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7 last-minute Halloween costume ideas inspired by pop culture
Business & Technology
Fast CompanyEN
October 30, 2026

7 last-minute Halloween costume ideas inspired by pop culture

Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which means there’s lots of pressure to find the perfect costume. If you have procrastinated and put off this great responsibility through no fault of your own, there is still hope. Pop culture is a great source of inspiration, and most of these costumes are low effort. Here are seven ideas to make you the cleverest person in the room without a ton of prep work. Be Elizabeth Holmes and Nathan Fielder Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of the now-defunct health technology company Theranos, is back in the culture zeitgeist thanks to a new documentary by Nathan Fielder. Since everyone is talking about You Can See Everything, it’s the perfect costume inspiration. Dressing up like Holmes is easy since she is known for revering Steve Jobs and sporting a minimalist tech-bro look. All you need is a black turtleneck, black dress pants, a messy ponytail, and red lipstick. To rock Nathan’s essence on Halloween, simply layer a blue crewneck shirt over a white t-shirt. Be sure to accessorize with black over-the-ear headphones. Be Kelly Clarkson and the magic shop bird Kelly Clarkson, the first-ever American Idol, recently had a beef with the Brooklyn-based store Art of Play. She was denied the opportunity to buy a mechanical bird and did not appreciate the way she was treated. She took to X to publicly lament the situation and the internet took notice. Since video footage of the exchange was released, Clarkson fans can recreate her look by wearing a yellow t-shirt or sweatshirt, baseball cap, and loosely fitting jeans. You can even make this a couples costume by having your partner dress as a yellow bird, complete with a $15,000 price tag. A onesie from Amazon or a quick trip to Spirit Halloween should do the trick for this second costume. Be someone from ‘Off Campus’ Off-Campus, the hit college romance show based on the book series of the same name by Elle Kennedy, premiered on Amazon Prime Video in May of this year. There is sure to be lots of Briar University representation this Halloween. The simplest and most lowkey way to go is find a Briar U hockey jersey or t-shirt and pair it with leggings or jeans. The next level up is to recreate Hannah and Garrett’s look from the dynamic duo’s party. For Hannah, the bunny, all you need is a white dress, bunny ears, and white knee-high boots. For Garrett, the magician, all you need is a white button-down shirt, black dress pants, and a cape. Expert level is dressing up as Ali and Dean, who met at the party while dressed as J.Lo and Maverick from Top Gun. Be ‘Freaky’ Nikki It was a great year for scary movie fans. Curry Barker’s Obsession grossed more than $263 million at the domestic box office alone, and only cost $750,000 to make, according to a New Yorker interview. To represent this horror film on Halloween, dress up as Nikki from the party scene or ending. The party scene Nikki requires a red-and-black animal print halter top, black shorts, and black boots. A fake or prop broken beer bottle and fake blood can also be used to enhance the look. The final scene costume requires a purple floral dress, fake blood, and a brick. NBCUniversal is even selling a set that comes with your own one wish willow. Just be careful what you ask for should you use the wish.  Be an Etsy Witch A witch is a classic Halloween costume. Put a witty spin on it by printing out an Etsy logo and wearing it as an accessory. And yes, it is true some spiritual practitioners try to sell their spells on the popular online marketplace even though it’s technically not allowed. Be a ‘Widow’s Bay’ character Widow’s Bay, the critically acclaimed Apple TV series, is what happens if a Stephen King novel and a Parks and Recreation episode had a baby. It’s a funny horror series about an isolated New England island town that’s definitely not cursed. Patricia Moyer, played by Kate O’Flynn, is the mayor’s quirky assistant. She also happened to survive a serial killer attack in high school, which no one really believes. When the Boogeyman returns, she has to fight for her life in her comfy clothes. All you need to honor her struggle is a reddish orange t-shirt with stars and moons on it, biker shorts, and uggs. Bonus points if you can make a book cover with the title Your Turn: Out with the Old, and In with the New by Lucy Fors and find a taser. Be a Backstreet Boy Oh my god, they’re back again. Since 2025, the Backstreet Boys have been performing at Sphere in Las Vegas, celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1999 album “Millennium.” The cover picture of that album has all five boy-band members wearing all white. A super simple costume idea is to rock all white and call yourself a Backstreet Boy. If you really want to get into character, ask your friends if you are sexual all night long. Whatever you plan on dressing up as, we hope you have a blast.

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Curated from Fast Company. Classified as Business & Technology by AI, which sometimes makes mistakes.

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