Pop culture in costume

October 28, 10:59 PMHuntsville Pop Culture ExaminerAnissa Graham

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 Limited Edition Mad Men suit (AP Photo/Brooks Brothers)
 

If you’re struggling to figure out a costume for Halloween and want to be more creative than a hockey mask and a knife, try turning to pop culture for inspiration. Favorite TV and movie characters can provide ideas for some inexpensive and on-hand costumes or at least a reason to splurge on a really cool set of threads.

1. Mad Men – The slick costumes of the AMC award-winning series, Mad Men, have inspired Brooks Brothers to make suits for the modern man to wear to the office. Pulling off this look might take a trip to a consignment store like Act II Consignment Shoppe in Huntsville. Guys will want to find black or gray suits that have sleek, straight lines, thin belts, white hankies, crisp white shirts, and ties that seem just a bit short. Girls want to find dresses that are form fitting on top and balloon out below the waist. Clean cut is the style for guys going Mad, while upswept do’s will make a statement for girls. Glamour.com posted suggestions last Halloween for getting the Mad Men look.

2. Superheroes – Like Hollywood and music icons, superheroes are a good standby costume idea. This year offers some new options for both kids and adults. In addition to the standard Batman and Superman costumes, superhero fans can dress up as Hellboy, the Punisher, Thor, Silk Spectre, Spider-Girl, or a female Green Lantern.
 

3. Charlie Brown’s Ghost Costume – Halloween just wouldn’t be Halloween without watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and the costumes the kids wear can be easily duplicated. The white sheet Charlie Brown uses for his costume can be found at any big box store for about $12.00. The variety of ghost you become depends on what image you want to convey. Add some dirt and stains at the bottom, and you’re Pig Pen; put on a coonskin cap, and you’re Schroeder. The classic look, though, requires “having a little trouble with the scissors.”
 

4. Michael Jackson – Hollywood and music icons have been costume fodder for years. This year Michael Jackson’s iconic look from Thriller should be very popular. Party City sells the red jacket online for $29.99. They also have sequined gloves and wigs to complete the look.

5. The Supernatural – Thanks to the success of the Twilight books and films like Zombieland, supernatural creatures are even more popular this year than usual. Use glitter make-up to give your vampire a Twilight-like sparkle, or go old school with a hairy werewolf mask a la The Wolf Man. Some torn clothes, heavy pancake make-up, and fake blood can make for a good zombie costume, particularly if you shuffle appropriately. Zombies are also fabulous for group costumes. Get together with someone going as Michael Jackson, and you can reenact Thriller.
 

For more info: Michael Jackson's Thriller, The Wolf Man (1941), and Mad Men .