Let’s face it: Halloween costumes over the past few years have been dead and uninspired. The same endless string of witches, pirates, cats and whatever else is found in the depths of people’s closets, remains dull and disappointing. This year, let’s spice things up and pay tribute to the numerous pop culture moments from this year.

The Short n’ Sweet queen and scream queen

Pay homage to this year’s most iconic blonde and brunette duo with a costume that will “leave quite an impression” at your next Halloween party. Sabrina Carpenter’s recent rise to pop stardom and Jenna Ortega’s rising popularity in film make this pair a force to be reckoned with. The “Taste” music video is iconic, featuring a hilariously violent feud between the stars. To channel Carpenter’s character from the music video, stain a polka-dotted pink hospital gown with fake blood and throw on your favorite hot pink platform heels and sheer black tights. Pair this outfit with her iconic glowy makeup and blonde blowout to complete the look. For Ortega’s psychotic nurse costume, wear a short, off-shoulder white dress with matching platform heels and latex gloves. Pin a white nurse cap into your loosely curled dark hair and strap on a matching eye patch to complete this look. Draw a red cross on the eyepatch for a little extra detail.

“Your favorite artist’s favorite artist”

Do you and your friends need a “Femininomenon?” Take inspiration from “your favorite artist’s favorite artist” for a group costume that’s “HOT TO GO!” Chappell Roan climbed to the top of the music charts these past few months — her flamboyant style and energetic performances have made her a key figure in the LGBTQ+ community. To emulate her legendary album cover, wear a sparkly teal dress, tiara, white fingerless gloves and a homemade sash. To look like a “Pink Pony Club patron,” sport a sparkly pink fringed bodysuit, opaque pink tights and a fluffy cowgirl hat. Then, throw on your favorite cowgirl boots and a bold pink lip. And for the third look, show your patriotism with Roan’s iconic Statue of Liberty look — wear a green metallic tube top and mini skirt with Lady Liberty’s classic spiky headband. To fully commit to the bit, cover yourself in green body paint.

The pommel horse hero

Dress as Stephen Nedoroscik for a costume worthy of an Olympic bronze. This Olympic gymnast went viral for being “The Specialist” in one event at the 2024 Summer Olympics — the pommel horse. His nerdy and quirky personality paired with his signature glasses earned him comparisons to Clark Kent, with people calling him a superhero. His look is relatively simple — a tight Team USA tank top with red joggers, a red pair of socks and his iconic rectangular black framed glasses. For a picture-perfect outfit, use a texturizing spray to get his just-off-a-pommel-horse hairstyle and don a shiny bronze medal to show everyone who the true winner is!

“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”

It’s important to remember that you exist in the context of all that came before you, and this costume does just that. Grab your best friend, your sibling, your grandma and mom and join together to dress as Vice President Kamala Harris and her infamous coconut tree. Harris’ coconut tree quote — from a May 2023 speech — went viral this summer. Once it was announced that she was running for president, these memes became the focal point of her campaign. To get the vice presidential look, put on a classic tan suit, white blouse with a bow, tan stiletto heels and finish off the costume with silky blown-out hair. To become a coconut tree, try a matching striped tan tank top and pants or a knit beige striped tube top with a matching midi skirt to mimic the texture and colors of the tree. Finish the look off with a green beachcomber hat, a coconut shell bra and coconut shell earrings to look like a coconut tree nobody fell out of!

Demure vs. brat

We all know the classic angels vs. devils costume that has been in the Halloween scene for decades — why not bring it up to date with the two most used phrases of this summer? The demure meme began in early August with a video by TikToker Jools Lebron. The word has since taken over the internet and everyday speech, describing cute and classy behavior. On the other hand, the term brat — synonymous with rebellious and confident behavior — blew up after the release of Charli XCX’s album of the same name. To be demure, the key is minimalistic professional wear in a neutral pallet — tweed cardigan sets, long overcoats and sensible slingbacks all work for this look. Adding a simple string of pearls, a slicked-back bun and glowy clean girl makeup would be very mindful and very demure. To emulate the eccentric nature of brat, think of how you look after stumbling out of the club — mesh or fishnet tops, a miniskirt, knee-high chunky platform boots and pointed cat-eye sunglasses. With funky neon jewelry, messy voluminous hair and smudged, slept-in eyeliner, you will be ready to party in the club all night long.

Waffle House Lana

In the summer of 2023, Lana Del Rey surprised the Internet after being spotted at a Waffle House in Florence, Alabama. She worked a few shifts that summer, wearing the uniform, serving customers and taking pictures with fans. To become part of the Waffle House team, start with a blue buttoned polo shirt and a casual short black skirt. Put your hair into a messy bun, stick a yellow name tag to your shirt and wear a pair of white tennis shoes.

Say “Bye Bye Bye” to the world tour

Do you want your costume to be edgy and get awkward laughs? Take inspiration from Justin Timberlake’s mugshot! Timberlake, known best for his pop music, was arrested on June 18 for driving under the influence. This moment quickly circulated on the internet — his teary-eyed mugshot and famous quote “This is going to ruin the tour” were quickly made into memes. To bring “SexyBack,” you won’t need your “Suit and Tie.” Instead, grab a gray graphic T-shirt, blue jeans, a short-sleeved black button down and white sneakers. Gel your hair to the side and up the ante by wearing a mugshot board with the words “ruining the tour” as the crime. Soon enough, you’ll be ready to “Rock Your Body” at your friends’ Halloween party.

Deadpool & Wolverine

Are you and your best friend, partner or situationship in need of a dynamic duo costume idea? Well, your prayers have been answered — transform into this summer’s best comic duo from the film “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Deadpool is easily recognizable by his knit red mask, which can be represented as a physical mask or with makeup. Keep the colors red and black in mind when curating your costume, and strap swords to your back. Wolverine’s look can only be recognized with his famous claws, with his color palette consisting of yellow, bright blue and black. Because he hardly wears his mask in this film, there are a few other pieces that are important for completing the look, including a yellow belt, blue shoulder pads and black boots reaching just under the knee. With these looks, your duo will be ready to save the universe!

Contact Sreya Nair at [email protected].