Last-Minute DIY Halloween Costumes!
Straight from the set of Live Kelly & Mark, where we enlisted the staff to dress up in-between managing their segments, here are my last-minute, easy, thrown-together costumes using things I had at home from the closet, pantry and garage! If pulled together these looks in the last few days by myself, then at home, you can too!
Each costume is built from roughtly 3-5 main supplies only. Check them out and hope you find a last-min look that resonates for you for Halloween!
DISCO BALL
Audience coordinator Monique Bobbit is shining as brightly as she always does as a disco ball!
What you need:
oversized cardboard
aluminum foil cut into roughly 2” inch squares (I highly recommend cutting these while watching television!)
silver duct tape
ribbons or string for shoulder straps
Cut the cardboard into a circle.
Cut a strip of silver duct tape in half using sharp scissors. Line up the 2” aluminum foil squares at slightly varying heights, overlapping slightly in a row onto the duct tape.
Apply the tape to the bottom of the cardboard circle, overlapping the starting edge.
Continue until the entire circle is filled with foiled squares.
Cut straps out of string or I used some leftover velvet ribbon I had in my gift-wrapping closet. Secure with duct tape.
The Extra: silver eye shadow, DIY disco ball earrings and silver shoes all add a nice accent!
PINATA
The foam tassles I’m holding are meant to be pinned into the model’s hair.
Michael Gelman’s Assistant Honor Milton is partying like a pinata!
What you’ll need:
T-shirt dress: I grabbed this from my giveaway pile to charity. You could also use a Men’s, XL T-shirt pending on how short you’re willing to go on the hemline.
Colored foam: I had this, but if you don’t, it costs less than $10 from the crafts store for a pack of 50.
First measure the foam into 2” strips using a ruler and a ballpoint pen.
Cut them out. I used about 20 foam sheets of varying colors.
Then simply hot glue the strips onto the shirt dress, with each fringe slightly overlapping the last one so as to cover the shirt. Improvise around the neckline and sleeves with smaller pieces to get as much of the dress covered up as possible.
The Extra: a bold colorful eye shadow and lip for fun. Hold small amount of candy in your hands, and if you are gently tapped, perhaps you’ll release—just like a pinata— a sweet treat, as Honor did on the show!
WORK OF ART
LIVE’s Publicist, Kristen Osborne is a Work of Art! You don’t need to be uber creative to be a masterpiece!
What you’ll need:
large picture frame
clothes from your closet
Take a large frame off your wall, and carefully remove glass and artwork. I didn’t have the right-sized frame, so I got mine at the thrift store for super cheap; I carefully removed the backing, artwork and staples using pliers.
Raid your closet for an outfit that best resembles a work of art that you love. Here, Kristen is Mona Lisa, but she could also be Girl with the Pearl Earring, Scream, Van Gogh’s sunflower (I thought of the latter because my daughter has a sunflower T-shirt.) It’s about working with what you have in your closet!
Don’t have any clothes that work? Wear all white like I did and go as a blank canvas!
The Extra: for Kristen’s Mona Lisa look, we underplayed her makeup and did a pale pink lip. Don’t forget the sly smile.
DARLING DRACULA BAT
Here I am, one wing done!
During the Halloween season we all go a little “batty,” so here is Laurie Ciaffaglione Bosco as a gorgeous bat!
What you’ll need:
felt - I purchased a yard.
safety pins
black dress with at least 3/4 sleeves or longer
hair ties
Measure your wingspan from middle of back to wrist to estimate the length of fabric you’ll need for the wing.
I used white fabric chalk to draw out a wing and cut it.
Secure to black dress sleeves with safety pins
The Extra: hot glue hair ties near the wrist areas, to make sure your wing fully opens when you stretch out your arms! Do a red lip, pale makeup and some fake red blood dripping from the lips for the full Dracula bat effect!
TAYLOR AND TRAVIS
Here is promo producer Megan Campbell and producer Jim Niebler as Taylor Swift and Travis! This is a repeat costume from last year, but with a twist! For Taylor, try to find a look in your closet that resembles the singer’s general taste: the blue dress and jacket is a nod to one of her Eras Tour (short blue sequin) stage looks. As for Travis, anything football will do, and if you happen to have Kansas City Chief colors then all the better. Carry a microphone and football respectively to seal in this cute couple look.
The Extra: for a couples’ outfit, we had an engagement ring ready for a pop proposal! OF COURSE, we wish the couple to enjoy their relationship as it naturally unfolds—no pressure; but, since we’re at LIVE we can make our own Halloween wishes come true!
EMILY IN PARIS
Our extremely stylish Audience Coordinator Angie Riley is representing the hottest streaming show on television: Emily in Paris!
What you’ll need:
Red white and black clothing (navy is fine too!). A striped shirt, a mini skirt
A beret
A purse, shopping bags…even a baguette of bread!
omlette frying pan (if you watch the show, you know!)
I VOTED STICKER
Our producer Joni Cohen Zlotowitz is an “I Voted Sticker!” (She even told me she voted early and was proud to wait two hours to do so: she didn’t mind at all. I also voted early!) Now that’s the spirit. No matter who you support, the important thing is to exercise your right as an American and cast your vote!
What You’ll need:
Poster Board
Paints
Sharpie for writing out the words
The Extra: silver sunglasses, red and blue gifting bows for the hair are a patriotic nod representing red, white and blue.
PAINT SWATCH
The last dark paint color is “Violet Dreams.”
Are you the creative type? LIke a little home improvement? Perhaps you just like color! This human-sized paint swatch, like the kind you grab by the handfuls at the home improvement store, is an easy costume to make!
What you’ll need:
Foam poster board
Leftover house paint (or I used my kid’s paint stash) and white paint to tone up or down a color into 3 distinct, but related shades
Sharpie for writing on the paint names and numbers
The Extra: carry a paint brush to drive it home. Obviously, do a favorite color! I thought these various shades of purple would resonate on Ashley.
DIY FISH TANK
You may know him as the Executive Producer of LIVE Michael Gelman? But we know him around here as a Big Fish! Check out this DIY Fish Tank complete with clams, starfish, seaweed, seahorses and a school of pink fishies!
What you’ll need:
a large rectangular cardboard box
paint (I had a blue shimmery paint that was a nice touch on the back wall.
foam cutouts of seaweed and sea creatures (you could use construction paper, whatever you have!)
You’ll cut out the windows of the fish tank on three sides…
and a hole at the bottom for the head. I used a large dinner plate to trace it, so that my circle was even!
Paint and allow to dry. Make foam cutout of the seaweed and sea creatures that you attach with hot glue or tape as needed. This was honestly so much fun to make, I kept adding and adding and adding!
The Extra: blue eyeshadow or blue costume makeup make you appear like water!
TALL DRINK OF WATER
And what am I, do you ask? I’m what I’ve always wanted to be: a Tall Drink of Water, inspired by the previous LIVE guest, Jason Derulo.
What you’ll need:
clothing that is all blue
white pool foam tube, cut down a bit
red ribbon, hot glued onto pool foam to look like a striped, paper straw!
The Extra: blue face paint in the form of water droplets on your face, with some blue glitter for added sparkle!