Halloween: No Tricks, All Treats
Fun Facts about Halloween
Originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, nothing has seen as many changes in tradition as the hugely popular American holiday, Halloween. Marking the end of summer and the beginning of winter, All Hallows Eve was believed to be when the boundary between the living and the dead was the thinnest. Now, it has lightened up considerably – and is a full day (or week) of dress up.
Retailer Promotions
Retailers are making full use of this festive season to offer discounts and have fun with their advertising, and for good reason, as spending is estimated to reach $9 billion this Halloween.
Across a sample size of 50 retailers in the US, there are 2,377 promotions running right now! These promotions average out to be a discount of 41.9% this week, a 0.5% decrease from last week (data from StyleSage). To give more insight, here are some examples of promotions given by retailers to attract those last minute partygoers.
Celebrity Costumes
Although the lines at Party City are still crazily long, there is a considerable amount of people going to Michaels to get their last minute supplies for an affordable DIY-ed costume. A full head-to-toe store-bought costume can set you back by about $50-70, and making an elaborate one can take up days. So really, who can blame anyone when they turn up with animal ears, fake blood and clothes they already had in their closet?
For those of us who are just content to sit back and watch the Halloween parade of costumes, here are some creative, and really funny costumes from celebrities we’ve spotted the past weekend.
From left, we have Olivia Munn as crowd-favorite Peik Lin from Crazy Rich Asians, George Clooney as an unidentifiable moose, Kendall Jenner as a sexy Fembot from Austin Powers, Teyana Taylor as Kitana from Mortal Kombat, and Zoë Kravitz as a sleepy vampire.
Runway Inspired Costumes
While we look heavily to the stars for inspiration, let’s not forget the runway. The runway is known to be home to some of the most flamboyant outfits, which we can definitely draw some inspiration for our Halloween costumes. This ranges from spooky and gothic outfits to fun pieces like the ones shown below from Moschino.
On the left, we have a giant flower bouquet dress, worn by Gigi Hadid for Moschino Spring 2018. This look could be easy to recreate with some fake flowers, white fabric cut to form two armholes, and red fabric for a giant bow. It’s simple, but yet sure to make a statement at any Halloween party.
Another brilliant costume is a paper doll dress on the right, worn again by Gigi Hadid for Moschino Spring 2017. It’s even easier than being a flower bouquet – simply stick rectangular tabs of cardboard onto any clothing and there you have it, a classic paper doll look for the Halloween parade.
By now, you probably already have your costume ready if you are planning to join the parade or a costume party. For those who are not feeling up to it, baking pumpkin pies is a pretty good and yummy alternative as well.
Happy Halloween everyone!