Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas

It’s trick or treat season and this year you are NOT buying a packaged costume on Amazon. I’ve sourced original, chic costume ideas for you instead. And because some of us are super last minute, these are all rentable in the UK right now, all from platforms I actually use (aka ByRotation, HURR and Loan the Look).

Why rent it instead

Ok so here’s my issue with Halloween costumes. You wear the thing ONCE. One night, maybe six hours if you really commit. And for that you’ve spent £60 to £80 on something polyester that arrived in a plastic bag, photographs like a costume (because it is one), and then gets stashed in your closet on 1 November, never to be worn again.

I like being innovative, getting creative, and not showing up to the party in a carbon copy of someone else’s fit. Rent instead and it’s the same money spent, except you get an actual designer piece that fits the reference properly, with a WHOLE LOT MORE ORIGINALITY.

So I’ve gone ahead and sourced a few fabulous costume ideas, with items available across three different rental platforms, to show you what I mean. And ofc to give you some last-minute inspo.

1. Marilyn Monroe

First up. This is the one everyone thinks is easy and then gets wrong. The costume shop version is a white halterneck and a bad blonde wig, and it reads as fancy dress from across the room.

The actual move? Well, you’ve got two options. First, get a proper platinum wig, synthetic or real, from a wig shop. Etsy has a good range too if you’re ordering in advance. Then add a feather boa or a fur trim and layer it over a long white strapless gown.

Or, option two. If you’d rather do the JFK birthday moment than the subway grate moment, swap satin for sequins in a nude tone. Arguably more of A MOMENT, slightly less obvious to everyone else.

RENT: White ostrich feather boa (By Rotation) · Nadine Merabi Louisa Dress · Nadine Merabi Suzanne Dress · Meshki Strapless Maxi Dress · Anna Louise Boutique Dress · House of CB Strapless Dress · House of CB Persephone Strapless Dress

2. Frida Kahlo

Now this idea I borrowed from a friend, but it’s soo good I had to share. The flower crown is ten minutes and a trip to a florist, and the brow is, well. You know what the brow is.

What you want from the dress is embroidery, texture and actual colour. Not a costume version of Mexican dress (please don’t), just a genuinely beautiful piece that gestures at the right thing and lets the styling carry the reference.

The Lulu Guinness bag has Frida’s face on it btw, which is what makes the whole thing land instantly.

RENT: Annie’s Ibiza embroidered Tiered Mini · Annie’s Ibiza Di’Vinci Mini Dress · Lulu Guinness Bag · Embellished Annie’s Ibizia Dress · Cecila B Dress · Annie’s Ibizia Beaded Mini Dress

3. Cleopatra

Elizabeth Taylor is an icon, and so is her Cleopatra. Structure, black and gold, and a truly unhinged amount of eyeliner.

The hair and makeup do all the costume work here. Style it with a gold embellished dress from Annie’s Ibiza and you’ve nailed it.

RENT: Annie’s Divinus Corset Mini · Annie’s Phoenix Dress

4. Elizabeth Taylor

Or be the original Ms. Taylor herself. I do love a celebrity costume.

She was almost always photographed in an elegant red dress, so I’ve put a few options in here. The shade matters more than the shape, and any of them work as long as you commit to the hair and the lip.

And you can’t complete the look if you aren’t dripping in diamonds. Best part is, you can rent those too. One night only…

RENT: Swarvoski Necklace · Mesmera Drop Earrings · Shrimps Earrings · Swarvoski Drop Necklace · Helsa Dress · House of CB The Naima in Wine · Arcina Ori Plunging Dress Self-Portrait Red Comet · Arcina Ori Julianna Dress

5. Betty Boop

I did this one and I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself. Cartoon characters are genuinely hard to pull off without looking like you’re working a kids’ party. And it’s Halloween, so you still want to look and feel sexy.

So the formula for this one is: short red bodycon dress, heart shaped bag, garter, black curly wig, red lip, gold hoops.

RENT: Clio Peppiatt Heart Bag · Arcina Ori Avery Mini · Nadine Merabi Karlie Mini Dress · Vampire’s Wife Silk Sacred Heart · Alaïa Leather Cross Body Heart Bag · Oh Polly Strapless Mini

6. Something HOT

For when you want to be in the Halloween spirit without actually committing to a character. All black, all lace, slightly sinister, and completely wearable to a dinner where you genuinely don’t know how dressed up everyone else is going to be.

Here are a few options I found that are perfectly suited to the occasion.

RENT: De La Vali Black Lace Dress · Annie’s Ibiza Cobweb Dress · Annie’s Ibiza Dreaming Eli Triple Black Dress

A final note

Sourcing this post took dozens of tabs, three separate checkouts and about two hours of my life. Three platforms, three sets of stock, no way to see any of it side by side. Which is the exact problem I’m building Reline to solve.

So consider this both a styling post and a very long-winded product pitch.

Sign up for our waitlist here. Beta launches next month → JOIN

xx KP

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