MY childhood memories of dressing up for Halloween are cheap and cheerful. A witch costume made from a bin bag. The upcycled green baize from an old snooker table fashioned into a Peter Pan-style smock with matching hat.
Wearing my mum’s old fur coat to masquerade as a cat. Fingerless lace gloves and a ra-ra tutu to emulate a 1980s-era Madonna.
In recent times, the ante has been upped as Halloween garb inspired by social media trends, pop culture and TV shows grows in popularity. This year there is no shortage of topical ideas to stoke the imagination. Here are some to look out for:
Tube Girl
Those not on TikTok may be unfamiliar with the viral sensation that is “Tube Girl”. While most folk use their phone for idle scrolling when travelling on public transport, Sabrina Bahsoon has utilised hers to gain internet fame.
The self-shot videos of her energetic dance routines filmed on the London Underground have seen Bahsoon garner a legion of fans, as well as spawning countless copycat clips, including a hilarious attempt by actor Penn Badgley.
Read more: The perils - and joy - of making new friends in middle age
Open train windows are recruited as wind machines as she lets loose with her slick choreography and lip-syncing prowess. It’s an easy look to pull off: all you need is a mobile phone and the self-confidence to dance in front of a carriage full of strangers.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Love it or loathe it, the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte turned 20 this autumn. As costume creations go, this one does take a bit of crafting (involving copious amounts of cardboard and being a dab hand with a hot glue gun) to make the giant cup shape.
Don’t forget to write your name on the side in black marker, variously misspelled as “Suzanne”, “Soosan” “Susie” or “Sarah”.
Barbie and Ken
The blockbuster Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie as the titular character and Ryan Gosling as her counterpart Ken has been a box office smash.
The possibilities for costumes are boundless. Pull on a pair of rollerblades and a snorkel, wear head-to-toe gingham, or live out your fantasy career for a day as a doctor, chef, astronaut, yoga instructor or dog groomer.
And if a pink and glittery palette isn’t your vibe, well, you could always plump for characters from the other hit film of the year instead? Yep, I mean Oppenheimer. Although that might be a tad dark and twisty …
Taylor Swift
The singer-songwriter has defined the zeitgeist of 2023 thanks to her record-breaking Eras Tour. For the uninitiated, eras = Taylor Swift studio albums and there are 10 to choose from, along with the accompanying looks.
Read more: Gone camping – is there an easier way to have a midlife crisis?
Be it the sequined tulle ball gown from her Speak Now days, the fringed dress and country boots of Fearless or - my own particular favourite - the dark green cape and folksy forest vibes of Evermore. Couples costume: Swift and her new beau NFL player Travis Kelce.
Only Murders in the Building
Is there a trio that is more #SquadGoals than Charles, Oliver and Mabel in Only Murders in the Building?
The comedy mystery follows three neighbours - played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez - who have a shared love of true crime podcasts and become friends while investigating suspicious deaths in their affluent New York apartment block.
When it comes to attire, we are talking eclectic trench coats, tweeds and chunky knits. Imagine scruffy detective Columbo was given a makeover by Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City.
David and Victoria Beckham
The Beckham documentary on Netflix served up a reminder of the memorable matching outfits that David and Victoria Beckham - then known ubiquitously as “Posh and Becks” - donned in their early years as a couple.
Sartorial gems from the back catalogue include double denim, head-to-toe leather and all-white ensembles. Not to forget that infamous 1998 sarong. Pick a combo and run with it this Halloween.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here