Long gone are the days of dressing as a black cat and Harley Quinn from “Suicide Squad.” With Halloween fast approaching, you may be in need of a unique, last-minute costume and The Rider, in collaboration with the campus community, is here to help you look freaky and fabulous.
Kennedy Castillo, a mass communication sophomore, loves Halloween so much she often wears multiple costumes every year. This year, she will be wearing four.
Castillo will be dressed as Ms. Marvel from the Marvel comic books, Veronica from “Riverdale,” Princess Jasmine from “Aladdin” and a mystery costume for Halloween night.
“I’ve never missed a year of dressing up,” Castillo said. “Sometimes, I even dress up in more than one costume. My costume, that I’ll actually be wearing on Halloween, is a surprise, but I’ll say two things about it. The first thing is that my dog is going to be wearing a matching costume. The second thing is a hint: My costume is from a popular Pixar movie that released a sequel this summer after many years.”
Although Castillo doesn’t consider herself an avid DIYer, she recommends simple, last-minute costumes that include items from your existing wardrobe.
Some of her past DIY costumes include a butterfly and Veronica from “Riverdale.”
“One year, I was a butterfly for Halloween,” she said. “It was super last minute but I had a blue leotard from an old dance costume. I paired the leotard with black tights and some butterfly or fairy wings that were left over from a previous Halloween. I made antennas myself out of pipe cleaners and a headband, and even though the costume was really last minute, I was able to pull it together and it ended up being super cute.”
Other costume ideas recommended by students include horror and gore-themed. These are favorable as last-minute ensembles since they are flexible in design and creativity.
Computer science senior Alexis Arriola doesn’t celebrate Halloween, but appreciates and favors the scary, gory-themed costumes.
“I like anything that’s really scary,” he said. “So, the grosser it is, the better.”
According to Castillo, a good Halloween costume is something you’re comfortable in.
“The most important part of a Halloween costume is that you like what you are dressing up as and feel comfortable in it, because if you don’t like it or feel comfortable in it, chances are no one else will,” she said. “I think a good Halloween costume is recognizable, comfortable and can make someone smile or say, ‘Wow, that’s cool!’”
She also believes costumes, in general, are important to the holiday, since it’s a great way of bonding with family and friends. Additionally, she reassures the campus community that you are never too old to dress up.
“Dressing up is for everyone,” she said. “As college students, we can tend to be stressed this time of year, because we’re in the middle of the semester or maybe we think we’re too old to dress up, but that’s not the case. Even if you’re an older college student, it’s OK to dress up. After all, that’s the purpose of Halloween.”