La Mode: A Fashionista’s Guide to Halloween

Halloween is about a minute away. People have planned their costumes months and months in advance. They spent way too much money to recreate their favorite ghoul or character from Stranger Things. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

But what’s a style maven to do when you want to look good while eschewing that tired old convention of “slutty BLANK.”

To The Closet!

There are plenty of beautiful, inspiring women, either real or fictional, to choose from. And depending on the contents of your closet, easy to recreate. So ditch the last minute trip to Party City, splurge on a really nice pair of fake eyelashes, and make this Halloween one where you’re the best dressed person in the room.

Iris Apfel

This iconic grand dame of personalized fashion is having a moment. A long, well-deserved moment. Ever since the Albert Maysles documentary Iris premiered in 2014, every fashionista from 20 to 90 is coveting her big round glasses, overly large coats, and red boas. Pay homage to the woman who had a MOMA exhibition, Rara Avis (Rare Bird): The Irreverent Iris Apfel, curated about her at age 84!

Photographed by Bruce Weber for Vogue Italia, 2007.

You’ll need a red feather boa, her iconic glasses (or sunglasses in a pinch), and lots and lots of bracelets (plus an Alexander watch). Throw on a wicked sense of humor and knowing smile and you are good to go.

The Girl With the Green Ribbon

For many of us growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, Alvin Schwartz’s books Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark and In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories were what nightmares were made of.

There’s plenty of inspiration to be had in these pages but if you want to wear a fabulous outfit of your choosing, we recommend pulling from the classic story, The Green Ribbon. A young meets and falls in love with a girl who always wears a green ribbon around her neck. He asks and asks why and she never answers. She finally tells him to remove it when she’s on her sickbed. He does and her head rolls off.

Source: buzzfeed.com

Grab a green ribbon, wear a sheer white dress, and politely deflect anytime anyone asks you what your costume is.

Jane Birkin

Knee high socks? Check. Turtleneck dress? Check. Bangs? Check. Birkin bag? Uhhhh….no. Well that’s ok. Jane Birkin, the style icon a 60’s Paris and Serge Gainsbourg’s muse, didn’t really rock her namesake bag. That would be gauche.

What she did rock was fabulousness from head to toe. And she made it all look so easy. Just keep your hems short and your eyelashes long and you’re set. Even better if you have a boyfriend or friend with heavy bags under his eyes and a delicious French accent to play Serge.

Beyonce in Blow (or her backup dancers)

Every few weeks (or days when we’ve been good) Beyonce blesses us with an Instagram slideshow of her latest fashion. Every moment in her storied career is beyond inspiring to the human race.

Source: Sony Records

One of our favorite looks and easiest to pull off (easy being the operative word) are her and her dancers lewks from the Blow video from 2013. Short shorts, leotards, and glow-in-the-dark make this sexy video memorable. The neon gear she rocks in pigtails is a favorite. All the better if you can rock rolling skates all night long.

Blade Runner Replicants Now & Then

Hands up. Who’s seen Blade Runner 2049 yet? Who’s seen the original Blade Runner? If you answered no to both these questions, ditch Halloween and head to the cinema. These seminal movies are incredible works of art in every regard, right down to the costume design.

Source: oolo.com

Daryl Hannahs’ Pris, inspired by a punk songstress from a movie called “Breaking Glass,” is all sexy toughness. Bring out your sheer black stockings, frizz up you hair and put on her signature raccoon eye makeup to replicate her replicant.

Source: The Everett Collection

Update your sci-fi look for today by taking cues from the 2049 replicant, Mariette. An ode to Pris, this chick dons a withered fur hat and a red coat that looks like she stole it from Iris Apfel. Unbrushed hair completes the look.