Whether you're trick-or-treating with the kids or going to a party, there's an idea for you.
You've purchased (or maybe DIY'ed) your kids' Halloween costumes, and you grabbed some candy to leave on the porch for trick-or-treaters. You've watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and maybe even whipped up a few fun Halloween desserts. Are you forgetting anything? Yes. Your Halloween costume.
Dressing up on Halloween isn't just for kids. Adults can get in on the fun as well, especially if you're going to a Halloween party or just want to look festive while you walk around trick-or-treating with the kids. You will, however, probably want a costume that's easy to put together. Fortunately, there are a lot of easy options you can whip up out of clothes you might already have (or would buy and wear again). Because, truth? A great costume is a cost-effective one.
Another mark of a great costume is that it's recognizable, so any costume that utilizes pop culture references is a solid bet. Even better than that, costumes based on pop culture icons who are also moms — think Kris Jenner or Lorelai Gilmore — will give you the chance to pay homage to everyone's favorite mothers onscreen.
So, if you need simple and inexpensive costume ideas from some of the best shows, movies, sports, and landmarks, read on for our suggestions.
01Kris Jenner
Kris Jenner is one of the most hilarious and iconic moms on TV, having taken motherhood and turned it into a career as a "momager" with her special Kardashian flair. She's also a pretty easy person to impersonate. All you need is an all-black outfit — black slacks or jeans, a black blazer, and a black long-sleeve top — along with a short pixie wig and oversized sunglasses. You can add diamond earrings (real or fake), a smoky eye, and lips a lá Kylie. If you really want to drive the point home, add a lapel pin that says "No. 1 Momager” and walk around yelling, “You’re doing amazing, sweetie,” all night.
02Hannah Montana
Miley Cyrus’ teenage years were spent dressing up in a costume, and you can wear her costume too. This Hannah Montana tee will help people to know you’re not just any pop star, you’re the Disney singer with hits like “Life’s What You Make It” and “He Could Be the One.” Pair it with this purple skirt — which she definitely would have worn onstage — and a bangin’ blonde wig.
03Coco Gauff
This past summer was the summer of women, between Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, the Barbie movie, and Coco Gauff’s win at the U.S. Open. Coco Gauff’s tennis outfit is easily accessible (especially since tennis skirts were such a hot trend this summer) and cute! She usually wears a red athletic tank top, a maroon tennis skirt, and a red headband. If you’re into props, you can do a trophy or a racket.
04Lizzie McGuire’s Animated Alter Ego
Remember Lizzie McGuire’s (aka Hilary Duff’s) inner voice? She narrated Lizzie McGuire, the 2000s Disney show about a girl growing up in a suburban town and learning how to survive middle school. This little cartoon is a pop culture figure in and of herself, and her outfit is super recognizable because she wore the same thing every episode. This pink tank top, a pair of blue jeans, and some comfortable orange slides would make for a cute, easy outfit for trick-or-treating.
05Meredith Grey
Grey’s Anatomy may be running longer than anyone necessarily expected it to, but a Meredith Grey costume never gets old. She has a pretty easy look to pull off — just scrubs, a doctor’s coat, and her nametag. She’s usually wearing sneakers, too, which offers the opportunity to wear a comfortable pair of shoes while your kids drag you all over town.
06Napoleon Dynamite
All you need to look like Napoleon is a Vote for Pedro T-shirt, a curly-haired wig, and a pair of glasses. Feel free to hide some tots in your pocket as well.
07Meredith Blake from The Parent Trap
You could argue that Meredith was not actually the villain of The Parent Trap — she was just trying to get rich, and who can blame her? To replicate her look, you’ll need a track jacket, a sports bra, a pair of leggings, and some sunnies. If you want to distinguish yourself from being just a woman in athletic clothes and make sure everyone knows you’re the gold-digging almost-stepmom of Annie and Hallie, you can add these lizard earrings as a reference to when the twins put a lizard on her face while she’s sleeping.
08Hallie or Annie from The Parent Trap
If you’re not into a Meredith costume, consider a Hallie/Annie costume. This one’s even easier because someone on Etsy actually sells Camp Walden T-shirts. If your child is a fan of The Parent Trap, you could partner up for Halloween as Meredith and one of the twins, or you could be Annie and Hallie together. Adorable!
09Taylor Swift
There are so many Taylor Swift costumes you can choose from, but an easy one would have to be her “A Lot Going on at the Moment” tee, which she wore during the Eras tour as she handed her hat to a kid in the crowd. You can buy the T-shirt, the hat, and just wear them with whatever pants you want.
10Lorelai Gilmore
Say whatever you want about Lorelai Gilmore’s parenting style (or lack thereof), but you can’t say the woman doesn’t know how to dress. The only exception is Season 1, Episode 2, which was about Rory’s first day at Chilton. Lorelai overslept, had no time to pick up her dry-cleaning, and therefore didn’t have any of her stylish clothes to wear to meet Headmaster Charleston. So she’s forced to wear a pink tie-dye T-shirt, cutoff shorts, pink tights, cowboy boots (were her tennis shoes at the dry cleaners, too?), and a large overcoat to try to hide her eclectic ensemble. It’s a funny outfit that other Gilmore Girls fans will recognize. If you run cold, take this opportunity to bring a warm drink in a travel coffee mug like Lorelai would.
11June George from Mean Girls
Halloween may be on a Tuesday this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t wear pink. To dress as Regina George’s “cool mom” June, you’ll just need a pink tracksuit (a pink zip-up and matching lounge pants work, too) and a fake expensive necklace.
12An Aperol Spritz
What you’ll need for an Aperol spritz costume: lots of orange. To pull this costume off, use this T-shirt from Etsy to serve as the “label” of the bottle. Then add orange pants of your choosing and any accessories you want, like this orange headband and orange-shaped earrings. Cheers!
13Amanda Lemmon from It Takes Two
This has to be the easiest costume ever. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s It Takes Two focused on twins Amanda and Alyssa, who were being raised separately — one of them in an orphanage. Amanda doesn’t really care about her looks, so she usually just wears anything she can play stickball in. Any oversized T-shirt and baggy jeans you have will work, along with a backwards blue baseball cap. Make your hair look as ratty as you please!
14Pam Beesly from The Office
Do you work in an office? Because you probably already have all the clothing you need for this costume. In The Office, Pam tends to wear work clothes like collared shirts, blazers, and pencil skirts. A lot of her clothes are gray. She always wears her hair half up/half down and curled. If you don’t have curly hair but want to try to make yours look more like Pam’s, check out this curly hair tutorial.
15The Statue of Liberty
Lady Liberty is an easier costume to pull off than you might think it would be. You don’t need a formal costume — in fact, you can grab a dress that you’ll probably wear again and again. Add whatever kind of tiara you like (it doesn’t need to be green) and this torch.
16Nicole Kidman in the AMC Movie Theatre Advertisement
Have you gone to the movies in the last year or so? You may have seen Nicole Kidman in this AMC movie advertisement, wearing a pinstripe silver blazer and a low bun, talking about the magic of going to a movie theatre. It’s kind of hilarious and became a meme pretty quickly. Even though it’s somewhat niche, it’s an original costume that people will recognize.
You’re going to look and feel great in these comfortable, inexpensive costumes when you’re out celebrating the spooky season. Happy Halloween!
This article was originally published on