News Editor

Buying a brand new Halloween costume is cheating.

Don’t even open the flyers and packets you get every year from those money-hungry annual costume stores. They are creativity killers, and you should put them straight into the recycling bin where they belong.

Halloween is such a magical time, and a homemade costume is one of the most satisfying projects to pursue. Though many people don’t consider themselves the creative type, it really requires a lot less effort than one might think.

The trick is to pick something you like, anything you like at all, whether that’s a specific character or something as abstract of a “sexy version” of a latte.

It can be done.

The next step is to take the most visually important aspects of it for recognition.

Take the classic Wonder Woman costume for example. You need her trademark colors and silver bangles, but you can be pretty lenient on the rest. You could wear, for example, a red strapless top, wide gold belt and blue high-waisted shorts with little stars pinned on.

Don’t let yourself get bogged down by petty details like finding the exact shade of gold or attempting to sew an entire cosplay-worthy ensemble.

Have as much fun making it as you will in it. Utilize makeup and accessories whenever possible as well. Let’s go back to that sexy, breakfast beverage example.

In abstract, what does a latte look like? Perhaps a white bodycon dress with a certain emerald mermaid logo pinned to the front? With a name hurriedly misspelled in sharpie across it? Add some green pumps, a headband with a green “splash stick” poking out, and you’re all set. Should you meet new friends at a Halloween party, tell them your name is Pumpkin.

If they don’t laugh you don’t need that type of person in your life and move on.

All of these examples are things you can easily find in your own, if not a friend’s closet or at your nearest thrift store for prices much cheaper than ready-made costumes. Other great abstract examples are pop culture references and memes.

Pick one of the million popular ones, run with it and never look back. “Hotline Bling” is the first thing that comes to mind, probably because it’s been stuck in my head 24/7 since it dropped.

All you need is a copy of Drake’s basic wardrobe from the video, a headset or plastic phone and spend the entire day dad dancing. Bonus points for randomly shouting the song’s end line, “Ever since I left the city…” and abruptly running away to escape from boring conversations.

Personally, I’ve been Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, Lydia from Beetlejuice, a circus ringleader, three-eyed woman, and the Silk Spectre from the movie “Watchmen” all from my own closet.

Trust me, Halloween is not about breaking the bank, it’s about pulling the most visually important aspects of a costume and letting your imagination run wild.