Quick (And Unique) Costume Ideas For Dudes

Warner Bros. 

“For extra creepiness, buy a pair of blonde wigs, proclaim your love for your twin sister (or brother) and start making out.“

What to wear on Halloween? It’s a tough question for the man who wants to avoid clichés. A fireman? Yawn. Pimp and ho? Yech. Doctor? Superhero? Homer Simpson? Yawn, yawn, yawn. Off-the-rack costumes are usually OK for kids — what the hell do they know anyway? But for the mature man bent on dressing up, your imagination’s the limit. Here are a few suggestions that will, hopefully, kickstart that conversation with a stranger on your way to the bar.

TV Characters

Television, as most discerning viewers will agree, is far more interesting these days than movies. With the advent of PVRs, Hulu and Netflix, you have an almost unlimited range of inspiration to choose from.

Breaking Bad fans can team up as Walter and Jesse and look no further than their closets. All you need to be Walter is a button-down Gap shirt, khakis (or not), Clarks Wallabees, a black porkpie hat and a bald skull cap. For Jesse, baggy jeans, an Ed Hardy (or equally ghastly) T-shirt and a hoodie. Conversely, you can get some secondhand gas masks and white hazmat suits. For extra points, bring along some blue meth candy. Addictive!

AMC

Men want to be Don Draper and women want to be with him, so look like you slept on a bed made of money with a solid-colored suit, starched white shirt, skinny tie and matching pocket handkerchief. Add some hair gel, cigarettes (Lucky Strikes, preferably) and something tall and brown to drink, and you’re Madison Avenue. Your female companion can visit a good secondhand store for a retro skirt and accessories (disaffected housewife ennui is extra).

AMC

If the whole medieval/fantasy thing floats your boat, HBO’s Game of Thrones offers a whole world of characters (again, better as a couple). The ideas are straightforward: buy or make your run-of-the-mill medieval costume and sew whatever house sigil (lion, dire wolf, stag, burning heart, etc.) on your chest, add a $5 plastic sword and you’re set. For extra creepiness, buy a pair of blond wigs, proclaim your love for your twin sister (or brother) and start making out. There you go — you’re the Lannisters. Daenerys and Drogo are even easier. For her: a simple white linen dress with a three-headed dragon sewn on it somewhere and three tiny plastic dragons. For him, um, not much: a loincloth, some really long extensions and a big-ass sword.

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