I love Halloween. The decorations, the films, the music, and perhaps most of all– the costumes. However, as we all know, picking a costume is often difficult and, for many, ends up left till the last minute. When you are costuming solo, this is manageable. Group costumes on the other hand, are difficult at the best of times and nigh-on impossible at the last minute. Hopefully, this list will help you find the fun and bring your group together for dress-up instead of tearing yourselves apart in search of a theme.

Planning your costume

Group size

The first thing to consider is how many people are in your group. Larger groups might struggle to find a common interest or may have too many people to link to a specific group of characters– this is when I would recommend thinking about thematic costumes over character-based ones.

Group vibe 

Gender, confidence level, and general clothing preferences can all affect your group’s choices. Finding out what everyone is comfortable wearing will help narrow your options. It is also important to decide what tone your group is going for– scary, sexy, funny or a combination of all three! The last thing you want is to agree on vampires and then end up as the only ‘20s-style Dracula in a group of Edward Cullens.

Common interests 

Some groups will have similar media tastes or inside jokes that make for great costume inspiration– a group of Marvel fans can kill an Avengers theme or a house who watched Squid Game together can happily don their green tracksuits. If you do not have that in common, you are better off with a more generic theme than pushing members to dress as characters they have no interest in – this will make the night less enjoyable for them and likely the rest of you too.

Time & money

If you are planning costumes last-minute your best bet is a more basic theme. It is also important to recognise that a lot of people are not willing or able to spend much money on costumes. Recreating a character’s iconic look from items you already own or can find in the local charity shop is pretty tough – finding a billowy shirt or shiny dress and being a pirate or alien is much more doable. Makeup can also really elevate these sorts of costumes! Sparkly eyeshadow can work for aliens or fairies, and some eyeliner whiskers and a pair of cat ears from Poundland will make any LBD an adorable cat costume.

Some Costume Ideas

Character-Based

Powerpuff Girls

A great option for anyone wanting something cute but easy. Just requires block colour dresses, black belts, and white socks.

Mamma Mia

The most iconic Mamma Mia look has got to be Donna and the Dynamos but larger groups could include Sophie, Sky, and the dads too! Who does not want to be the dancing queen for Halloween?

Mean Girls (The Plastics)

A short skirt and the right pink cardigan will always give Regina George and for groups with a friend who would rather lean funny than sexy, adding a Cady in her oversized pink polo could be great! Janis, Damian, and Aaron Samuels could also be added.

Wizard of Oz

Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion are an incredible foursome. Adding in a Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda would also be great!

Mystery Inc.

Characters with strong colour coding make for excellent last minute choices and all the Scooby Doo characters are fashion icons so who can complain?

Spice Girls

A classic for a reason. Whether you want to recreate one of their iconic looks or just go for a vibe, the names really do the work for you. It can also be fun assigning each group member their spice!

Doctor Who

Group costumes often favour female characters so this is a great option for any guys who do not fancy drag or anyone else who just does not feel as comfortable in dresses or skirts. Pick your favourite Doctor each or pair up with companions.

Thematic

Decades

Pick a time period and go wild.

Pirates

Billowy shirt, big belt, a hat if you have one and you are golden.

Fairies

Super cute and only requires a pair of wings on top of clothes you probably already own.

Care Bears

There are an incredible number of named Care Bears. Pick a colour and print or draw your favourite design to pin to your top and you are good to go.

Different eras/iconic outfits of your favourite musician

From Britney to Gaga to Bowie, there is so much choice to find someone your whole group can get behind. Simply each choose your favourite look of theirs to recreate.

Barbie’s different professions

It is a bit more niche but I would love to see a group representing the many careers of Barbie. With so many jobs to pick from and an iconic look for each, there is a ton of choice. You could even link them to your degrees.

I hope everyone has a great Halloween and I am looking forward to seeing some killer group costumes out in the wild.

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