Smoke Signals

Q: Dear Simone, every year it feels like my halloween costume is the one that everyone is wearing. I go to the store excited to grab a new and edgy costume, and end up looking like everybody else. To avoid this I want to know: Overall, what do you think is the most overdone Halloween costume?

A: Every Halloween when you go out of the house, the classics are all around you. Witches, vampires, ghosts, clowns, and zombies are probably the most used of ALL TIME. However, recently, I believe the most prevalent costume is the Purge.

  Teenage girls will wear ripped up, oversized, bloody t-shirts with fishnet, lacy, skimpy tights and unrealistic thigh high boots. To top this ludacris outfit they wear a Purge mask and fake weapon.  Even though the first movie came out in 2018, you will still see a group of them walking around outside every Halloween. People have described this costume as boring, basic, and overdone. 

This year specifically, I think Wednesday Addams and animal onesie costumes are the most overdone. It isn’t even halloween and people are showing up to trunk or treat and costume-friendly events as Wednesday Addams and in onesies, so when you go to Party City or Amazon to order your costume, look at these ideas: 

• Something retro and classic, but not mainstream, like a scarecrow. 
•  DIY costumes like a dust bunny (bunny outfit and a duster), or a loofa (A plain t-shirt with fluffy material sewn onto it)
• 2000s inspired costumes like Bratz or different kinds of Barbies (works well as a group costume as well)

Q: Dear Simone, this Halloween, all my friends got eaten by zombies, and it looks like I’ll be spending the holiday by myself. How can I have fun or celebrate all on my own? Best, a skeleton that has no body.

A: The best way to spend ANY holiday alone is with a movie, blanket, and ice cream. Halloween specifically, you can curl up with the bowl of candy you might (or might not) hand out to the kids (depending on how quickly they get to the door) and watch a spooky, funny, or murder-mystery movie.

 However, you can also make your own fun and throw your own party if you don’t want to be alone. Even though your friends have been eaten, if you don’t make new ones you’ll never have anybody to spend holidays with. Throwing a party is a great way to create new relationships or deepen current ones. It doesn’t have to be a big elaborate party: you can just order pizza and stay in to play cards. You can come up with Halloween-themed games, or buy a bigger tub of ice cream and watch the movie you have picked out.