Having a great costume doesn’t mean you can’t also be timely and relevant
A Halloween party at Ocean Park. Snapchat filter
Ah Snapchat, where would we be without it? Show your commitment to the social media platform by going as one of the filters. All you need to do is find an image of the filter you want, and print it out st the appropriate size. This makes for some mind-boggling photos. Virtual filters become reality. This is the future, people.
Brexit
Forget Brangelina, the ultimate breakup story this year was Britain and the EU. This works as either a couple’s costume, where one of you goes as the EU and one of you goes as Britain, or you can solo it up as Brexit. The easiest way to do this is to find a flag and drape it round you, or form it into a costume. Unless, of course, you happen to have a three-piece Union Jack suit lying around.
Trump
He has been compared to Voldemort (this almost feels like an insult to the Dark Lord), and his reign of terror could very well become a reality, but Donald Trump is still the butt of every joke. All you need is a ridiculous wig and a lot of fake tan or orange bronzer (or Hefe filter on Instagram does a pretty decent job). It would also be fun to use some cardboard to make a wall, and carry that around with you, while pointing at everyone with your tiny hands and telling them how you’ll make America great again. Sigh.
Beyonce’s Lemonade
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And if you’re Beyonce, everyone wants a sip. Make a costume inspired by the hottest album of the year. There are lots of iconic ways to interpret this theme. You could wear a layered yellow dress, black boots and carry a baseball bat to channel the look from the Hold Up video. If you have a wide brimmed black hat and a black off the shoulder too, just layer lots of heavy jewellery around your neck and you’ll look just like the Formation video. If you really want a fuss free costume, you could just walk around carrying a lemon.
Carpool karaoke
This year’s most watchable trend has to be James Corden’s carpool karaoke. Why the British presenter is such a hit in the US we still don’t know, but what we do know is that a carpool karaoke is a simple, relevant costume. Just take a piece of cardboard and cut it into a rectangular frame. Using card or tubing, make a steering wheel and attach it to the right-hand side of the card (the right-hand if you’re looking “through” the windscreen). If you want to add some more detail, have some of the songs blaring from your phone as you walk around, or find a partner to be your celebrity and spend the night singing together.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things was the TV series of the year (we had so much love for Barbara, even if no one else did). Channel your inner experimental child by going as Eleven. You need a pink dress, a blue bomber jacket, a blonde wig, some white sports socks, and some blood for your ear and nose. Just stare at people blankly and stuff your face with Eggo waffles (Marketplace by Jasons actually sell them, FYI) to complete the freak vibe.
JB’s Instagram
Justin Bieber’s Instagram account was the centre of a lot of drama back in August. You could make a print out of the guilty photo - Justin with new girlfriend Sophia Richie - and all the ensuing comments from Selena Gomez and JB underneath. Sad. All love. Or, considering he famously shut down his account after the event, you could wear a white T-shirt with "Sorry, this page isn't available. The link you followed may be broke, or the page may have been removed. Go back to Instagram" printed on it.