If you want to stand out on Halloween, you’re going to have to go to the next level. It’s not enough to have a simple topical costume. You need to take the big news stories of the year and embrace mash-ups and all things meta.
SAD BRAZIL FAN
The tears flowed when Brazil lost to Germany in this year’s World Cup. It’s hard to have much dignity when you’re bawling while wearing a brilliant yellow sports jersey and a clown wig, but that sad sight makes for Halloween gold. Make it meta by strapping an actual fan to your back, and tell people it’s even harder to explain than the soccer giant’s loss.
GET HATTY
Back before the Grammy awards, imagine someone telling you that a Mountie hat would be the fashion accessory of 2014. Okay, so Pharrell Williams’ chapeau wasn’t official RCMP gear, but that doesn’t make it any less iconic. Go big with a costume that is a giant, head-to-toe version. Be as bold as a man who would wear a big tall silly hat to an awards ceremony.
TWIN DETECTIVE
Who killed Laura Palmer? Now that we know David Lynch is revisiting Twin Peaks, the real question is, how to get Kyle MacLachlan’s hair just right? Then you’ll need that suit, a badge and a friend to go as your double. Who gets Matthew McConaughey’s nihilistic lines from True Detective for the mash-up of whodunit television shows? Both of you, of course.
CURIOUS PRINCE GEORGE
The world’s most adorable royal baby turned one this summer. He’s no doubt crawling, maybe even learning to walk. He’s exploring his world. He’s getting curious. Wait a second! Take your tot and replace that bad pumpkin outfit with a monkey suit and a crown for the most inspired off-the-news costume of any baby on the block. If you have a yellow suit and matching hat to go along with it, all the better.
ELSA’S ICE BUCKET
This has been a boom year for all things below zero. This is how the ice bucket challenge works: You take a bucket of ice water, aim it over your head and let it go, let it go, can’t hold it back any more. Which leads naturally to a fusion – cold fusion? – with the Disney juggernaut Frozen. Get yourself a blue dress, a bucket and start singing.