Think like a costume designer to create the perfect Halloween look

For one night a year, everyone gets to think like a costume designer. Halloween is the people’s costume design festival, a celebration of imagination, storytelling, and transformation. You don’t need a Hollywood budget to make something great. What you need is concept, silhouette and story, the same three things professional designers start with.

“Every Halloween night, the world becomes a stage. You get to make your entrance, so design it like you mean it,” says Marina Pareja, FIU associate professor of costume design.

Whether you’re pulling together a last-minute look or reimagining an old favorite, remember: You don’t need to buy a costume. You can design one.

“Good costume design isn’t about how much you spend,” Pareja says. “It’s about who your character is and how that story shows up through clothes.”

This year, Pareja decided to prove it. In a single afternoon, she and FIU Theatre’s costume team pulled together three Halloween looks from their inventory. The thought was to create costumes with things you might find in a closet or at a thrift store. The result: a detective, a hippie, and a zombie. Each one tells a story and shows how thinking like a designer turns everyday clothes into something theatrical.

Start with character

Before reaching for your sewing kit, ask the same question designers ask: Who is this person?

For Pareja, the key is to imagine a moment in that character’s life, not just a label. “Don’t think I’m dressing as a detective. Instead, think I’m a detective who’s just solved a case after a sleepless night,” she says. “That detail changes everything: how you wear the coat, how you carry yourself, what accessories you grab.”

That mindset turns costume creation into storytelling. A trench coat and fedora become a silhouette of intrigue. An uneven tie or a slightly rumpled collar suggests the case took everything out of you. It’s about choices and character logic.

Build from what you have

Once you’ve got your story, shop your closet first. Designers love constraints because they spark creativity. “Costume design is about problem-solving,” Pareja explains. “If you can’t buy it, you build it.”

For her hippie, she started with a pair of bell-bottom jeans and sewed on scraps of colorful fabric for a handmade feel. A plain white tee, round glasses and a daisy tucked behind the ear completed the look. “Texture and movement are huge,” she says. “A hippie’s clothes should feel like they’re dancing even when you’re standing still.”

For her zombie, she took some items she could later discard and altered them to create the look she wanted. An old shirt, a few intentional rips, and some light makeup later, a simple zombie emerged. “I didn’t want to go heavy with fake blood,” she laughs. “It’s more fun when people fill in the story themselves. Maybe this zombie’s just waking up from a nap.”

Use the Designer’s Tricks

Designers rely on simple tools to make magic. Pareja shares a few of her favorites:

• Heat-bond tape for instant hems or patchwork
• Velcro for fast changes or quick fixes
• Spray paint (or fabric dye) for texture and color shifts
• A hero piece — one item that defines the look. “The fedora for the detective, the flower for the hippie, every costume needs a focal point.”

And before you head out, she adds, check how your costume looks under different lighting. “Designers always think about light. What glows in the bathroom mirror might look totally different under a blacklight.”

Character Over Perfection

If something falls apart or doesn’t look quite right, don’t panic. “Designers love happy accidents,” Pareja says. “If your zombie sleeve rips too far, that’s just more story. If your wig slips, make it part of the bit.”

The goal isn’t perfection, it’s expression. Halloween gives everyone permission to play, experiment, and perform.

“The best costumes tell a story before you say a word,” Pareja says. “When you put it on, don’t just wear it…be it.”

Looking for some last minute costume pieces to build your character around? FIU Theatre is hosting a costume sale on the lawn in front of The Wertheim on Friday, Oct. 24, Tuesday, Oct. 28, and Thurs., October 30 from 11am-2pm.