Trick-or-treat
You don’t have to be a kid to play dress-up.
It's normal for moms to spend the weeks leading up to Halloween entirely focused on getting their kids' costumes ready, decorating the house with jack-o-lanterns and fake spider webs, and stocking up on trick-or-treat candy (and then re-stocking it because you ate it all). If you've spent absolutely no time thinking about your own Halloween costume, you're not alone. Sure, the holiday is usually focused on kids, but as a mom, it's always more fun to get involved in the festivities. If you're fresh out of creativity after thinking of costume ideas for your kids, a few easy, last minute Halloween costume ideas for moms will surely come in handy.
Whether you're hoping for something original, or are OK with the tried and true classics, these Halloween costumes are easy enough that you likely won't even have to make an extra trip to the store to create them.
Just because it's last minute doesn't mean that you have to miss out on the fun. Using pieces you likely have in your closet already — like black leggings, a white tee, or your favorite sweater — plus a few basic craft supplies, you can be cute and comfortable this Halloween whether you're trick-or-treating with the best of them, heading to an adults-only party, or waiting out the festivities in the comfort of your own home (and in proximity to all the trick or treat candy) with these easy Halloween costume ideas for parents.
1Frida Kahlo
Although her artwork was stunningly complicated, a Frida Kahlo Halloween costume is pretty simple to pull off at the last minute. All you need is a long dress, preferably floral — like this one or this one — a flower crown (Etsy has tons of great options), and a dark eyebrow pencil to create a unibrow. Check out this hair tutorial by The Dapper Dahlia on YouTube to perfect Frida’s braided updo.
2A Queen Bee
You could be a regular bee, but since you’re a mom, you’re already a queen. You really don’t have to overthink how to execute this costume idea at the last minute, and there are several ways you can pull it off. One way is to simply buy a full bumble bee costume or just striped wings and gloves to wear with an all-black outfit. If white wings already exist in your kid’s costume collection pair it with a yellow & black striped shirt and black bottoms. In any of these scenarios, a yellow antennae headband is a nice touch.
3The Morton Salt Girl
You know that big, blue cylinder of salt sitting in your cabinet right now? Well, the girl on the side of the can is adorable and makes a easy, recognizable Halloween costume. To achieve her iconic look, you’ll need a yellow raincoat and any umbrella. Carry round a container of Morton’s to drive the point across.
4Taylor Swift
Calling all Swifties — this is the costume for you. Although there’s a few different options for a Taylor Swift costume from glam to casual, one of the easiest is recreating her comfortable “You Belong with Me” music video look. All you need to do is decorate a white t-shirt with the words “Junior Jewels,” add a few names around them (or have your kids sign it) and throw on a pair of pajama pants. Messy hair is absolutely okay for this one. Top it off with an arm full of friendship bracelets.
5Barbie
This is an especially easy last minute Halloween costume for moms because you can just wear whatever you wore when you saw the Barbie movie in theaters. But if you didn’t coordinate a pink ensemble for that, you could wear a pink checkered dress and a pink bow like Margot Robbie does in the beginning of the film. Alternatively, you could grab this “I am Kenough” hoodie and wear it with leggings — so simple and if your child is going as a Barbie character, it turns into a look for the whole family.
6Little Red Riding Hood
This one could be done in so many different ways — you could even just wear a red hoodie and carry a basket, if you wanted. You could also use a small tablecloth or piece of fabric as a makeshift cape. Target has a real cape if that’s more your style; add this basket from Amazon (or grab one from your craft closet) and voila — you’re ready to mix up the Big Bad Wolf for your grandmother.
7Olympic Runner
On Halloween, you can be whatever you want to be — even an Olympic gold medalist. It doesn’t matter if you can barely run one mile. Grab an athletic top from your athleisure pile, shorts or leggings, running sneakers and a fake gold medal. If you really want to sell it, you can also wear a sweat-absorbing headband and make a safety pin a fake bib made out of paper to your top.
8Sports Fan
No matter what team you want to root for, a “sports fan” costume is so easy to put together at the last minute for Halloween. If you look for a team t-shirt, you can often find some on fan shops online or your local thrift store. A lot of teams have fan shops with good deals as well. Pair the shirt with some jeans and a team baseball cap (or whatever accessory best fits the sport) and you’re good to go.
9Catwoman or any black cat
Perfect for the mom whose closet is an all-black wonderland. Look, dressing as a cat for Halloween may be a bit cliché, but that's because it's simple, classic, and easy to pull off. Grab your favorite black top, pants, and shoes. For the cat ears pick a pair up at any accessories store or make your own with this tutorial from Brit & Co.
10Mary Poppins
For a classic — but always fun — outfit, Mary Poppins is surprisingly easy to replicate. The thrift store will be your best friend for this look. You'll need a white button up, preferably with no collar or puffy sleeves, a dark maxi or midi skirt, a black blazer (bonus points for velvet), an umbrella, gloves, scarf, and of course, a bottomless carpet bag. You’ll also need her hat, and luckily for you, Amazon has a replica.
11Anything From The '80s
Another classic, colorful look, anything from the '80s is fair game when it comes to costumes. Luckily, the classic '80s look is easy to recreate with items you already have or can easily find. Search your local thrift store for a cropped sweater — or better yet, buy a neon sweatshirt and crop it yourself. From there, add some bright leggings and of course, leg warmers and a neon headband. Tease your hair high enough to make Olivia Newton John proud and use electric hues (like blue eyeshadow and hot pink lipstick) in your makeup look.
12Where's Wenda or Where’s Waldo
Easy and sort of cute, dressing up as Where's Waldo or his girlfriend, Wenda, is a simple Halloween costume, and you might have some or all of the elements in your closet already. You basically just need a red-and-white striped hat and shirt, denim pants or skirt, and black-framed glasses. It would be extra cute if the entire family was dressed up in this getup.
13Rosie The Riveter
Simple but empowering, Rosie the Riveter is the perfect Halloween costume for moms who are trying to keep is simple but still make a statement. All you need is a chambray button up shirt rolled up to your biceps, and a red bandana worn around your head. Use this tutorial from Iris Jay to learn how to do your hair in proper Rosie the Riveter style.
14Penny Lane from Almost Famous
Penny Lane is an icon of the 2000s who taught us all to enjoy living. All you need for the perfect Penny Lane Costume is a fur-lined jacket like this one and light purple sunglasses. You could also curl your hair to look like hers. The only difference between you and her is that instead of booze, you’ll be indulging in candy all night.
These last minute Halloween costume ideas for moms could not be easier. If you spent more time focusing on hunting down giant bags of candy or ordering each piece of your child’s costume, don’t worry. If you put any of these outfits together, you’ll still look like you gave your own costume your all — even though you didn’t.
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