Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas

I don't know about you, but Halloween seems to sneak up on me every year. Fortunately, I've got a couple of cosplay things in my closet that I can fall back on, drawing on my years of attending nerdy conventions. But, if you're like me and Halloween popped up to surprise you again this year, here are some SRPS-approved costume ideas you can pull together quickly and easily featuring a wide range of kickass women!

Rey

She's the Star Wars heroine we've been waiting for! As much as we love Princess Leia, she can't be the only baddass female in this whole Galaxy! Enter Rey, who won our hearts by adopting BB-8 and helping Finn, and then showed her serious fighting and flying skills!

For this you'll need some gray pants/capris, a light colored sleeveless shirt, lots of light colored fabric for the arm wraps and the criss-cross tunic-thing,a leather belt or two, and black boots. If you want, you can make a quarterstaff out of a curtain or shower rod.

Get a how-to on making a pair of Rey's goggles here.

For a more in-depth how-to for the whole ensemble, check out this detailed tutorial.

Katniss

Yeah, I know the movies have been out for a while but she's still a pretty amazing example of a kickass female character!

And since there are several different looks (all black, green and gray, etc.) you can pretty much just wear whatever you want and just call yourself Katniss.

You'll need hiking or cargo pants, or at least some dark colored denim or cotton pants, a dark colored top, and a dark colored jacket -- either leather or waterproof depending on the look you're going for. And a bow and quiver if you're really going for the look. The key, of course, is the Mockingjay pin. You can follow the WikiHow directions to make your own.

There's a really great collection of tutorials for this look over on the Simple as That blog.

Phiona Mutesi

I enjoyed Queen of Katwe very much for a number of reasons. But the most important was the way Phiona Mutesi pushed herself to face her fears and reach for her goal of becoming a chess champion for Uganda and in doing so lift her family out of poverty while inspiring other young people living in the Katwe slum.

Phiona is more than a character in a movie, though. She's a real person who did something truly amazing. She's the living embodiment of a self-rescuing princess: she's smart, kind, resourceful, and extremely determined!

You can model your costume on the outfits she wore during the film's chess championship scene: a short-sleeved sweater top in a bright color with a patterned head wrap. And don't forget the chess set and a brilliant smile!

Jane Goodall

Really this could be for any of the women dubbed "The Trimates" -- Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas, but I'd wager that Jane is the most well known of the three. All three women braved living in the remote jungle to study their primate subjects, at risk to their safety and health, as well as to their personal relationships with friends and family. But their research has proven to be invaluable in understanding how primate societies are organized and how early human life may have developed.

What makes Jane such an excellent idea for a costume is her love of animals, her endless curiosity about the world, and her devotion to spreading the love of science to young women around the globe.

For this look you'll need khaki shorts or pants, a khaki button down shirt, hiking boots, and a stuffed chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, or monkey if you're not too particular.

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart is pretty much the epitome of a brave and adventurous woman, and her legacy continues to inspire women young and old nearly eight decades after her mysterious disappearance as she tried to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.

When told that she couldn't do something because of her gender, Amelia laughed and did it anyway. And when asked why she pushed the limits, she gave the only answer any adventurer gives, "I want to do it because I want to do it."

Because there are so many different photos of her either in her flight suit or her everyday clothes, you have a lot of options for this costume. She is often pictured wearing her aviator hat and goggles, but just as often she's shown in slacks and a nice shirt with a scarf or tie.

Lady Detective

There are several amazing female sleuths to celebrate this Halloween, and each with her own unique style!

Nancy Drew who had her classic book series and now solves crimes in her own computer games, while always dressed quite sensibly. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple is much beloved for her frumpy tweed coat and enormous handbag.

Phyrne Fisher is, of course, is never anything less than sensually elegant as she's solving crimes around 1920s Melbourne, while Precious Ramotswe uses her intuition to solve mysteries around her home in Botswana.

There's also Jessica Fletcher, Encyclopedia Brown, and Veronica Mars. What all these women have in common is the ability to keep looking and asking questions.

Tennis Star

Any sports star would be a perfect subject for a Halloween costume, but there's just something about the number of amazing women who've played tennis that makes this so appealing. Plus, the outfits are kinda cute.

You can go with women who've played an important role in the history of women in tennis, like Althea Gibson or Billie Jean King, both of whom broke barriers. Not to mention Martina Navratilova, who continues to inspire women in sports.

Or you try to emulate more modern tennis stars like Serena and Venus Williams, who continue to kickass on and off the court!

For this costume you'll probably want to stick with the classic tennis outfit: a white skirt, white top, white socks, white shoes, tennis racket, And, of course, a silver plate or trophy.

Astronaut

What's more kickass than an astronaut? Seriously, they're smart, brave, and determined to be the best at anything they set out to do!

There's a wide range of amazing women in space you can choose from for your costume: Sally Ride, Ellen Ochoa, Samantha Cristoforetti, and Mae Jemison, among others. Each of these is a scientist at the very top of her academic field who was then hand-selected to go through intensive physical and mental training, until on the best of the best are finally awarded the coveted title of "astronaut." And after all that, it's the rare few who are actually chosen to go into space.

For this you'll need coveralls or cargo pants in blue, white, or orange, and the appropriate homemade patches and flags to finish the look.

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