The Details That Make a Halloween Costume

Dorothy’s slippers are silver in the book, not red. The 1939 movie changed them to show off Technicolor. Now those sparkly red shoes can do a lot of the work in a last-minute Dorothy costume.

Your shortcut might be a complete costume, a cosplay outfit, or one standout piece to wear with clothes you already own. You don’t have to put everything together yourself.

Dorothy: start with the sparkle

L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. For the movie, MGM costume designer Gilbert Adrian designed red slippers covered in sequins. The shoes we associate with Dorothy belong as much to the movie as to her story.

You might choose a ready-made Dorothy outfit with a blue-and-white gingham pinafore or build around a gingham dress you already own. For a modern costume, ruby-glitter shoes look more like the movie slippers than plain red pumps. You can add a basket or hair bows if you like, but you don’t need every accessory.

Cher’s yellow plaid had a job

Cher’s yellow suit in Clueless wasn’t exactly typical teen style in 1995. When costume designer Mona May visited a real high school, she found baggy pants and flannel. She built a more dressed-up world for the movie, trying blue and red suits before settling on yellow.

Yellow helped Cher stand out against the school’s greenery, even when other students walked in front of her. That bright suit was meant to get noticed.

That’s why “plaid skirt” and “Cher costume” aren’t quite the same search. The yellow plaid and matching tailored blazer and skirt make the outfit look like Cher’s. A ready-made Cher costume puts those details together for you. Or try a secondhand yellow plaid suit without matching every accessory from the movie.

Go-go boots were yesterday’s future

White boots feel retro now. In 1964, André Courrèges’s white leather boots were part of his futuristic Space Age designs. For a ’60s costume, you can borrow what looked futuristic then.

To put your own spin on the era, try white patent knee-high boots with a block heel. Wear them with a simple shift dress from your closet or a ready-made mod costume. The boots can set the ’60s mood before you add any accessories.

Referee stripes prevented a mix-up

A college quarterback once mistook official Lloyd Olds for a teammate and threw him the ball. That mix-up over his white shirt led Olds to develop a striped uniform, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association. His first reported game in stripes was at Michigan’s 1921 high school basketball finals.

The stripes made referees easier to tell apart from players. For Halloween, the broad vertical black-and-white stripes say “ref” right away.

An actual uniform shirt or a costume version can work. Build the rest of the outfit around what you want to wear. A whistle or cap is optional.

One piece or the whole look

A complete costume can be the shortcut. A skeleton-print bodysuit or a wearable food costume has the dress-up part built in. A complete cosplay set may require less assembly than a “simple” idea that leaves you searching for five missing pieces.

Look for secondhand boots you’ll wear again, or give someone else’s finished costume another outing. Everyday clothes aren’t the only things worth wearing more than once.

Before buying, check measurements, condition, and exactly what’s included—not just what appears in the photos. Count the pieces you’d still need. Check the delivery estimate against the date you’ll wear the costume.

Explore Curtsy’s collections for the whole look or the detail that makes yours click.