36 easy DIY Halloween costumes you can make for last-minute parties

It's the show everyone has been obsessed with for 25 years (yep, this year is the show's 25th anniversary!). If you're going solo, Rory's look will probably be most obvious to your friends, but if you've got a group or a bestie, add in Lorelai and Sookie, or even Luke.

If you're really in a pinch, dressing as one of the nine emotions is the way to go. First, take a look at what's in your closet already, so you can decide if you'll be more Embarrassment, Sadness, or Ennui.

Another great option for all of you last-minute folks because you literally just need some business casual attire to look the part. Though, of course, if you want to dress up as Helly R., red hair will be required.

Get the gang together and dress up as your favorite martinis! Trace the outline of a rainbow-type shape on a thin clear acrylic sheet. Paint a thin coat on the plastic, leaving the top five inches paint-free. Allow the paint to dry. Then, attach velcro to the overlapping section and wear the cone loosely around your neck. To create an olive cocktail, blow up two small green balloons and cut out two small red circles out of felt. Attach them to the top side of the balloon and tie both balloons to a dowel. Create espresso beans using floral foam rectangles and a serrated knife to mimic the bean shape. Create a deeper groove down the center and wipe off any dust with a paper towel. Paint the bean with brown acrylic paint and attach the beans to a headband with hot glue once dry. To create a lime, cut a circle out of dark green craft paper and attach it onto a larger green decorative paper fan with hot glue. Cut a slit where the fan opens to resemble a lime on the edge of a glass.

DIY a tinned sardines costume with some cardboard sheets and a craft knife! Cut two large rectangles from cardboard sheets with a craft knife or box cutter. Round the edges of each corner to create a tin box shape. Cut out a rectangular opening with two fish head-shaped cut outs. Leave space in between the fish heads for your face to peek through. Paint the front and back of each rectangle with a few coats of craft paint and let dry completely. Paint details for the “tin” with craft paint. Add googly eyes, cupcake liner scales, and silver pipe cleaners to the fish heads using hot glue. Attach a roll of gray paper to the front of the tin, and add a “key” made from more pipe cleaners. Secure the two sheets of cardboard together with straps that will rest on your shoulders.

If you’ve also become obsessed with the viral Stanley Quenchers then why not dress up as one for Halloween? All you need is a monochromatic matching tracksuit, use our Stanley template to make an iron-on patch for the front of your sweatshirt. Then it’s just a matter of glueing a white paper towel roll to some sturdy white paper plates to create a lid and straw. Attach to a headband and you’re done! This idea works really well as a group costume, too.

The Beckhams are always in the spotlight. Posh Spice is easy to execute so long as you have an LBD and oval-shaped shades. David is a piece of cake, as well. If you don't have a footy kit, iron or draw on a number ‘7’ to a pullover or t-shirt. You can also opt for temporary tattoos if you want to fully commit.

This is unlocking serious nostalgia. Everyone loved a Lip Smacker back in the day, so they’ll especially love this easy ensemble, which is basically just a T-shirt dress (with our Lip Smacker template ironed on to it) and a matching plastic beach bucket as the ‘cap’.

Go as the friendliest spider around using nothing more than whatever black clothing you already own, a black umbrella and a few crafting materials – large googly eyes and long black rope or pipe cleaner will do the trick for the spider legs!

Honestly, who doesn’t love Dolly? To recreate her iconic look, you can either buy a platinum blonde wig or have some DIY fun constructing her golden locks using a large piece of cardboard, some yellow and brown craft paint and a craft knife. Pair the hair cutout with a country-esque outfit and a toy ukulele. Jolene, you better watch out.

How adorable is this? Go solo as a laundry machine or pick a willing partner to go with you as a dryer. Once you have white-painted cardboard boxes and cut out holes for the head and arms, the creativity is all on you. Print out control panels and dials (or paint them on) and glue on a few pairs of old socks or empty dryer sheet boxes to really sell the look.

Yes, chef! A denim apron, an old white tee and black pants are all you really need to transform into the talented chef. You can add to the costume with a plastic container full of drinking water and a towel if you want... or you can just yell “cousin!” at your friends all night. The choice is yours.

You’re sure to be popular this Halloween if you dress up as the most famous witch in Oz. Elphaba is easy as long as you can use an old black dress and secure a witchy hat. As for the green body paint, it’s up to you whether you want to go full-on or only apply a few swipes to the cheeks and temples (like our model here!).

Devilled eggs, the retro canapé is back on the menu this Halloween and what better way than to dress like one? Once you’ve bought a white egg-shaped styrofoam structure, you’ll just need to cut it in half and glue on yellow rope, green pipe cleaners and red sequins to create the yolk. Once that’s dry, hot-glue the egg on to a white hairband and that’s it!

Love a charcuterie board? Why not dress like it? This costume works best with multiple people and requires yellow and red craft paint and styrofoam cake rounds for creating the slices of Gouda, which you can then attach to a hairband with hot glue or place on a wooden board as a prop to carry around. As for the grape hairband, you’ll have a bit of crafting to do once you buy purple tree ornaments and some floral wire. But don’t worry, it’s easy!

Instructions:

1. Cut several 30cm lengths of floral wire. Thread an ornament on to the centre of each wire and twist the ends together.
2. Gather all of the wired ornaments and twist the wires together to create a tapered bunch of grapes. Trim any excess wire pieces off and wrap any exposed wire with floral tape.
3. Cut a grape leaf shape from green paper and attach it to the bunch with hot glue.
4. Wire two small hair combs to the bottom of the bunch to secure on to your head. You might need some extra bobby pins to secure as well.

Your little one will catch all the Pokémon with this Ash Ketchum costume. Find a red cap, a blue vest and a pair of lime green gloves (cut the fingers off to really fit the look!). Then, DIY a Pokéball from a baseball, and purchase a Pikachu plush. Done!

This is your chance to channel your inner Jennifer Coolidge. Grab a long-sleeved dress, a scarf to wrap around your head, gold heels, over-sized sunglasses and continuously have a glass of Prosecco in your hand for the evening. Ciao!

A low-key outfit and a blast from the past that’s so easy to create, it makes it hard to think of a reason not to dress up this year. Grab an all-black outfit and some simple Post-It notes to finish the costume.