Being creative and having fun should be the benchmarks for a more memorable and fun Halloween. In fact, one WTW reader won a costume contest with over 100 participants in a more cute-than-sexy marionette costume complete with strings and giant wooden controller - on her head. But what really swayed the judges was her creativity and winning attitude. Whether you are going solo, getting together with a group of your friends, or pairing up with your significant other, here are some costume inspirations that will get you excited about Halloween all over again.
On Your Own
* Revisit your childhood and dress up like your favorite girl power characters - remember Jem, Smurfette, Punky Brewster, and Judy Jetson?
* How scary was the movie Carrie? With a little fake blood; red paint; a pink prom dress; a fake, bloody corsage; and a long wig, you can recreate the prom night scene (and not have to do your hair!).
* Go traditional and do a real witch, vampire, or bride of Frankenstein costume.
Group Costumes
* Represent your favorite TV show casts. There's a new group of gals in town! The ladies of the new hit ABC TV show Pan Am. If you are hardpressed to find a good Pan Am costume for all the gals in your group, try a generic costume - and be the life of the party as these flight attendants had been in their hey-day. Click here to see "stewardess" costumes or here. Better yet, be the captain.
* Do something that stands out and is totally silly - like the Fantana girls.
* Mystery, Inc. Team. You know them as Shaggy, Velma, Fred, Daphne, and Scooby.
* Gilligan's Island. Ginger, Mary Anne, The Professor, The Howells, The Skipper, and Gilligan. Easy to make, easy to pull off.
* Wizard of Oz. Skip into the party as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man...and Toto.
Couple Costumes
* Ones we never think of: Lucy and Ricky, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing (think the last scene - "Nobody puts Baby in a corner"), Michael Jackson and his girlfriend in the "Thriller" video...get creative!
* The ones you see all the time: Bonnie and Clyde (those broad-shouldered jackets are so in, after all), Popeye and Olive Oyl, any Disney couple.
* Get really artsy (and super-Halloween), like last year's movie characters Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett.
If the weather gets nippy, bring a coordinating jacket, cape, or wrap and make it a part of your costume. Make sure you check out the conditions of your outing. If you are going to be outside and the weather will be warm, forego the vinyl catsuit so you don't feel as catty as you look.
Renae Virata is the Head Travelista at WeareverTheWeather.com, which delivers shopping results based on the weather forecast of any city in the world. A former assistant buyer at a major department store and a top account executive at a leading Internet company, Renae was inspired by her many travels and packing adventures to develop WeareverTheWeather.com. When she's not scoping out fashion around the world, Renae can be found re-styling pieces in her closet; enjoying a new outdoor sport; or hanging out with her friends, family, and pug Trevor. You can follow her at in Twitter (@WTWblog), feed the WeareverTheWeather.com blog, like the official WeareverTheWeather.com Facebook page, or email her at renae@wearevertheweather.com.
On Your Own
* Revisit your childhood and dress up like your favorite girl power characters - remember Jem, Smurfette, Punky Brewster, and Judy Jetson?
* How scary was the movie Carrie? With a little fake blood; red paint; a pink prom dress; a fake, bloody corsage; and a long wig, you can recreate the prom night scene (and not have to do your hair!).
* Go traditional and do a real witch, vampire, or bride of Frankenstein costume.
Group Costumes
* Represent your favorite TV show casts. There's a new group of gals in town! The ladies of the new hit ABC TV show Pan Am. If you are hardpressed to find a good Pan Am costume for all the gals in your group, try a generic costume - and be the life of the party as these flight attendants had been in their hey-day. Click here to see "stewardess" costumes or here. Better yet, be the captain.
* Do something that stands out and is totally silly - like the Fantana girls.
* Mystery, Inc. Team. You know them as Shaggy, Velma, Fred, Daphne, and Scooby.
* Gilligan's Island. Ginger, Mary Anne, The Professor, The Howells, The Skipper, and Gilligan. Easy to make, easy to pull off.
* Wizard of Oz. Skip into the party as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man...and Toto.
Couple Costumes
* Ones we never think of: Lucy and Ricky, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing (think the last scene - "Nobody puts Baby in a corner"), Michael Jackson and his girlfriend in the "Thriller" video...get creative!
* The ones you see all the time: Bonnie and Clyde (those broad-shouldered jackets are so in, after all), Popeye and Olive Oyl, any Disney couple.
* Get really artsy (and super-Halloween), like last year's movie characters Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett.
If the weather gets nippy, bring a coordinating jacket, cape, or wrap and make it a part of your costume. Make sure you check out the conditions of your outing. If you are going to be outside and the weather will be warm, forego the vinyl catsuit so you don't feel as catty as you look.
Renae Virata is the Head Travelista at WeareverTheWeather.com, which delivers shopping results based on the weather forecast of any city in the world. A former assistant buyer at a major department store and a top account executive at a leading Internet company, Renae was inspired by her many travels and packing adventures to develop WeareverTheWeather.com. When she's not scoping out fashion around the world, Renae can be found re-styling pieces in her closet; enjoying a new outdoor sport; or hanging out with her friends, family, and pug Trevor. You can follow her at in Twitter (@WTWblog), feed the WeareverTheWeather.com blog, like the official WeareverTheWeather.com Facebook page, or email her at renae@wearevertheweather.com.
