papier-mâché deep-sea-diver helmet for her daughter and an anglerfish helmet (with a working lightbulb) for herself. Writer Erin Schwartz went as AI hands in 2023, fusing extra fingers to theirs using silicone. And senior writer Liza Corsillo hand-painted skeleton bones on sweat suits for a family costume. We gathered them and a few other staffers to ask about their dressing-up strategies.
What are the main rules of Halloween costuming?
Erin Schwartz: The worst thing is someone wearing a costume they don’t want to be wearing. If you’re not into it, don’t wear one.
Liza Corsillo: I agree. Another pet peeve of mine is when people have a really elaborate costume but don’t think through the size of it within the context of a big group so they’re constantly bumping into everyone. Be mindful.
E.S.: I also think no costume is better than a half-assed costume. You don’t want to go to a party and explain yourself the entire night. If you’re doing something last minute, make sure it is very clear what it is.
What is a good last-minute costume, then?
Jen Trolio: One time, I had an orange tank and a yellow A-line skirt, and I put on a white party hat, and I was a piece of candy corn. It worked really well. Also, if you’re artistic or into makeup, you can be really creative with makeup on your face and then wear all black. It’s very simple but impressive and cheap.
L.C.: I kind of did that once. I went as a tattooed lady. I bought a ton of
temporary tattoos and covered myself. I filled in the areas where I didn’t have them with a Sharpie, which I regretted later, but it eventually came off. People were really into it because it was a big commitment, and I just got to wear jeans.
J.T.: It’s good to have a comfortable, warm, zip-up-style onesie costume
at your disposal, too. Whether it’s the black one with the skeleton print or a cow, you can’t go wrong. That feels like it should have a place in your closet even if it’s only for the occasional last-minute costume.
E.S.: Also if you have a celebrity look-alike that people have actually said you look like, just do one of their characters.
Store-bought costumes. Yea or nay?
Ashley Wolfgang: I’m not against Spirit Halloween or Party City costumes. If that’s what you want to do, why not?
Brenley Goertzen: Amazon can be good, too. Last year, my partner wanted to be Batman and we found a cosplay costume on Amazon and it shipped really quick. It was so realistic it looked like it could be from The Dark Knight.
J.T.: It can actually cost a lot more to make your own stuff. I could spend $100 to make a really nice version of a licensed thing, or I could go get a $30 version of it at Target, Spirit Halloween, or Party City. So if you don’t want to spend the money and the time, store-bought is the best option.
L.C.: Plus a lot of those costumes from Spirit Halloween find their way to Goodwill. So if you go to Goodwill now, you may have your pick of a lot of really great costumes.
Any other good places to shop?
E.S.: Gothic Renaissance near Union Square is good for fun costume pieces. They have a lot of PVC and vinyl clothing and also spooky masks and goth accessories. I was Ginger Spice one year and got my red shorts there. Also, the Compleat Sculptor in Chelsea has really good special-effects makeup to create creepy blood and oozy wounds.
Any advice on kids’ costumes?
L.C.: Pottery Barn Kids always has amazing kids’ costumes, but Zara’s kids costumes are especially good this year. I often see the Pottery Barn Kids ones on the resale app Kidizen. I might buy its $15 walrus costume for my almost-2-year-old. Primary has a DIY concierge service for kids; you can email them what you want to make, and they will send you a list of everything you need. So if you want your kid to be a crocodile, they’ll send you the green pajama onesie and the green hat from Primary and then suggestions for all the other materials.
What are you going as this year?
L.C.: My family is going with a sports theme. My son is gonna be a basketball. And I’m going as a tennis ball. I might just do it as a green sweatsuit and the tennis ball floating somewhere on it. I’ll be like the court with the tennis ball. I think it’s funny when people dress up as objects.
J.T.: I’m thinking of going as a Tiffany lamp. I would wear all black and then get an umbrella hat and draw a stained-glass pattern on that, and I could wear really long earrings as the chain and use a battery-operated bulb to light up the lamp.
E.S.: I think I’m going to create a new monster and go as an original IP creature. People usually dress up as monsters we already know from horror movies, but what’s more frightening? The unknown.
B.G.: We saw Alien: Romulus and loved it, so my partner wants to be a xenomorph, the alien creature in the movie, and you can actually find the costume online. And then I’m going to be Rain, the main character.
E.S.: With movie characters, if you do a little bit of special-effects makeup or a smudge or a gash from the end of the movie, it makes it clear that you’re in the movie.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
