Today's post 50 Vintage Halloween Costume Ideas from Vintage Dancer.
If you are like me and you have a closet full of vintage style clothing and historical costumes, Halloween is just another day to dress up in one of them. Sounds boring until I put a little spooky spin on them and suddenly my ordinary clothes become creative vintage Halloween costumes!
Need ideas on how to transform your vintage wardrobe? Here are over 50 unique vintage Halloween costume ideas to help you out:
Costume Ideas for Any Decade
1920s Costumes – Shop here
1930s Costumes
1940s Costumes – Shop Here
1950s Costume – Shop Here
1960s-1980s Costumes
Historical Costumes
Vintage Halloween Costume Ideas for Any Decade:
These costume ideas can work with any vintage decade you happen to have. It’s all in the accessories, makeup, and hair styling to take your vintage look to a Halloween worthy level. Starting with an all black dress or separates is the easiest way to make almost any of these looks more spooky.
Vintage Zombie Costumes- Use any Decade! Get this look at Unique-Vintage.com
Zombie, Vampire- The blood sucking mayhem continues this year as a popular Halloween costume. Why not put a vintage twist on it. Flapper Zombie? Pin Up Vampire? Combine them all for a new idea each year.
Vintage Ghost Bride and Groom
Ghost – Do you have an old vintage wedding dress? They are perfect for creating ghosts. Our first Halloween couple costumes were of a Ghost Bride and Groom. I wore a 60’s wedding dress and he was in a grey suit and shirt. Add a ton of white or grey makeup and hair streaks and you will be ghostly in no time. Simple and easy and a fun couples costume although you certainly can pull this off solo too.
Pin Up Mummy Costumes (Source)
Mummy- Wear any vintage clothing and loosely wrap yourself in white gauze, cheese cloth, or strips of fabric for a vintage mummy look. You may need help wrapping yourself up. Leave some of your vintage clothes exposed so you are obviously an “old soul.” This mummy look works especially well for the 1920’s Egyptian revival style, Victorian, Edwardian, and 1940s pin ups.
Masquerade Costume from Ever After
Masquerade – I love creating costumes for a masked ball. I usually start with a dress and think of a character that goes with the dress color, or I find an awesome mask and find a dress to go with it. Venetian masks are awesome inspirations! The movie Ever After with the masked ball scene is another great source of inspiration.
1950s Prom dresses- Just add some fake blood! Shop 1950s Prom Dresses at Unique-Vintage.com
Prom “Carrie” Dress – The ripped up prom dress with blood spatters has been a fun and easy costume to make for years! I would love to do this with a 1950s style prom dress, but any decade would work just as well. I would be very hesitant to use a real vintage dress which probably can’t handle the blood staining. Look for a cheap thrift store dress instead and use washable paint as blood.
Vintage Day of the Dead Costume- Get this look at Unique-Vintage.com
Day of the Dead (Dia de los muertos) – The current popular Halloween theme of the year is the Day of the Dead inspired look. Start with heavy white makeup and a skelton design on your face, arms, chest and legs (anywhere skin shows.) For your dress: black or white seem to work best although a more authentic Latin look with colorful flowers and Spanish lace or fringe exotic too. Any era of clothing can work to blend vintage and Day of the Dead together.
Steampunk Costume
Steampunk Corset
Steampunk- While the original Steampunk aesthetic was based around Victorian clothing , the costume movement itself has no “rules” you need to follow. Steampunk Vampire? Steampunk Sock Hopper? Steampunk Ghost? Steampunk Prom? You name it, it can be punked up. The classic Steampunk accessories are lace up granny boots, brass gears, top hats, visible corsets, bustle skirts, goggles and guns. Get creative with this one!
Pregnant? I have a few steampunk costumes I wore with a baby bump. I’m going to wear this one again at an Halloween party but with a twist…. stay tuned for the results.
Sexy Vintage Witch Costume
Spider Web 1950s Skirt Costume (Easy to make)
Witch, Black Cat, Spider- Look at vintage Halloween costume pictures from the 20s to the 50s and you’ll see people didn’t transform themselves into someone or something else so much as they incorporated spooky Halloween elements into their everyday clothing. For example a witch is a classic Halloween costume worn in all decades. The only difference is current fashions influenced the witch’s dress. It’s the same idea with a Black Cat (just add a tail and ears to any vintage black dress.) Adding spider webs to a skirt, veil, bat wings, pumpkin hat or accessories was another popular way to make Halloween costumes. With all the emphasis on blood and gore and dead things, these innocent original Halloween costumes seem like a breath of fresh air. Next year, when i’m not prego, I’ll be getting a vintage black dress and trying out one of these simple decorations.
Vintage Black Cat Costumes
Vintage Pumpkin or Jack O’ Lantern Costume (1920s)
Pumpkin - Similar idea as above. You don’t literally have to look like a round pumpkin to create the same visual effect. If you have an orange dress pin on a felt cut out of a Jack O Lantern face and wear a green vintage hat or make one that looks like a pumpkin stem. Fun and crafty idea! See this Glamorous Housewife blog post for inspiration.
Vintage Style Swimsuits for a Vintage Beauty Queen Costume- Get them here.
Swimsuit -
A Halloween Spin on a 1930s Swimsuit
Be Miss America, Miss (your state) or a beach beauty queen from the past. Wear any of your vintage or vintage style swimsuits, heels, and sunglasses for a pageant worthy costume. Don’t forget to make a sash announcing your title. You may also need a coat or wrap to stay warm outside.
* A friend wore a vintage costume bathing suit from the 1910’s and carried a life saving ring with “Titanic” printed on it. It was a great costume!
Halloween Themed Clothes
Bats in the Nights Dress at Shop Plastic Land
You don’t actually need to wear a costume to be in the Halloween spirit. Wearing Halloween themed, dresses, skirts, shirts, shoes and accessories is all you need to be festive. Look at the selection of clothing at Unique-Vintage.com, ShopPlasticLand.com and Modcloth.com for everyday vintage inspired Halloween clothes.
1920s Halloween Costumes
1920s Flapper Costume- Get them here.
Flapper and more- Turn that flapper dress up a notch by becoming a Ziegfeld Follies girl. Or a character from Chicago, Great Gatsby, The Artist, Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries, Boardwalk Empire, even Downtown Abbey. Whatever you favorite 1920s movie or TV show use that as inspiration to adjust your costume away from the stereotypical and into a classy dame! Try a cloche hat instead of a headband, handpainted stockings instead of fishnets, and a no-tobacco e-cigarette for realistic “smoking” (only where allowed inside.)
1920’s Flapper Dress Guide
<— Print or Pin this infographic about how to dress like a 1920s Flapper. Learn how to apply authentic style 1920s makeup too.
Great Gatsby Costumes (Debbie and Oscar – that’s us!)
Great Gatsby (Men or Couple)- Naturally becoming the Great Gatsby is an excellent costume by itself. You can take it up a notch by adding pale makeup and a fake gunshot wound to signify Gatsby returned from the dead. Your partner could be Daisy or Myrtle who also came back from the dead. There are other easier mens 1920’s costumes you can wear too. Look here for some ideas. For the ladies look at these 1920s thrift store costume ideas.
Jordan Baker, 1920s Golfer
Thrifty 1920s Golf Costumes
Jordan (Great Gatsby)- Do you remember Jordan was a pro women’s golfer? 1920’s golf clothes are easy to recreate. A mid shin pleated skirt, with blouse worn under a long button down sweater (funky patterns are perfect) make an easy costume. Jordan and other “new women” in the 1920’s were making a statement against the silly flappers. Dress in men’s 1920s inspired clothing (pants and tie!) for a radical and historically correct costume.
1920s Silent Movie Stars! – Source
Silent Movie Star- I ran across this idea on Pinterest, and I love it. Wear all black or grey tone clothing and makeup and carry around a chalk board to “talk” to people. Since the 1920’s were the golden age of silent movies you might as well reuse those 1920s costumes. See more examples on this Glamourus Housewife blog post
Get the Boardwalk Empire Look
Gangsters (Men or Women)- Boardwalk Empire made 1920s gangsters popular again. This is naturally a great men’s costumes. Women could do the gender bending gangster role too with just as much class.
1920s Court Jester Inspired Halloween Costumes
Court Jester- People in the 1920s took dressing up and Halloween very seriously. Most home and public parties were themed parties where everyone made homemade costumes. Looking through old costumes books from the 1920s there is one theme that repeats itself. The Court Jester. The 1920s were obsessed with historical court life. Your look could be an awesome court jester outfit. While it may not scream “1920s” it certainly would be fun. My friend Lauren made a black and white Pierrot clown costume last year and it turned out amazing!
1923 Egyptian Inspired Dress
Boardwalk Empire 1920 Egyptian themed party
Egyptian Queen / King- Another popular theme in the 1920s was anything Egyptian. You can take your 1920s beaded dress and add themed accessories like a snake arm bangle, a beaded headdress, gold sandals, and a scarab ring. Add Egyptian makeup to complete your look. I’m dying to try this one someday!
1920s Peacock Theme Costume – Shop this look at Unique-Vintage.com
Peacock- One final theme in 1920s clothing is the use of peacock colors and feathers. I used my green beaded flapper dress and made a peacock facemask for a Halloween Masquerade party one year. There are a bunch of dresses, headbands, wraps, and even shoes with a peacock motif to help you get the look.
1930s Halloween Costumes
Thelma Todd disguised a gypsy for the Laurel & Hardy feature Bohemian Girl (1936).
Gypsy - 1930s movies were obsessed with the mysterious Gypsy women.You can turn any 1930s clothing into a gypsy costume by adding scarves, headwraps, big hoop earrings and of course your fortune telling ball. Belly Dancing clothes are great for this costume.
Holliday Grainger & Emile Hirsch in Bonnie & Clyde(Courtesy of A+E Networks)
Bonnie and Clyde (Couple)- I know, I know, so overdone right? But it’s a perfect way to wear your 1930s clothes and be a coordinated couple. If you want to be a bit more gory add multiple bullet holes and pale makeup for a post mortum return.
Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in Flying Down To Rio, 1933
Musical Movie Star- Hollywood moved away from silent movies into singing and dancing musical sensations. Dawn your finest old Hollywood gown, put on your dancing shoes, add a tuxedo clad dancing partner to your side and be the next Fred and Ginger!
From the Bride of Frankenstein- awesome Halloween hair!
1930s monster movies- Frankenstein, The Mummy, Dracula, Black Cat and Bride of Frankenstein all came out in the 1930s. You could say it was a decade obsessed with Halloween Horror flicks. Why not watch these movies and recreate the costumes from them? Here is a look at women in 1930s horror movies.
Sailor Style Beach Pajamas (Classic Vintage look!)
Beach Pajamas - Most people love to wear and be seen wearing very wide leg 1930s Beach Pajamas. You don’t need to spook this costume- it’s a great look as is. Sew a pair with this pattern from Wearing History.
1940s Halloween Costumes
Pin Up Costume
The Pin Up – Yes, the iconic 1940s pin up in a sexy tight fitting wiggle dress, romper, or swimsuit makes a perfect vintage costume. One funny alternative to this look is to age yourself with makeup (or not if you already well past your pin up prime), add a grey wig and carry around a photo of your younger self. Granny pin up girl!
Another Pin up Idea is to be the showcase girl who promotes a “new” vintage item. Carry around a vintage telephone, toaster oven, silly putty or other 1940s invention. Go out and sell your product!
Sailor and Nurse. Adorable vintage Halloween costumes
Sailor and Nurse (Couple) – Use the most iconic 1940s photo – “The V day Kiss”- and become that couple. He can wear a navy sailor suit and she can wear a white nurses uniform (or any white dress). Wear a lot of chapstick, your lips might get raw from kissing all night : )
Back to the 1940s for a vintage costume – Shop at Unique-Vintage.com
Radio Hour Voice (Men and Women)- Before TV, the radio is what everyone used for news and entertainment. Be one of the famous “voices” of the radio by dressing in 1940s clothing and caring around an old microphone as a prop. Stop and recite some funny vintage commercials, sing a song, report the news or play a game show. Use real scripts from the 1940s and entertain your friends!
My friend Stephanie pulling off a fabulous Rosie the Rivter costume
Rosie the Riveter- Another classic 1940s costume that is really easy to create from thrift store clothing or stuff in your closet already. Overalls or wide leg denim jeans, a mens style button down shirt, and headscarf is all you need. Add some tools to your pockets for props.
Sail the High seas in some 1940s Red, White and Blue
Sailorette- Besides the sexy pinup the most popular 1940s look is the Navy and White (or Red, White and Blue) sailorette dress. Nothing says WW2 cutie like a sailor inspired vintage dress. It doesn’t have to look “costumey” to look great on you. Make a “V” pin for Victory as a charming and historically correct accessory.
1940s Wonder Woman Costume
Wonder Woman- Be a vintage comic book character! Research any of your favorite comic book characters and you may find a fascinating history of his/her clothing as they change through the decades. Wonder women is one such comic book icon whose 1940’s costume is one of my favorites. Recreating her costume would be fun and a great conversation starter. Use a polka dot skirt and red corset top, white belt and red western boots for the look above.
1950s Halloween Costumes
Cute 1950s School Girl Poodle Skirt Costume
1950s Teenager – If you are new to the 1950s look the most natural costume to select is the teenager’s poodle skirt, black and white saddles shoes, and cat eye glasses. For a bit more Rock N’ Roll teens wore dark denim blue jeans with the cuffs rolled up, saddle shoes, white T-Shirt and leather jacket. Women can wear this too- maybe with snug capris instead of long jeans. Easy last minute costume!
Mel’s Girl is a Sexy Car Hop
Car Hop- A popular job for teens in the 1950s was to be a roller skating car hop. Find a vintage pair of skates, capris / skirt/ pants, and Bowling shirt for a uniform look. Make yourself a name tag with a cute 50’s pet name like “Bunny” and carry a serving tray as your prop.
1950s Marilyn Monroe Costume- Get this look at Unique-Vintage.com
Favorite TV & Movie icons- There are many famous movie and TV stars that would make great 1950s costumes. Try I love Lucy (Lucile Ball), Marilyn Monroe, and Audrey Hepburn. Learn how to dress in vintage 1950s style.
Vintage Housewife or I Love Lucy costume- Get this look and more at Unique-Vintage.com
1950s Housewife – If you have a 1950s style house dress you can easily pull off the vintage housewife look. Add a retro apron and carry a pie as your prop. For a gross twist place a hand, eyeballs, or other dismembered body part in the pie. A creepy smile helps too.
1950s Western Cutie Costume- Get this look
Western Cutie - The 1950s were obsessed with Western folk life. Fashion followed the trend with western motif dresses, skirts, tops and pants. You can be country chic with a vintage take on western costumes.
Baby Doll Style 1950s Dress/ Lolita Costume
Baby Doll - Short 1950s dresses in a baby pink, yellow, blue or a cute pattern are the perfect beginnings of a “Doll” costume. Add exaggerated doll makeup, white bloomers, black Mary Jane flats, lace gloves and a teddy bear or giant lolly pop for the ultimate in cuteness. A variation of this is to dress like Alice in Wonderland! Yes, you can horror it up to in all sorts of creative ways. Let your imagination run wild with this one.
Disney’s “Up” Costumes are 1950s!
“Up” (Couple)- My husband and I are huge Disney “Up” fans. We danced to the theme song at our wedding, had the couple’s chairs as our wedding cake topper, painted the Up house in my daughter’s nursery, and soon will be dressing up as the young UP couple (late 50’s/early 60’s clothes.) We are such nerds like that! Go ahead, steal this idea, its ok. Shop 1950s style women’s and men’s clothing.
Hawaiian Tiki Dresses (Skirt and Crop Top) Costumes
Hawaiian / Tiki Costumes (Couple)- A popular party trend in the 1950s was the tropical Tiki room. Hawaiian music, drinks and clothing were what everyone was listening to and wearing. This is a fun couples costume. Women can dress in tropical print 1950s dresses while the men look dapper in Hawaiian shirts. Don’t forget to wear a lei and carry a Pina Colada pineapple drink with you!
1960s to 1980s – Halloween Costumes
1960s Beatnick Mod Costume at Unique-Vintage
Beatnick - Be a 60’s starving artist with an all black outfit. Black dress or stirrup pants, turtle neck shirt or sweater, beret hat, and fake cigarette. An accent of a white scarf is so MOD too. Another easy last minute costume to wear.
Be MOD in a mini 1960s “shock your eyes” print or color!
Mod Hipster - I love mod print clothing for their graphical style and wild colors. Two tone color block dresses, mini shift dresses, extra large polka dot skirts and other classic mod 60’s designs can stand out on their own as a cool costume.
Model “Twiggy” is the Graveyard look of the 1960s.Spooky as is.
Graveyard- A popular makeup look among high fashion editorials was the “graveyard” look. Almost dead, dark eyes, pale lips, minimizing facial contours all created a year round Halloween look. Wear any 60’s style shift dress with this dramatic makeup and you will be both historically accurate and dead looking. Read more about fashions of the 1960s.
Late 1960s Hippie Costumes
Hippie- Bright clashing colors, bell button pants, folk prints, long hair and leather fringe. Hippie costumes are fun and easy to create. Need I say more?
Morticia Adams long back hair and gown screams Halloween!
Morticia Adams – I love her and all the characters from the Adams Family. Her long black dress with bat wing sleeves is easy to make with a chiffon shawl for the wings.
Bewitched Costumes- Half Witch half 1960s Housewife.
Bewitched- The popular TV series aired in 1964 with clothing that was part housewife, part witch. Be both sides at once with a 1960s house dress covered up in half by a witch costume. Two vintage costumes in one!
Vintage Strawberry Shortcake and her Strawberry Baby Costumes
Strawberry Shortcake (Matching mom and baby) – In 1977 the Strawberry Shortcake character was made and eventually became a popular 1980s cartoon. I never watched the show but I remember my first board game was Strawberry Shortcake themed. A few Halloweens ago, I found a cute Strawberry themed sleep sack for my then 6 month old daughter. I bought a ready made Strawberry Shortcake costume so that together we coordinated. Its was really cute! You could easily make a version of her costume with a pink skirt or dress, white blouse, striped green tights, mop cap and frilly apron.
1980s Roller Skating Costumes
1980’s roller skating teens- Oh the 80’s with bright, colorful, clashing colors and leg warmers! Bring back the 80’s fashion icons that you love to hate: peg leg pants, ugly sweaters, scrunchy wrapped pony tails (on the side), huge shoulder padded suits, leggings, fluorescent pink jewelry, and leotards.
Mad Men 1960s costumes
TV Land Ladies- Who doesn’t want to look like Jackie O. or wear a cute Pan Am Stewardesses uniform (with bag), or be a Mad Men character. Vintage Inspiration is all over past and current TV shows.
Historical Costume Ideas
Victorian Witch Costume
Gothic Victorian – Have a black Victorian dress? Probably not but now is a perfect time to make/buy one. You can use it as a base for a Gothic vibe, Lolita style, Ghost, or Steampunk. Add to your costume by coming up with a real or made up story of how you lived and died in Victorian times.
Red Victorian Inspired Lolita Dress
Lolita- Lolita is a huge baby doll meets Victorian costume movement in Asian. It never made its way to the USA as strongly but I love the look none-the less. You can make or buy pre-made Lolita costumes in a variety of directions. I love to use a lot of the black Lolita costume bits for Steampunk costumes too. (When ordering online from an Asian website pay attention to the shipping estimate. Many items need to be custom made so you may not get them in time for Halloween.)
At a Moulin Rouge theme party. Photo Credit Jamie Kingham
Moulin Rouge- I went to a Moulin Rouge themed party for Halloween last year. I had so much fun putting together my costume. I was going for a mix of vintage circus, burlesque, and steampunk in my look. Read more about it here.
Titanic Swim Dress Costume
Titanic Themed Costume
Titanic Dress- The 100th anniversary of Titanic’s maiden voyage and ultimate demise was remembered 2 years ago. It’s still a very popular them for parties and costumes. This era of clothing is also easy to make using a few select thrift store clothes. Read about how to create your own Titanic dress here.
Historically Correct “Bell” Costume
Disney Princess- Historical Accuracy has never been a priority for Disney animators. Hardly any princess or other human chracter’s costume is based on one specific time period. However that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own historically accurate version. Look at this artist’s renderings and see how you can create a unique Disney inspired costume from them.
Need more ideas? Check out this Pinterest page of Vintage Halloween Costumes
What vintage inspired Halloween costume are you going to wear? Tell us in the comments below or share on your favorite social media channel:
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