Unabashedly Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas

In 2011 we showed you how to build a last-minute Halloween costume with items that might be right in your closet. The costume, called “Old Money WASP,” consisted of saddle shoes, crested blazer, ascot, pink sweater, striped watchband, and patchwork tartan trousers.

This year we show you how to go to your Halloween party dressed as a Street Style Blog Preppy Fashion Plate, with special thanks to FE Castleberry, to whom the gist of this post was briefly sketched at a recent cocktail reception.

To build the costume, consider starting with a blazer like the one above. It should just cover your tailbone. It can also be used in a Frankenstein costume, and can be further emphasized by having your date wear a jacket that’s longer than yours.

Halloween is associated with the Princeton colors of orange and black, but green is a great costume choice. In addition to the chinos above, consider a pair of cords worn with tassel loafers:

Or a green suit (also worn sockless):

Or even green sunglasses:

If green makes your complexion look zombie-like, consider wearing blood red, as in this toggle coat:

Or these pants, worn with mismatched socks, crested velvet slippers, and inconspicuous bag:

Red shoelaces with saddle shoes are a great costume idea:

Pink is a certainly a classic preppy color that works great on a blazer:

It also pairs well with paint-splattered khakis:

If you don’t want to ruin your favorite pair of Bills, then just borrow your girlfriend’s white jeans:

Much can be achieved with accessories, such as a collar pin worn under a rugby shirt:

Or a floppy tweed cap and a pipe:

Finally, if you’re staying home to give out candy, just answer the door looking like this:

It’ll scare the kiddies shitless.

Happy Halloween. — CC

This post originally ran 10/31/2012.

15 Comments on "Unabashedly Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas"

  1. CC, I am disappointed in the fact that your posts (historical references) have gotten shorter since you’ve taken on this magazine job (magazines are dead, by the way. I hear that everywhere) but now you’ve gotten me to be interested again. This is about as humorous as it gets; especially if the author has had to live through Sandy.
    Good luck with the clean-up and keep up the humor once in a while.
    Thanks!
    GK

  2. Living through Sandy requires a sense of humor.

    Thanks for the good wishes, George. I’m sorry you feel disappointed with the posts as of late, and I’m flattered that you want to read my writing!

    The early days were full of short and snappy pieces, however, and I just presented long stories on both The Andover Shop and Chet Baker, via my work for The Rake. My Huffington Post pieces are also getting more of my long-form attention these days.

    But you’ll be glad to hear that the past couple weeks — and especially the past few days while riding out the storm — I’ve been hard at work on my longest and biggest-picture Ivy article yet. Initial encouragement from the old guard has been outstanding, and I’m happy to have found a fresh angle of approach to this topic of ours.

    It’s a bit more scholarly in nature, not to mention challenging, so you’ll just have to hang on. Like the subway service, I’ve no idea when it will come online.

  3. I legitimately burst out laughing when you posted the infamous tweed cap. Excellent post.

  4. This is hilarious! It is also nice that you and FEC can appreciate the various, multilayered, humorous aspects of this whole style blogging thing.

  5. I eBayed that cap! This is very important for my reputation!

    Mea culpa floppum

  6. A double vented blazer :-0. That is scary!

  7. Collar pin shirt under rugby shirt would serve up any trickster.
    Congratulations on Ivy Style and FIT.
    BarbaraG

  8. When viewing the collar pin shot with tie, etc, etc, it appeared as though this gentleman had everything but the kitchen sink on. Which reminded me. “Never trust a business man who wears a short sleeve shirt with a tie or suspenders with a belt! Cuz he doesn’t trust HIMSELF!!!”

  9. Nice takedown of WASP 101.

  10. Aussie Bloke | October 31, 2012 at 11:22 pm |

    Comment by Jordan — October 31, 2012 @ 6:55 pm

    Nice takedown of WASP 10

    Or an attempt to capture some of that market?

  11. This is all incredibly funny, but no funnier than Unabashedly Prep. Aren’t nearly all the images from UP? You indicate “special thanks to FE Castleberry, to whom the gist of this post was briefly sketched…” Has FE made any comment on this? I’ve only recently begun looking at Unabashedly Prep, and I find it to be horrifying. Look at his recent post entitled “Sweat Equity.” I’ve never seen a more non-Prep person/outfit in my life. Castleberry ought to change the name of his blog to Unabashedly Ambitious or, perhaps, Opportunistically Prep.

  12. Fred’s a good sport and retweeted this post.

  13. It’s nice to hear Mr. Castleberry is a good sport. I find Unabashedly Prep to be bizarrely fascinating. I’ve just finished going through (somewhat quickly) every entry since its inception. I recognize the bogeyman who will scare the kiddies as being the subject of a series of posts in May 2011. I agree he’s rather grim looking in his bogeyman guise, but I have to say that he’s about the only authentically looking Prep in all of Unabashedly Prep. Whoever you are, sir, congratulations.

  14. Ha ha ha….well done, from top to bottom.

  15. RLN, meet AEV. AEV, meet RLN.

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