The ins and outs of the perfect Halloween costume

Three years ago, I stumbled into a Halloween party I wasn’t invited to in a costume that I thought was absolutely brilliant.

I was Aaron Paul, the beloved, bad-boy icon from Breaking Bad. It was an undeniable, surefire costume success. It’s worth mentioning that I didn’t dress as his then TV-persona: methslinging Jesse Pinkman. That would’ve been too obvious. I went as Aaron Paul from The Price Is Right, the gameshow he made an appearance on way back in 2000 before he ever auditioned for a part on Breaking Bad.

I mimicked his outfit perfectly, with a bright red Sriracha t-shirt, my ugliest pair of baggy jeans, wireframed glasses and a bright sticker on my chest that read “AARON.” For the kicker, I crafted a “podium” out of cardboard and let it dangle from around my neck – just like the one Price Is Right contestants stand behind before those with the closest bids are brought up on stage.

No one understood the costume. Not a single person.

At the time, it made me feel like a genius. In retrospect though, everyone probably thought my costume was a reflection of my lack of preparation. That is the unfortunate risk one runs when choosing a largely unknown costume. No one wants to spend the night explaining their attire. Eventually, pro- viding the same commentary over and over brings about the feeling of defeat.

On the other side of the spectrum is having a costume with which everyone is already too familiar. These are the outfits that capitalize on current pop cultural significance, but to an extent where the dress-up becomes ridiculously overdone. Some examples from the past few years include: Eleven from Stranger Things, Miley Cyrus from her MTV Video Music Awards performance and Walter White from Breaking Bad.

If you dress as one of these characters during the timeframe of its popculture dominance, there is a 100 per cent chance that you will see a million others in the very same costume at whichever party you attend. This realization that your disguise for the evening is in no way unique can also lead to that defeated feeling.

The key to a perfect costume is finding the happy medium between these two opposing sides. The costume needs to be recognizable, but not overwhelmingly popular. Lowkey, but not so much that people will inquire, “What are you supposed to be?” You don’t have to stick to costumes that are currently relevant or attaining their height in the pop culture zeitgeist.

For instance, a neon green mankini – a la Borat – is always a good option that not many will risk trying – but everyone will recognize.