If you’ve recieved an invitation to costume party, you’ve got a bit of hard thinking to do. You could hire or buy an outfit from your local costume hire shop, which is a pretty straightforward thing to do. It can be pricy though. So if you’re on a budget, making your own outfit is the obvious answer. 

If you’re short of time and don’t fancy yourself as a Martha Stewart type, these easy ideas will soon have you all dressed up with somewhere to go. And if you need help planning a themed party, have a look at our article on organising one.

Nerd

Embrace your inner geek. You’ll need a pair of dark-framed glasses with a Band-aid wrapped around the nose bridge. Wear short pants hiked up way too far (get beyond the belly button and keep pulling).  A white collared work shirt, a bowtie, and long white socks. Slick your hair down with gel, and put a few pens and a calculator in your shirt pocket to for maximum dorkiness.

The Egyptian mummy

Grab a bunch of bandages from the pharmacy. Start with white clothes (thermal underwear is a good option if it’s cold) then roll the bandages – or even toilet paper, at a pinch – around your torso, arms and legs. Add some gore using tomato sauce or red food dye, and voila! An insta-outfit.

Bag of jellybeans

You’ll need a large clear rubbish bag. Cut holes for your arms and legs. Throw in a few partially inflated balloons as the jellybeans, then tie the bag up at your neck with a ribbon. If you have time, print out the nutritional facts you’d see on the back of a bag of sweets on A4 paper and attach to the back of your bag.

Zombie

With zombies popping up everywhere on our screens lately, this one is right on trend. Raid your cupboard for clothes you no longer want, or duck into an op shop for a suitably hideous outfit. Rip it, fray it, burn it and rub in some dirt for that just-emerged-from-the-grave look. Mess up your hair with plenty of gel and apply pale make-up or body paint, with black make-up around your eyes. Swirl red or green food dye around in your mouth for tooth decay that would give your dentist the horrors.

Mary Poppins

For this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious costume, you’ll need a black umbrella, a calf-length black skirt, a white collared button-down shirt, a scarf or bowtie, white gloves, black stockings, and a black hat. A granny-type carry-all completes the look but isn’t vital.

You can search the internet for loads of other suggestions for kids’ costumes and outfits for themed parties, or head to your local costume hire supplier to find a costume ready-made.

Need more help organising a party? Check out our handy guides to parties and party supplies.