Musically-Inspired Halloween Costume Ideas: Dum Dum Girls, Grimes, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj

One year, my roommates and I went as the Jonas Brothers for Halloween. It was not a good look. People basically thought I was Bette Midler, and the only person who guessed our costumes correctly was a drag queen we ran into at two in the morning. If you’re looking for a slightly more successful Halloween costume idea, why not try channeling some of these amazing ladies?

Dum Dum Girls

The idea here is black and white and Victorian all over. Add red lipstick. 

Lace Dress, Forever 21
Sleeveless Lace Dress Topshop
Solid Stripe Pantyhose, American Apparel 
Rhinestone Hells, Forever 21 
Vintage Cameo pin on Etsy

Grimes

The bonus of this costume is that anyone who doesn’t know who you are will just assume you’re an animé character and be too afraid of appearing irrelevant to ask. 

Short sleeve tshirt leotard, American Apparel
Tulip Skirt, American Apparel
Jersey Headband, American Apparel 
Black leather and lace fingerless gloves, Urban Outfitters 

If you’re seriously crafty, here’s how to DIY a flaming sword. If not, construction paper and a toy one will do nicely. Here’s how to temporarily dread your hair.

Taylor Swift

You can have all your friends dress up as her monster-mascot backing band! Score some $5 spectacles in Kensington Market, at one of the sunglasses stands near Augusta and Nassau. Top with red lipstick, like this shade from Gosh.

Nick & Nora Poplin It’s  A Hoot Pajamas, Target

Nicki Minaj

Nicki’s looks are usually a bit too intense, or risqué, for Halloween costume copying, but this look from “The Boys” is a more easily recreated Minajsemble. We, however, are suggesting you replace the bathing suit with a bodysuit, for both warmth and dignity. The only craftiness required here will be cutting the belt in half and attaching it to the straps of the white bodysuit.

Blazer, H & M
White Bodysuit, American Apparel
Ottoman Rib Tube Top, American Apparel
Spike Love Belt, Remi & Reid
Leopard Print Hat, Topshop

Rainy Day Playlist

Rain is inevitable. It’s also a great time to be all introspective-ey and whatnot. Please don’t write bad poetry about rain hitting your windowpane; it’s never a good look for anyone, and will be discouraged by any creative writing teacher you may have who is worth their salt. Even if you’re trapped indoors (on a day like this one), there’s no reason not to at least indulge in some super cool tune-age. Whether you’re reading, daydreaming, or just lying around the house in a sugar coma-induced stupor, here’s some of our favourite rainy day music.

O’ Venezia Venega Venusia — Nino Rota:  Off of the soundtrack of one of our favourite films, Fellini’s Casanova, this ethereally unsettling track is the perfect way to start an anything-but-ordinary indoor day.

Clouds Up — Air: Air’s delicate yet devastating compositions for the Sofia Coppola film The Virgin Suicides, take us back to sunny days walking in ostentatious, uptown neighbourhoods. Note: Coppola filmed in Toronto, so perhaps on a less rainy day (venture out with your umbrella if you’re daring), maybe you can find out which one it is?

Woodstock — Austra:  Katie Stelmanis and co. do a twinkling, subterranean rendition of this Joni Mitchell tune. Perfect for drinking hot jasmine tea by the window-sill, just watching life go by.

Skin — Grimes: Sweet, and a little bit sensual––Grimes’ “Skin” is one pretty rad make out track. So invite your crush over for some cookies, and don’t do anything that we wouldn’t do.

Jynweythek Ylow — Aphex Twin: Another amazing Sofia Coppola pick. Part of the consistently immaculate soundtrack, Marie Antoinette, it’s the perfect stare out your window and dream about somewhere else song.

Lady Daydream — Twin Sister:  “Lady Daydream” is the song that you play on the bus home after a particularly raucous evening. It allows you to slip in and out of sleep. And what better way is there to spend a rainy afternoon, than slipping in and out of sleep?

Bloodhail — Have a Nice Life: It’s criminal that so few people know about post-rock (don’t kill me on my terminology, music nerds!) band Have a Nice Life. Their LP Deathconsciousness melds a myriad of influences to create deep, dense atmosphere. With its booming bass, “Bloodhail” remains one of our favourite tracks; so, y’know…if you’re feeling mopey.

Hardest of Hearts — Florence and the Machine: Sometimes you need something anthemic to dance to. Just so that you don’t completely lose your afternoon to sleep-induced stupor. Florence delivers on all counts. So put on your best sheer skirts and jangly jewelry and dance like a banshee.

Dazzle — Siouxsie and the Banshees: Siouxie is amazing. Point blank. “Dazzle” is another one of those bombastic, crescendoing tracks that’ll wake you up if you’ve started to doze off.