Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas









Making a costume to be the Headless Horseman or Ichabod Crane is easy and inexpensive.

Painting "The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane." By John Quidor. Wikimedia Commons.

 







It's the day before Halloween, and still without costumes. Costume shops can offer last-minute choices for fun costumes. For folks on a budget, or without funds at all for Halloween, there are many ways to get a great costume.

The most important part is to remember that all throughout history, people can have a good time using the resources they have. During the Depression era, Halloween costumes were as simple as a ghost costume, an old sheet with holes cut out for the eyes, nose, and  mouth. Hobos and scarecrow costumes involves old jeans and shirts. Use human ingenuity to imagine a low-cost costume.

The first step involves brainstorming. Make a list of what you want to be for Halloween. Check online or in Halloween or Autumn stories, poems, movies, or tv shows for extra ideas. Let your imagination roam over all these images.

Settle on one or two ideas, keeping the other ideas in case of last-minute changes. Start "shopping at home." Look in your home, or ask friends and family if they have any items you need. Gather materials, accessories, footwear, clothing, even if you are not sure how you will use them. Place them on the bed or floor, and begin mixing and matching items. Often, this process will spark some ideas you may not have thought of.

Begin to try on various combinations of outfits. Add hats, make-up, hair styles, jewelry, props. Practice walking in the outfit for comfort and ease. Make sure that your choice will be warm enough for outdoor weather, or comfortable for indoor parties.

With a fun, inexpensive, or free Halloween costume, enjoying the Autumn holidays can be easy, inexpensive, and free.

Updates:

Safety First
To fully enjoy any holiday, particularly Halloween, safety is first and fun will follow.
Some Halloween face paint contains poisons. Read the labels, and look for non-toxic alternatives.
"Studies have found that cadmium, chromium, lead, other heavy metals, other toxic chemicals — that can get into a child's body by putting these creams on their faces," according to John Bennett of Sierra Club Canada. Bennett advises to check the labels. Avoid make-up with no label of ingredients, or if poisonous ingredients are listed, such as lead, cadmium, or chromium. Run a net search of any ingredients you don't know. In fact, it may be safer to avoid make-up altogether.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/halloween-face-paints-can-contain-heavy-metals-eco-group-warns-1.2253038

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-ziff/halloween-makeup_b_4006756.html


A new trend is to wear colored contact lenses, but consider the costs of discomfort, infections, even blindness. "...it is illegal to sell colored contact lenses without a prescription in the United States. All contact lenses are medical devices that require a prescription and proper fitting by an eye-care professional."
http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/eye-health-news/scary-lenses.cfm

Regarding discomfort, we can take a cue from Orlando Bloom, who initially covered his brown eyes with blue contacts for Legolas in Lord of the Rings. The hassle and discomfort are said to have caused him to discard the contacts; hence, in the filmed trilogy, Legolas' eyes are sometimes blue and sometimes brown.

Here at the Merry Rose, we think that Halloween is about having fun in a comfortable, creative costume or attire. Especially kids can have fun in simple costumes and make-up.

Additional References Updated with info from the 2013 to 2014 tv show Sleepy Hollow

Sanja Hays costumed the pilot episode.
http://sanjahays.com/sleepy-hollow/
Sanja explains her original design for Ichabod Crane:
"I tried to do the look where he does the period clothes, but he doesn't look so strange," the designer said. "So we chose the militia coat so he looks like a rock star in it. When I was choosing the uniform, I was consciously going for the longer coat--not the cutaway blue uniform of the American Revolution [with the red trim], but more the New York militia coat because it's a longer coat."
In reproducing Crane's look, use longer coats, such as peacoats, car coats, or longer leather jackets.
http://fashionista.com/2013/10/sleepy-hollow-costume-designer-on-why-ichabod-crane-might-never-change-his-outfit#2&awesm=~oEM1eXgq2B6rFq

Kristin M. Burke costumes the show.
http://clothesonfilm.com/sleepy-hollow-qa-with-costume-designer-kristin-m-burke/34583/

Tom Mison plays Ichabod Crane.
http://www.tom-mison.com/content/sleepy-hollow-costume-designer-talks-shop

Procosplay offers costume details.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIGn1OQr_S0

Dark Knight Armoury has versions of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, clothing for purchase and for ideas.
http://www.darkknightarmoury.com/c-770-sleepy-hollow.aspx

Screen Used offers info about Movie Props and Wardrobe, more on Burton's version.
https://www.screenused.com/?sectionID=item-detail&subsectionID=index.cfm&item_id=2934

Carbon Costume "Ichabod Crane" Oct. 7, 2013 by Kristina
http://carboncostume.com/ichabod-crane/

Coolest Home Made Costumes
http://ideas.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/homemade-character-costumes/movie-costumes/sleepy-hollow-costume/