Men, step away from the overused pirate costume. Ladies, steer clear of the perpetual trap of being the stereotypical “sexy fill-in-the-blank.” Sequined devil horns aside, here’s the best of 2013’s costumes, from Ball State trademarks to meth cooks. These easy and low-cost DIY costumes will get you some kudos for not raiding Wal-Mart in a last ditch effort.
‘Orange is the New Black’
Level: Easy
The cast is diverse, so fans of the original Netflix series can mimic a character without having to fit into a cookie cutter look. Be Piper Chapman, Alex Vause, Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren and Daya Diaz by grabbing a pair of tan scrubs and a long, grey or white-sleeved shirt for layering.
Complete it with characters’ trademarks, like Suzanne’s multi-knotted hairstyle or Alex’s pink rose tattoo and black frames. Channel the tough-chick intimidation factor and nab other peoples’ candy.
The theme isn’t just for the ladies: complete the costume by having your very own George Mendez, the crooked corrections officer with a prominent ‘stache.
Retired President Jo Ann Gora
Level: Easy
After a decade of service to the university, Gora has recently announced she’s retiring. Impersonate the university president’s polished, professional look with the side parted blonde style and a skirt suit. Then add a Hawaiian lei and sun glasses — the prez deserves to sit back and relax after years of work.
‘Duck Dynasty’
Level: Easy
Make sure the beard matches the man. Snap on a salt and pepper beard to transform into Si, Phil or Mountain Man. Use an auburn-colored beard if you’re going to be a younger Robertson, like Jase, Willie or Jep. As for the family’s fashion sense, stick with a trucker hat and camouflage head to toe. Make weird duck noises to really get the point across.
Macklemore
Level: Easy
This may be the cheapest route to go — just be wary of anything advertised at 99 cents. Copy the music artist’s frosty hair and raid Goodwill for the fuzziest animal print jacket you can find. Add the element of footie pajamas underneath and you’re ready to pop some tags.
‘House of Cards’
Level: Easy
U.S. Representative Frank Underwood may just look like any Caucasian male on Capitol Hill with his trademark side-part, black suit and blue tie. At first, people may be unsure of your costume, until you begin narrating your snarky inner thoughts about them in a Southern, South Carolina drawl.
‘Grand Theft Auto 5’
Level: Easy
The latest violence-packed video game installment of “Grand Theft Auto” leaves choices when it comes to characters: Michael De Santa in his grey suit jacket, Franklin Clinton dressed in a blue polo and white long-sleeved shirt and the battered, dirty, white shirt clad Trevor Philips. While the clothes’ descriptions don’t seem too out of the ordinary, it’s all about the heat you’re packing and the attitude. Strap yourself with an absurd amount of squirt guns and NERF guns — and use them liberally.
Miley Cyrus
Level: Moderate
This most likely will have the most unsettling effect among all of the costumes. One only has to rewind to MTV’s Video Music Awards from this year to get the full brunt of the uncomfortable affair that was a performance gone wrong for the once-Disney star. Wear a romper close to your skin tone and knot your hair into two twists on your head. Top it off with a foam finger and creepy facial expressions and you’re “just being Miley.”
‘Game of Thrones’
Level: Moderate
This one is good if you have to take a younger sibling trick-or-treating this year, because they can serve as your very own Tyrion Lannister. To complete the sibling look, women can wear an elaborate, royal gown and jewelry and be the icy Cersei Lannister.
However, the Lannister House isn’t the only family worth mimicking. Women can be Daenerys Targaryen by rocking white-blonde strands, a sword and a warrior princess outfit. For men, adapt the cloak, fur and long-haired look of the Stark family. And yes, winter is in fact coming.
‘Breaking Bad’
Level: Moderate
This one is a no-brainer if you’ve got the smarts of Walter White and a sidekick like Jesse Pinkman. While hazardous material suits may not be available at your local Wal-Mart, get your hands on a yellow-hooded track suit.
Complete the look with a pair of blue rubber gloves and chunky goggles and tah-dah, you’re Emmy-winning meth cooks. Who’s Jesse and who gets to be Walt is between you and your pal depending on I.Q. levels and the amount of facial hair. Yeah science!
‘What does the fox say?’
Level: Expert
Slip on fur head to toe in a suit, or go the easy way out and wear brown leggings and a long-sleeved shirt. Either way, get the black nose and white snout down pat and a pair of tall ears.
Next, grab a group of flamboyant, willing friends. Have your back-up dancers wear white T-shirts, black ties and fuzzy fox ears. And then frak-kaka-kaka-kow! You’ve got one weird but catchy costume.
Happy Friday!
Level: Expert
Bring a little Friday to Halloween night by mimicking Ball State’s favorite (OK, only) blue morph suit-wearing superhero on a scooter. Morph suits are available at a wide array of stores such as Party City and Halloween City along with a red helmet and red shorts. Add goggles, a yellow T-shirt on top and finally the blue cape. Then scooter your way through the streets of trick-or-treaters and party-goers proclaiming your enthusiasm for Friday.
Read More
The local artist behind The Cup’s alien-like art
By Abigail Denault / April 8, 2024The Cup’s patrons might take their beverage into the seating area to the tune of an indie-alternative song and like Jessica Wolfe, a 2023 graduate of Ball State University, they might notice new additions to the walls since their last visit.
4 ways to help customer service workers
By Hannah Amos / December 18, 2023With the holiday season coming up, here are 4 ways to improve the treatment of customer service workers
Ball State professors protest inauguration
By Patrick Calvert / January 26, 2017A group of Ball State art department professors travelled to Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day not only to make their voices heard, but also to represent some of their students.
