3 Tips for Selecting the Perfect Halloween Costume

With Halloween just around the corner, don't make the same slips from past years and end up with an thoughtless character costume that three other lame-o's at the party are also wearing. Be original and think outside the box for once. These three tips will help you choose the best costume for October 31st this year.

1. Gather all the big-budget movies this year. Got your list ready? Good, now drag them to the recycle bin. Stay as far away from them as possible. Was there an X-men movie this year? Then you definitely want to stay away from being Wolverine or Storm. Did Spiderman 7 come out? Then don't be Spiderman or the villain of the week. Harry Potter? Fuggeddaboutit. I think you get the point here. If you choose a popular cinematic figure from the past summer, you run the risk of encountering the ultimate nightmare of wearing the same thing as someone else, and invariably drawing comparisons. Competition is bad and will not make you stand out. Instead, you should opt for something a bit older and "classic," perhaps aged maybe 10 to 15 or even 20 years. Why is this desirable? Because you can just about ensure that the older you go, the less likely you will be a knockoff of somebody else at the Halloween party. Plus, a character aged over a decade will elicit warm fuzzy feeling type responses, because we were all a bit younger then, and we probably all had some fond memories from back then. Get the idea? Prey on other party-goers' happier pasts. What was big back in your childhood? If you choose an original enough character, you'll be rolling in the money. That you'll be winning. From the costume contest. Am I right or am I right?



2. Pay attention to the details. Now if you prefer not to heed the 1st tip, you can still outdo the nine other Jack Sparrows at the party. What's the secret? By paying attention to the minute details. These small things are what make the character distinctive. So analyze the character's costume thoroughly. Make a note of every idiosyncratic detail. What precise color shirt is he usually wearing? "Brown" is not good enough, what exact tone and pattern? What kind of shoes does he sport? Does he leave his buttons unbuttoned? Are his socks showing? Get yourself lots of reference pictures and ask yourself these sorts of questions to make your costume true to the character. Though people likely won't notice half the details, they'll subliminally see that you've got the best rendition of that character at the Halloween party by a mile if you abide by this tip. Bonus tip: Adopt the character's mannerisms, including how she talks, trademark phrases, and demeanor.



3. If all else fails, go with Disney costume ideas. Yup you read that right. You cannot fail with Disney characters. Everyone loves a Minnie Mouse or Goofy. But don't stop there, there are a huge list of endearing Disney movies out there and they are all so instantaneously recognizeable. C'mon, who dresses up as a Disney character these days? No one. Except you. And you will be magnificent. I think it's high time to bring back the Genie and Ariel.