Superhero and Star Wars costumes are great, but sometimes you want a costume that's a little more...traditional. You know, like a witch or a vampire, maybe a ghost or skeleton. Those fun but scary costumes that are always in style! Or how about the classic Halloween costumes from decades past, like pumpkins and animals? Maybe even clowns and other funny costumes? Sure, costumes like this could sometimes be terrifying or outright incomprehensible, but we're reminiscing about the good ones! So if these are the types of old-fashioned, traditional, or vintage Halloween costumes that you're looking for, then this guide is for you. Let's take a trip through the Museum of Classic Costumes and find the perfect traditional Halloween costume!
Shop all witch costumes
Did you know that witch costumes have been one of the top-selling Halloween themes for decades? It's true! They're wildly popular and there's such a variety of different styles, too. So many that we wrote a whole guide to witch costumes! You've got historical Salem witches and fictional witches, like the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the South from L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. And then there are mythological witches, like the green-skinned hags. Besides the hags, there are so many cultural depictions of witches from American, European, and African folklore that you'll have a tough time picking your favorite. And you can also find witches from the Harry Potter books and movies, Hocus Pocus, and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. There are so many witch costumes for women and girls to choose from!
Shop all clown costumes
Clown costumes have been worn for centuries, too, though they haven't always been associated with Halloween. Pierrot was a French/Italian comic character from five hundred years ago, and both men and women continue wearing vintage pantomime costumes. The circus clown tradition is half that age, but it's constantly being revitalized and updated. Some of those big-top clowns are cheerful and wacky, while others—like this scary clown costume—are more sinister. Jester outfits are another tradition from centuries ago, one that's been revamped over the past several decades because of the DC Comics character Harley Quinn.
Shop all funny costumes
Halloween isn't always about being serious. It's also about having fun and wearing something ridiculous and off the wall. Comedy styles change through the ages, but at its core, funny Halloween costumes will always have their place as part of our Halloween traditions. There are silly characters and concepts like the flying pig that give us a giggle, and we're loving the newer inflatable costumes! Food costumes are also their own brand of funny, from eggplants to bacon—which is pretty much in everything nowadays. Well, it's in Halloween costumes, too. Which makes sense, because a side of bacon was the winning costume in one of our favorite early Halloween costume contests!
Shop all pirate costumes
Pirates have been popular costume ideas for decades, and not just for Halloween! Gasparilla (which began in 1904) and other pirate festivals are great excuses to don your pirate costume outside of Halloween, but you're bound to see plenty of buccaneers while out trick-or-treating. You can pretend to be famous pirates such as Blackbeard and Anne Bonny, or go with a pop culture pirate look. Many fans love Captain Hook and Jack Sparrow costumes! However, don't let anyone's vision of what a pirate should be determine what your pirate outfit will look like. We're sure you'll find the perfect pirate costume to suit your style!
Shop all vampire costumes
Vampires are another supernatural creature from folklore. Once thought of as grotesque monsters, thanks to Bram Stoker's Dracula they're now usually seen as charismatic and seductive anti-heroes. This dreadful vampire and vampiress are simply captivating in velvety Victorian dress! Some outfits also feature batwing-shaped veils and collars or ruffles, like these vampire costumes for kids and toddlers. But you'll also find scary vampire costumes that are more gaunt and terrifying, as inspired by F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Just like with other Halloween costume themes, it's all about the variety!
Shop all animal costumes
Animals are one of the most old-fashioned Halloween costumes. Vintage Halloween photos invariably include some kind of animal costume, and they're usually pretty terrifying. You can try those looks, sure, or you can go for something much cuter. We recommend finding something cute or even silly! How about a cat costume? They're always in style, just like real cats! So are fox and dog costumes. And there are all kinds of animal accessory kits for adults (or anyone else) who don't want to wear a whole costume!
Shop devil costumes here
Devil costumes have been part of traditional Halloween festivities for a very long time. While the devil costumes of yesteryear were mostly about the horns, pitchforks and fiery doom, there are a variety of newer devil costume styles. They run the gamut from comfy and cool to sequined, sexy devil costumes. The best part is that, with so many choices, you can embrace your individual style. These traditional Halloween costumes may not break any new ground, but you can't knock a classic.
Shop all zombie costumes
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear someone talk about scary costumes? Maybe ghosts and skeletons? We're betting that zombies were at the forefront of your thoughts as well! The best part about zombies is that you can basically take any occupation or character and make it into a zombie. However, if you're not DIY-savvy, that's okay too. We have plenty of zombie Halloween costumes available to buy online so you're ready for your monster mash!
Shop all skeleton costumes
Skeletons are another classic Halloween costume theme. The earliest vintage skeleton costumes were just black clothing with white bones painted onto them. Our classic skeleton costume emulates that look, but we've also got a more modern, chic take with the glam skeleton costume for women. Then there are fun, nostalgic costumes like the skeleton suits the Cobra Kai kids wear in The Karate Kid. And of course, you've got ghost pirate skeletons, because skeletons go great with other kinds of costumes. What's next? A skeleton ninja? Maybe a skeleton dinosaur? Or even a skeleton Victorian gentleman? Okay, those are all fantastic traditional Halloween costume ideas!
Shop all ghost costumes
Cultures have told ghost stories since antiquity. You can't throw a stone without it, well, passing right through a ghost. Because they're incorporeal, right? Okay, it's not a great metaphor. But what we're saying is that there are all kinds of ghost stories and just as many ways that ghosts are portrayed. You've got ghosts that drag chains and do other spooky stuff, and ghost brides that haunt houses. Then you've got your "friendly" ghosts going bump in the night because they can't see well in that sheet. (Safety first!) And then there are evil ghosts that steal souls, which gets into Grim Reaper territory!
Shop all scarecrow costumes
Nothing feels like fall quite as much as seeing everyone's haybale, corn husk and scarecrow decorations outside. Scarecrows also make great Halloween costumes! While you have the famous scarecrow character that's always seen in Wizard of Oz group costumes, we have other options too. Cute and classic scarecrow costumes are nice and comfortable to wear for a full day of fall festivities. And then there are scary scarecrow costumes for horror fans. It's great to have the flexibility to choose your favorite scarecrow!
Shop all pumpkin costumes
Pumpkin masks are a Halloween classic, and we're not talking about facial peels. (Pause for laughter.) But seriously, people have been carving faces into gourds and turnips for hundreds of years, making grotesque jack-o'-lanterns for spiritual or religious purposes, or even just to frighten people. That's exactly what the Headless Horseman does in many adaptations of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". (It helps that the jack-o'-lantern replaces his severed head!) If you're into scaring your neighbors with vintage Halloween masks as kids have for decades, a scary pumpkin costume is sure to do the trick. But pumpkin costumes can also be fun and totally not scary at all, as you can see in these kids and toddler costumes!
Shop all bat costumes
If you look around at all of the traditional Halloween decorations, you're going to see TONS of bats. These cute yet misunderstood creatures really shine around Halloween time, and you can discover bat costume ideas for your entire family! Babies, kids and even adults can take advantage of this iconic Halloween costume. Add a little moody makeup for a vampire feel, or keep it cute with a pink bat costume and matching accessories. You may not change everyone's mind about our favorite flying foxes, but if you're a bat fan, you're not going to want to miss your chance to wear a classic bat costume!
Shop all mummy costumes
The universal classic monsters absolutely dominate as far as classic Halloween costume ideas go, and the mummy is no different. Find a cozy little mummy onesie for your toddler, mummy dresses and even classic mummy costume styles. Sure, you could always try the cheap toilet paper mummy method, but it might not last through the night! These horror movie costume ideas are great whether you're planning to put together a monster group costume or looking for something to don last-minute.
Shop all cat costumes
You knew it was coming—the black cat Halloween costume. Black cats have been one of the go-to Halloween icons for years! They're all over vintage Halloween décor. You can find black cat apparel for Halloween and—of course—plenty of costumes. While they're great by themselves, adding a black cat with a witch costume is the epitome of a classic couples' costume for Halloween. You can even turn it into an incredibly cute mommy and me costume idea with an adorable baby cat costume that will make everyone on your socials jealous. If you're makeup savvy, you can do something reminiscent of the Cats musical! Sometimes the best Halloween costume ideas are the most flexible ones.
Shop all spider costumes
Halloween is all about our favorite creepy-crawlies, and what's creepier than a spider costume for Halloween? They can look pretty scary with all those eyes and legs! Black Widow spiders and tarantulas are some of the most common spider costume ideas, but you can also find some cute spider web ponchos for a more casual spin. You'll certainly feel at home with all the giant spider web decorations!
Shop all uniform costumes
You're probably acutely familiar with the popularity of the sexy nurse costume, but occupation costumes are time-tested classics that allow you to step into another role for a night. Astronauts, firefighters, sailors and other uniform costume ideas are great for Halloween, but your kids can always add them to their dress-up trunk as well! It's great to be able to use your costume for more than one night out of the year, and kids love to play pretend and dress up. However, that's not to say that adults can't have their own fun with an occupation costume. Maybe you didn't land the job of your dreams, but you can step into another role just for Halloween.
Shop all scary costumes
We already mentioned a few popular Universal Monster costumes, such as vampires and mummies, but let's not leave out famous Halloween costumes like the Wolfman, Frankenstein's Monster and the Invisible Man! If you're really good with special effects makeup, you could even use a mad scientist costume to create a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde look. (We know you can!) These classic horror movie costumes are Halloween staples, and we'd love to see your spin on your personal favorites. Monster movie watch party, anyone?
Are you excited about Halloween? Perhaps so excited you're also celebrating Halfway to Halloween? Are you planning on wearing something classic? Or maybe a modern take on a traditional Halloween costume? Tell us all about it in the comments below. Remember that scary costumes never go out of style, so we'll always have what you need!
For the Finnish magazine, see Costume (magazine)
Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people.
The term also was traditionally used to describe typical appropriate clothing for certain activities, such as riding costume, swimming costume, dance costume, and evening costume. Appropriate and acceptable costume is subject to changes in fashion and local cultural norms.[1]
"But sable is worn more in carriages, lined with real lace over ivory satin, and worn over some smart costume suitable for an afternoon reception." A Woman's Letter from London (23 November 1899).[2]
This general usage has gradually been replaced by the terms "dress", "attire", "robes" or "wear" and usage of "costume" has become more limited to unusual or out-of-date clothing and to attire intended to evoke a change in identity, such as theatrical, Halloween, and mascot costumes.
Before the advent of ready-to-wear apparel, clothing was made by hand. When made for commercial sale it was made, as late as the beginning of the 20th century, by "costumiers", often women who ran businesses that met the demand for complicated or intimate female costume, including millinery and corsetry.[3]
Etymology
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Derived from the Italian language and passed down through French, the term "costume" shares its origins with the word signifying fashion or custom.[4] Variedly, the term "costume," indicating clothing exclusively from the eighteenth century onward, can be traced back to the Latin consuetudo, meaning "custom" or "usage."[5]
National costume
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King of Bhutan in traditional dress and Bhutanese Women in traditional dress
National costume or regional costume expresses local (or exiled) identity and emphasizes a culture's unique attributes. They are often a source of national pride.[6] Examples include the Scottish kilt, Turkish Zeybek, or Japanese kimono.
In Bhutan there is a traditional national dress prescribed for men and women, including the monarchy. These have been in vogue for thousands of years and have developed into a distinctive dress style. The dress worn by men is known as Gho which is a robe worn up to knee-length and is fastened at the waist by a band called the Kera. The front part of the dress which is formed like a pouch, in olden days was used to hold baskets of food and short dagger, but now it is used to keep cell phone, purse and the betel nut called Doma. The dress worn by women consist of three pieces known as Kira, Tego and Wonju. The long dress which extends up to the ankle is Kira. The jacket worn above this is Tego which is provided with Wonju, the inner jacket. However, while visiting the Dzong or monastery a long scarf or stoll, called Kabney is worn by men across the shoulder, in colours appropriate to their ranks. Women also wear scarfs or stolls called Rachus, made of raw silk with embroidery, over their shoulder but not indicative of their rank.[7]
Theatrical costume
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Actors in samurai costume at the Kyoto Eigamura film setCostume often refers to a particular style of clothing worn to portray the wearer as a character or type of character at a social event in a theatrical performance on the stage or in film or television. In combination with other aspects of stagecraft, theatrical costumes can help actors portray characters' and their contexts as well as communicate information about the historical period/era, geographic location and time of day, season or weather of the theatrical performance. Some stylized theatrical costumes, such as Harlequin and Pantaloon in the Commedia dell'arte, exaggerate an aspect of a character.
Costume construction
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A costume technician is a term used for a person that constructs and/or alters the costumes.[8] The costume technician is responsible for taking the two dimensional sketch and translating it to create a garment that resembles the designer's rendering. It is important for a technician to keep the ideas of the designer in mind when building the garment.[9]
Draping and cutting
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Draping is the art of manipulating the fabric using pins and hand stitching to create structure on a body. This is usually done on a dress form to get the adequate shape for the performer.[10] Cutting is the act of laying out fabric on a flat surface, using scissors to cut and follow along a pattern. These pieces are put together to create a final costume.[11]
Pros and cons of draping
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Pros and cons of cutting
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Jobs
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Religious festivals
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The wearing of costumes is an important part of holidays developed from religious festivals such as Mardi Gras (in the lead up to Easter), and Halloween (related to All Hallow's Eve). Mardi Gras costumes usually take the form of jesters and other fantasy characters; Halloween costumes traditionally take the form of supernatural creatures such as ghosts, vampires, pop-culture icons and angels.
Halloween costumes developed from pre-Christian religious traditions: to avoid being terrorized by evil spirits walking the Earth during the harvest festival Samhain, the Celts donned disguises.[15] In the eighth century, Pope Gregory VIII designated November 1 as All Saints Day, and the preceding days as All Hallows Eve; Samhain's costuming tradition was incorporated into these Christian holidays.[15] Given the Catholic and pagan roots of the holiday, it has been repudiated by some Protestants.[16] However, in the modern era, Halloween "is widely celebrated in almost every corner of American life," and the wearing of costumes forms part of a secular tradition.[16] In 2022, United States households spent an average of $100 preparing for Halloween, with $34 going to costume-related spending.[17]
Christmas costumes typically portray characters such as Santa Claus (developed from Saint Nicholas). In Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States the American version of a Santa suit and beard is popular; in the Netherlands, the costume of Zwarte Piet is customary. Easter costumes are associated with the Easter Bunny or other animal costumes.
In Judaism, a common practice is to dress up on Purim. During this holiday, Jews celebrate the change of their destiny. They were delivered from being the victims of an evil decree against them and were instead allowed by the King to destroy their enemies. A quote from the Book of Esther, which says: "On the contrary" (Hebrew: ונהפוך הוא) is the reason that wearing a costume has become customary for this holiday.
Buddhist religious festivals in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia and Lhasa and Sikkim in India perform the Cham dance, which is a popular dance form utilising masks and costumes.[18][19][20]
A costume used in yakshagana, a theater art from IndiaParades and processions
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Parades and processions provide opportunities for people to dress up in historical or imaginative costumes. For example, in 1879 the artist Hans Makart designed costumes and scenery to celebrate the wedding anniversary of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor and Empress and led the people of Vienna in a costume parade that became a regular event until the mid-twentieth century. Uncle Sam costumes are worn on Independence Day in the United States. The Lion Dance, which is part of Chinese New Year celebrations, is performed in costume. Some costumes, such as the ones used in the Dragon Dance, need teams of people to create the required effect.
Sporting events and parties
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Public sporting events such as fun runs also provide opportunities for wearing costumes, as do private masquerade balls and fancy dress parties.
Mascots
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The Chief Firemouse, Mickey Mouse, Disney World (NBY 8235)Costumes are popularly employed at sporting events, during which fans dress as their team's representative mascot to show their support. Businesses use mascot costumes to bring in people to their business either by placing their mascot in the street by their business or sending their mascot out to sporting events, festivals, national celebrations, fairs, and parades. Mascots appear at organizations wanting to raise awareness of their work. Children's Book authors create mascots from the main character to present at their book signings. Animal costumes that are visually very similar to mascot costumes are also popular among the members of the furry fandom, where the costumes are referred to as fursuits and match one's animal persona, or "fursona".
Children
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Costumes also serve as an avenue for children to explore and role-play. For example, children may dress up as characters from history or fiction, such as pirates, princesses, cowboys, or superheroes. They may also dress in uniforms used in common jobs, such as nurses, police officers, or firefighters, or as zoo or farm animals. Young boys tend to prefer costumes that reinforce stereotypical ideas of being male, and young girls tend to prefer costumes that reinforce stereotypical ideas of being female.[21]
Cosplay
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Cosplay, a word of Japanese origin that in English is short for "costume display" or "costume play", is a performance art in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea that is usually always identified with a unique name (as opposed to a generic word). These costume wearers often interact to create a subculture centered on role play, so they can be seen most often in play groups, or at a gathering or convention. A significant number of these costumes are homemade and unique, and depend on the character, idea, or object the costume wearer is attempting to imitate or represent. The costumes themselves are often artistically judged to how well they represent the subject or object that the costume wearer is attempting to contrive.
Design
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A U.S. university's cheerleading group at a performance, wearing costume as per their gender.Costume design is the envisioning of clothing and the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the artistic, visual world that is unique to a particular theatrical or cinematic production. The most basic designs are produced to denote status, provide protection or modesty, or provide visual interest to a character. Costumes may be for, but not limited to, theater, cinema, or musical performances. Costume design should not be confused with costume coordination, which merely involves altering existing clothing, although both processes are used to create stage clothes.
Organizations
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The Costume Designers Guild's international membership includes motion picture, television, and commercial costume designers, assistant costume designers and costume illustrators, and totals over 750 members.
The National Costumers Association is an 80 year old association of professional costumers and costume shops.
Publications
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The Costume Designer is a quarterly magazine devoted to the costume design industry.[22]
Notable designers and awards
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Notable costume designers include recipients of the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Tony Award for Best Costume Design, and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design. Edith Head and Orry-Kelly, both of whom were born late in 1897, were two of Hollywood's most notable costume designers.
DIY and homemade costumes
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A cat in a homemade queen bee costumeIn the 20th century, contemporary fabric stores offered commercial patterns that could be bought and used to make a costume from raw materials. Some companies also began producing catalogs with great numbers of patterns.
More recently, and particularly with the advent of the Internet, the DIY movement has ushered in a new era of DIY costumes and pattern sharing. YouTube, Pinterest, Mashable also feature many DIY costumes.
Industry
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Children in Bulgarian national costumes welcome guests during the Folklore Festival, Slivnitsa, Bulgaria.Professional-grade costumes are typically designed and produced by costume companies who can design and create unique costumes. These companies have often been in business for over 100 years, and continue to work with individual clients to create professional quality costumes.
Professional costume houses rent and sell costumes for the trade. This includes companies that create mascots, costumes for film, TV costumes and theatrical costumes.
Larger costume companies have warehouses full of costumes for rental to customers.
There is an industry where costumers work with clients and design costumes from scratch. They then will create original costumes specifically to the clients specifications.
See also
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References
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