10 Best Halloween Costumes You Can Recreate With What You Already Have At Home

María Cetra • Writer

Oct 6, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

Halloween is just around the corner, but is your costume ready?

October goes by so fast, and to have the best Halloween celebration, a costume is really important. Sometimes it's hard to pick what to wear or who to dress as. We tend to have a lot of doubts, such as "Is this too niche?" "Are people going to understand who I am going as?" "Is everything I need going to get home on time?" "Is this too much?" I may not have an answer to every single question you may have, but I certainly can help with some things.

Sometimes we think really hard about what the best costume is, but in reality, to have a good outfit you don't need to spend a lot of money. The best dress-up option can be wearing clothes you already have at home. Across social media, some influencers are posting videos on how to elevate a store-bought costume or how to dress up in a good costume with what you already have at home. I gathered the best ones so that this year's costume is amazing without having to buy anything.

It's incredible how much you can do with just simple clothing items that you probably already have. A dark-coloured crop top and matching shorts can turn you into Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. A black dress with red-and-black striped tights can make you Mavis from Hotel Transylvania. A black-and-white polka-dot dress with some buttons you can draw on your face can turn you into the other mother from Coraline. And a black corset with tight leggings with just a red 'A' painted on it can instantly make you Olive from Easy A.

You don't need to be spending thousands of dollars on a new costume every Halloween. There is a lot you can do by simply overlaying different clothes and simple crop tops. You just need to let your imagination run free, or at least check TikTok for some original ideas. After all, the purpose of a Halloween celebration isn't just about the costume; it's mostly about having a nice and scary time with friends.