COOL GIRL 101: Halloween Costume Building
COOL GIRL 101: Halloween Costume Building
BY: KENDALL MILLER
What makes a “cool girl” Halloween costume? In my opinion, it's chic interpretations of mundane Halloween costumes, it’s costumes built from vintage pieces, it's choosing niche and obscure references to solidify your uniqueness. Cool girls are all about being trendsetters and what better way than to put your own spin on an otherwise average costume idea. From what I’ve found, there is a specific formula almost every cool girl follows for this haunted holiday to achieve the perfect balance of sexy and spooky, and lucky for you we have curated a list of ideas here.
MARIE ANTIONETTE
Pulling inspiration from the 2006 Sofia Coppola movie, Marie Antionette, this costume should entail lots of feathers, ruffles, pearls and pink. As we now know, Antionette often spent her fortune on fashion, curating a closet to die for (literally). So with all of that in mind, your Marie costume should honor her for the fashionphile she really was.
Above includes: Brown Lace Blouse, Blue & Pink Corset Belt, Lace Pannier, White Bustier, Pink Lace Bloomers, Lace Up Boots, Feather Fascinator, Pink Bow Stockings, Pearl Cross Necklace
For the hair inspo I would look at references like Sandy Liang’s 2020 Spring/Summer runway styling. It’s a bit of a modern take on the traditional Rococo hair styling you would want to emulate, a happy medium if you will!
BIKER CHIC(K)
For the biker look, we want to steer away from the classic all leather get-up and go with something a little more varied in textures. The traditional leather pants can be replaced with micro shorts or a mini skirt to accentuate your natural silhouette. Looking at someone like Pamela Anderson in Barb Wire, she isn’t in an orthodox biker outfit; instead she chooses pieces with different proportions, adding a lot of lace up and grommet elements to each look. Taking elements of that and other runway references I have created the look below! To make the outfit a little more chic and a little less scandalous I added the sheer tights, a slick back spikey bun, and metallic statement makeup and jewelry.
Above includes: Corset Tank with Grommets, Moto Mini Skirt, Black Biker Boots, “Made in Heaven” Black Sheer Tights, Chunky Silver Necklace, Silver Bangles, Earrings
As a finishing touch for the biker chic(k), if needed, you can pick a jacket that fits your personal style. Each one will give a bit of a different effect to the outfit, whichever way you decide to go it’s up to your discretion of what fits you best. Another good reference for different styles of biker girls is in the 2004 film Torque, (the early aughts were very biker heavy).
Above includes:Washed Grey Leather Jacket, Vintage Racing Jacket, Classic Moto Jacket
MONSTER HIGH: DRACULAURA & CLAWDEEN
This duo costume is definitely one for the more adventurous dressers, but I think it’s so cute! We always see Barbie and Bratz but often forget about the icons of Monster High. This could make a really great group costume for boys and girls if you wanted to choose more characters to do as well. Below we curated outfits for Draculaura and Clawdeen. Clawdeen’s style is usually darker with pops of purple, green, and orange. She is very sassy and hard headed at times which is depicted by the creators with her leather pierced skirt and boots. For Draculaura, she has a bit of influences from the Victorian era, being that she’s a vampire and all it makes sense. For her look I went for a bit more modern and wearable pieces than what she might traditionally wear. However, if you want to be more accurate you could switch out the white blouse for a button up with a peter pan collar and a higher neck pink top or vest.
Above Includes: Clawdeen - Knit Fur Trim Cardigan, Leopard Top with Skinny Scarf, Moto Mini Skirt, Silver Heart Chain, Spiral Gold Hoops, Pink Leg Warmers, Purple Striped Leg Warmers, Brown Distressed Moto Boots Draculaura - White Blouse, Pink Lace Mini Dress, Pink Vest Tie Top, Safety Pin Earrings, White Bubble Skirt, Studded Belt, Platform Mary Janes, Pink Sheer Tights, Black Lace Fingerless Gloves
For their hair and makeup I think the easiest thing to do would be to try to imitate their looks exactly from the animations. But, if we’re going the more cool girl route, I would recommend looking at the inspo above pulled from high fashion shows and events. For Clawdeen, making her look a bit more wearable, I chose makeup that pulls from her darker, brown tones in her outfit but that are applied with a light hand. A bold lip in addition to the eye makeup would be so pretty. For her hair natural hair would be so perfect or if you have naturally straight hair, emulating a look like Kaia’s above would be gorgeous. As for Draculaura, she is a bit more natural with pink shadows and some added dark liner. Getting temporary pink hair spray and small face stamps would tie the costume all together.
THE SIMPLE LIFE
For The Simple Life costume I decided to switch the girls’ outfits a little bit, putting Paris in pants and Nicole in a skirt. This is just one of the ways to show you can make costumes with stuff found in your closet or on second hand sites like Depop, no need to drop hundreds of dollars on clothes you may only wear once. One of my favorite tips, and something I’ve found many “cool girl” costumes also include, is pieces you can also wear outside of the holiday; picking things to invest your money in so you get long lasting quality in your clothes.
Above includes: Paris - Denim Corset Top, Lace Up Jeans, Flower Choker, Ear Cuff Earrings, Red Mules, Plush Chihuahua Carrier Nicole - Pink Bra, Pearl Pendant Necklace, Skirt Overalls, Pink Mules, Pearl Earrings, Pitchfork
Their hair and makeup is very straightforward and easily achievable. They are the ultimate IT girls of the early 2000’s and their everyday look doesn’t stray from that. As you can see above, Paris’ makeup is more soft and glowy with pink tones throughout. Whereas, Nicole’s look is a little bit darker, focusing on accentuating the eyes with liner and brown shadows.
LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Last but not least we have included some last minute ideas for the girls on the go who haven’t had the time to shop. There are so many different ways to achieve these looks, following them to a T isn’t necessary. However, if you’re in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area and looking for a place to shop, come shop at Spice Scottsdale. We have many clothing pieces that can be incorporated into costumes and for the month of October we have a custom tank top bar to create your own look like in the ‘martini’ outfit below!
Above Includes: Mummy dress, White Boots, Martini Top, Green Sparkle Skirt, Red Heels, Party Hat, Cheetah Print Top, Cheetah Print Bloomers, Leopard Heels