Students handcrafted costumes to express their spooky side for Halloween. From handmade head masks to full-face makeup, creativity was on full display. Many were thrilled to see unexpected outfits as creators brought ideas to life, portraying an evening from someone else’s perspective. From rare items to elaborate designs, these looks showcased originality at the A&D Halloween party.
Sophia Lorio, a junior majoring in animation, described the steps she took to create her standout costume: a pig butcher.
“I went to Spirit Halloween, looked through the mask aisles to see what they had, and saw a pig mask,” she said.
The mask was unique, not seen in other Spirit Halloween stores. With help from her grandmother, Sophia transformed it into a chilling look. She brushed the mask with red paint, ripped out the eyes to replace them, and added a zipper. Her grandmother prepared a transparent smock apron to complete the spooky vibe. The process took two weeks, though Sophia only worked on it Saturdays—about two days total.
As she danced at the Halloween party, Sophia admitted the costume had no deep meaning. “It was just a mix of doing things on the go and seeing how it goes,” she said.
Another costume of “mixing things on the go” is shown by Summer, a freshman deciding between illustration and fashion as a major. She combined both of these interests as one through her last-minute-custom-making. Dressed as the Japanese legend Kuckisake Onna, Summer was able to make this spooky look happen through the use of her wardrobe, fake blood, lashes, and contacts similar to Onna’s scary-looking pupils. Although Summer’s Onna custom definitely expresses Onna’s beauty, she wore a different outfit, Tomie from Junji Ito, for Halloween day.
“I wish there were more snacks, for sure, but everything else is okay,” Summer said, noting differences from last year’s party.
Bernadette Finger, a junior majoring in cartooning, also noticed the snack downgrade also noticed the snacks provided, remarking how last year’s Halloween dance included a popcorn machine and while this year’s dance only had chips and juice.
Still, Finger enjoyed the event in her costume inspired by a Roblox game, Dandy’s World, where you must escape the horrors by completing objectives and avoiding contact with Twisteds. Dressed as the character V, Finger described her outfit as a character she truly likes. Searching for parts of her outfit, she found a real nonfunctioning TV, which she views as the perfect head piece for her V outfit, which is the main aspect for V.
Finger then got to work, spray painting the outfit of the TV a neon green, attaching antennas she got from spirit halloween, padding and duck tapping the inside so that it wouldn’t move around too much as she parties. Lastly, Finger added a mesh on the TV screen part so that she would be able to look through, while no one else could see her face. For the total time, it took an hour for the paint to dry, three hours to structure the outfit and two hours to form the inside of the TV, a total of six hours.
As Finger rushed to put together the costume the night before the dance, successfully finished it just in time.
“I love the school dance, I always go to them” Finger said.
Joseph Spix, a sophomore majoring in animation, drew inspiration for his distinctive costume of the Knight from the Hollow Night. In the game, you are a bug with a darkness being and your parents are divorced. While there is an infection, your role is to seal it.
“I just started playing the game, probably last month and could just not, not do it” said Spix
Spix incorporating his recent interest in the game and his main choice of character when designing his costume. After two and a half weeks, with help from his mother, Spix created a helmet, cape and other elements of the Knight’s look. Weather prevented him from bringing the nail prop, but he hoped to wear it on Halloween day.
She was able to help bring his ideas to reality. As Spix danced with others, he showed his recognition of the DJ playing Golden, from the popular movie, Kpop Demon Hunters.
Spix was startled by the dinosaur battle that had occurred while in the dance, stating “I think I might be going as an inflatable dinosaur next year, so I can tackle people with my inflatable costume”. While gathering his ideas for next year’s Halloween costume, Spix found the dance to be a fun and eventful afternoon.
These are just a few of the many unique costumes displayed at the dance, each bringing something creative and diverse to the celebration. So, what do you plan on wearing for next year’s Art & Design Halloween party?
