Six It Girl Halloween costumes you'll wear long after October

Fashion stylist assists client in a vibrant wardrobe fitting, ensuring perfect accessory choices

Halloween dressing has had a full rebrand. Rather than reaching for a synthetic fancy-dress kit, Glamour has rounded up six It Girl Halloween costumes built around pieces you’ll genuinely want to wear again, high-glam looks that pull from fashion history, pop culture and a little DIY spirit.

The argument is simple: a chic costume extends well beyond 31st October if you choose your pieces wisely. Mix-and-match potential is the whole point. Here’s what’s on the mood board.

Witchy style and old-school throwbacks

The not-so-spooky witch gets a chicness upgrade. Witchy fashion is having a genuine moment, driven partly by Practical Magic 2 and partly by a boho goth aesthetic appearing on the runways. The recommendation here is to skip the broomstick entirely: a little black slip dress, lace-up boots and a wide-brimmed hat do all the work. Think Free People’s Satin Return Duster (£268) paired with Miista’s Lucy Boots (£450) and a Zara Lace Witch Costume Hat at just £12.99 for the finishing touch.

The old-school throwback is the Dionne from Clueless, a costume that, Glamour argues, never gets tired. The joy of it is adaptability: swap the pleated skirt for a structured boucle mini (ASOS Design, £30), add a double-breasted blazer and a pair of Mary Janes, and you’ve got an outfit that works well beyond spooky season.

Film references, style icons and pop star energy

For the fashion-literate, the Alexander McQueen Spring 1999 Shalom Harlow moment is the IYKYK costume of the season. Harlow famously closed that collection standing on a rotating platform while two robots spray-painted her white dress. Glamour’s DIY version involves an old white dress, a belt and a can of spray paint, simple in theory, genuinely show-stopping in execution.

The film-buff flex goes to a Wuthering Heights-inspired Cathy costume, playing on the regencycore trend with a corset top, a puffball asymmetric maxi skirt and a faux pearl choker. House of CB’s Aria Bow-Embellished Corset Top (£109) and an ASOS Luxe Puffball Skirt (£90) are the anchor pieces, with Carvela’s Spirit Sling Heel (currently £79, down from £119) completing the look. A playlist of Kate Bush and Charli xcx is, apparently, non-negotiable.

Then there is the style icon tribute. Following the death of Dolly Parton, Glamour suggests channelling her sequin-and-sparkle philosophy this Halloween: the sparkliest dress you can find, a fluffy boa-style scarf and kitten heels. Rotate’s Fringed Ruched Lurex Cocktail Dress (currently £266, down from £380) fits the brief, with a long blonde wig and Kurt Geiger’s Wisteria Kitten Heel (£149) to finish the look. As Parton herself said, ‘It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.’

Finally, the Y2K pop star slot goes to Zara Larsson, whose rainbow-and-lamé aesthetic Glamour describes as having taken ‘the pop-fashion baton left by Britney.’ The costume calls for a distressed denim mini, a metallic bandage corset top and kitten heels, piled high with metallic eyeshadow. Jaded London’s Idol Metallic Bandage Corset Top (£75) and We The Free’s Lainey Low-Rise Mini Skirt (£78) are the centrepiece items.

Glamour’s verdict is that the best Halloween costume right now is one that earns its place in your wardrobe after the party ends, which is precisely the standard these six looks are built to meet.

Georgia Parkes started in women's magazine editorial and moved sideways into freelance lifestyle writing when the industry contracted. She spent seven years across two national titles, covering everything from celebrity interviews to consumer trends, and did a year on the branded content side before deciding she preferred having opinions to suppressing them. She writes about wellness, fitness, food, relationships, and the small absurdities of modern living that somehow require a 1,200-word feature. She is good at spotting a trend before it peaks and calling it out three months after everyone else has moved on. Georgia lives in South London. She has tested more wellness products than she has had hot dinners, and considers both claims equally dubious.