Back to School Halloween Costume Pairing Ideas

by Athena Zhang Baker

Going back to school after spending 3 months of not having to see your teachers’ dirty looks may sound like a drag. However, with these five, easy, back to school outfit ideas for you and your partner to try on Halloween, it doesn’t have to be. Especially if you plan on releasing your inner goth or ghoul this school year.

So what are you waiting for? Are you ready to get started?

Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane from Daria



Image via[https://media.giphy.com/media/XA8LazQ9XQotG/giphy.gif]

While some fans may be skeptical of the upcoming Daria and Jodie series, one thing that they would never be skeptical of is that Daria and Jane always and forevermore will be a great pairing.

This costume pairing is an especially great and easy way to help you and your partner get ready for the upcoming school year while utilizing what is already in your own homes. Who knows what your older brother or sister might have been hiding from you all of these years. Am I right?

What You’ll Need:

For Daria(girl on right):

  • A green jacket
  • A brown shirt
  • A black skirt(preferably pleated)
  • Black boots

For Jane(for girl on left):

  • A red jacket
  • A black shirt with a thin white flat collar
  • A pair of black or grey shorts
  • Black tights
  • Black boots

Show synopsis(for the folks who have never seen the show): A mysenthropic teenage girl named Daria Morgendorffer makes the most out of her dreaded high school days with the help of her snarky artistic friend, Jane Lane.

Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz from Star vs. The Forces of Evil



Image via[http://svtfoe-ships.wikia.com/wiki/File:S1E6_You're_my_favorite.png]

Simple and fun, this back to school Halloween costume pairing is perfect for just about anyone! Especially while you're fighting the forces of evil in the middle of the night!

What You’ll Need:

For Star:

  • A teal colored, short sleeves dress with either a Peter Pan collar and pink octopus printed in the middle or purple, pink, and orange stripes in the bust area
  • Purple and pink striped stockings(think Cheshire cat colors)
  • Pink boots
  • A pink devil horned headband
  • Optional: A magic wand
  • Optional: Two hearts painted, one on each cheek

For Marco:

  • A long red-sleeved pullover
  • A white shirt
  • Black pants
  • Red converse shoes

Show synopsis: A girl named Star is taken to planet Earth in order to control her powers after her parents found out that she couldn’t control magic very well. While on Earth, she meets a boy named Marco and battles the forces of evil with him.

Mike Wheeler and Jane “El” Hopper (Aka. Eleven) from Stranger Things



Image via[http://strangerthings.wikia.com/wiki/File:Mike_Wheeler_Season_2.jpg] for Mike

Image via[http://strangerthings.wikia.com/wiki/File:Eleven_S2_revised.png] for El

Simple and fun, this costume pairing idea is especially great for any parents who want to introduce their kids to the world of 1980s America. After all, who wouldn’t want to see their two favorite Stranger Things kids come right out of the darkness and into the world of 2018?

What You’ll Need:

For Mike:

  • A dark blue jacket
  • A blue and pink striped collared shirt
  • A pair of tan colored khaki pants
  • A pair of white sneakers
  • Optional: A big bulky phone or walkie talkie

For El:

  • An oversized brown jacket
  • A long sleeved grey shirt
  • A pair of blue overalls
  • Either black, brown, or white shoes

For El, if you want to shave her head to make her look more authentic, you can. Just make sure that nobody at school gets any funny ideas once they look at your costume.

As for the both of them, if you don’t already have some of these items on end, feel free to check out any yard or estate sale that might have some of these times. Of course, you can also check out second hand shops if you want to make your outfits more authentic.

Show Synopsis: Set in 1980s Hawkins, Indiana, two kids named Mike and El work together to find a boy named Will Byers. While searching for him, the two end up on a whirlwind adventure of government experiments, supernatural forces, scientific mysteries, and many other stranger things.

Buffy Summers and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer



Image via[http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/File:Buffy-and-Spike-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-76460_288_396.jpg]

While we’re still not 100% sure as to when exactly the show will reboot, you do have to admit that two of Sunnydale's most iconic residents, Buffy and Spike, make an awesome team in this iconic 1990s Horror Mystery Crimefighting show.

What You’ll Need:

For Buffy:

  • Either a black, blue light purple colored tank top(any Valley Girl outfit pairings would do)
  • Either black or blue leather pants
  • Either a pair of sandals or boots
  • A silver cross necklace
  • Optional: A plastic butterfly barrette or two

For Spike:

  • A black leather jacket
  • A black shirt
  • Black jeans
  • A matching black belt
  • Black boots
  • Optional: A Billy Idol style hairdo(some hair gel assembly required)

For the most part, if you, your siblings, or any of your parents have some of these items, then you should be good to go.

Show Synopsis: A girl named Buffy Summers (unwillingly) slays monsters and demons in the middle of the night while maintaining her status as a normal human girl. It's basically the horror version of Kim Possible before Kim Possible aired on TV for the first time.



Image via[https://media.giphy.com/media/Ww3QYzLzIBtFC/giphy.gif]

Dr. Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith from Rick and Morty



Image via[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Imagen_de_la_serie_Rick_y_Morty.webp]

Though not the easiest Halloween cosplay pairing to pass off as, even if your teachers or classmates were to give you “the evil eye,” at least you would still be ready in time for Halloween. Who knows? If you go dressed as Rick on Frog Dissection Day, your Biology teacher might give you some bonus points.

What You’ll Need:

For Rick:

  • A white lab coat
  • A light blue shirt
  • A pair of tan colored khaki pants
  • A matching black belt with a gold cuff in the middle
  • A pair of white socks
  • A pair of black, closed toed, lab shoes

For Morty:

  • A yellow shirt
  • Dark blue jeans/pants
  • White socks
  • White sneakers

Show Synopsis: An eccentric scientist named Rick goes off on wild adventures with his grandson, Morty.

Two BONUS Costume Pairings!

Wednesday and Pugsley Addams from The Addams Family



Image via[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Addams_kids.jpg]

Though their outfits may seem a little old fashioned in today’s world of designer shirts and jeans, they are nevertheless two of the most iconic outfits in gothic history. Hopefully, your drama and/or history teacher(s) would give you bonus points for dressing up as either character when the time comes for each of you to study the Victorian period and its influence on American fashion.

What You’ll Need:

For Wednesday:

  • A black dress with a white triangle collar
  • A pair of long black tights or stockings
  • Black shoes

For Pugsley:

  • A white and black striped shirt
  • Black pants (shorts are fine)
  • Either black or brown shoes

Show Synopsis: An eccentric, gothic family lives their lives in a dark, gloomy mansion located at 0001 Cemetery Lane.

Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World(the videogame)



Image via[https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=scott+pilgrim&title=Special:Search&go=Go&searchToken=bc1a685l2y5iaiubnurvxz47v#/media/File:SDCC_2012_-Scott_Pilgrim%26_Ramona_Flowers_(7560612958).jpg]

Though not as popular as they were a few years ago, let’s face it, both Scott and Ramona have the coolest, most appropriate outfits that you can wear for school, anytime, anywhere(except maybe Biology class on Frog Dissection Day).

What You’ll Need:

For Scott:

  • A green shirt
  • A pair of black or brown khaki pants
  • Black and white converse shoes

For Ramona:

  • A blue jumper sweater
  • A pair of goggles
  • Pink shorts
  • Knee length white socks with pink and blue stripes on top
  • White and pink sneakers

Video Game Synopsis: Based on the popular graphic novels written by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the object of the game is to help your best friend, Scott, defeat Ramona’s seven evil boyfriends. It’s a little silly, I know. But trust me, the game is so much fun, especially if you love anime.

Conclusion:

So tell us fellow costume makers and designers, what other costume pairings would you recommend that we put on our site for next time? Do you think that some of these might be appropriate for school? Be sure to leave us a comment below! See you next time!



Image via[https://media.giphy.com/media/yALcFbrKshfoY/giphy.gif]