Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Fashion Looks

Mia Wallace's white shirt and black pants Difficulty: very easy. The stiff white shirt and black pants are the whole outfit, which is why so many people already own most of this costume. Find a man's white shirt a size too big, keep the collar crisp and roll the cuffs once, then add slim black pants cropped above the ankle and flat shoes. The wig does the real work: a blunt, jet-black bob with heavy bangs. Finish with dark red nails and lipstick. It reads best in pairs, with a friend in a black suit and skinny tie as Vincent.

Freddie Mercury's Live Aid outfit, 1985 Difficulty: very easy. A white tank top, tight high-waisted jeans in a faded light wash, white high-top sneakers, and a studded black belt with a matching studded armband on one upper arm. Add a thick mustache, either grown or stuck on, and short dark hair swept back. What sells it is the pose rather than the clothes: one fist punched into the air, a short microphone stand gripped in the other hand. Cut a cheap mic stand down or fake one with a painted cardboard tube. This one works for any build and costs almost nothing if you already own jeans.

Annie Hall's menswear look (1977) Difficulty: very easy, and the best choice if you hate dressing up. Diane Keaton's character borrowed from the men's wardrobe: a man's tweed or check jacket, a pale shirt with a loosely knotted tie, a vest if you have one, and a soft wide-brimmed hat. Below, either baggy wide-legged pants or a long dark skirt with boots. Thrift store men's racks will cover every piece. Wear everything a little too big, because the oversized fit is what makes it read as Annie rather than office wear. A bit of nervous charm completes it.

Holly Golightly's black Givenchy dress from the opening scene Difficulty: easy. Any long, sleeveless black column dress or a floor-length black skirt with a fitted black top will pass, as long as the back is plain and the line is sleek. The accessories make it Holly: a chunky multi-strand faux pearl necklace, long black opera gloves, oversized dark sunglasses, a small sparkly tiara pinned into a high bun. Carry a Danish pastry and a paper coffee cup and nobody needs to ask. If you only own a little black dress, it still works, since the film's black dresses made that silhouette famous too.

Cher Horowitz's yellow plaid suit Difficulty: easy. You need a yellow and black plaid blazer and a matching pleated mini skirt, a white shirt underneath, white over-the-knee socks and Mary Janes. Thrift stores often have a yellow check blazer; a skirt in any close match is fine. Add a cell phone held permanently to one ear and an eye-roll ready for anyone who gets it wrong. Bring a friend in a black, white and red plaid set as Dionne, which mirrors her matching look in the film.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake's matching denim, 2001 American Music Awards Difficulty: easy, and the best couples costume here. She wore a strapless patchwork denim gown; he wore a denim suit topped with a cowboy hat. Old jeans, a denim jacket and a hot glue gun get you most of the way. For her, stitch or glue denim panels from old jeans onto a strapless maxi dress, leaving the seams showing. For him, a denim jacket over a denim shirt and jeans, plus a cowboy hat, covered in denim if you can. The joke lands harder the more denim you pile on, so do not hold back.

Carrie Bradshaw's tutu from the opening credits Difficulty: easy, and fittingly thrifty: the costume designer found the original skirt in a $5 bin. You need a full, knee-length white tulle skirt, a fitted pink tank top, strappy heels and a small handbag. Tulle skirts are cheap online, or layer several meters of net on an elastic waistband. Curly blonde hair, a cocktail glass prop and a lot of gazing up at buildings sell it. For the full joke, carry a water spray and ask a friend to play the passing bus.

Wednesday Addams's black dance dress from season one Difficulty: easy. On screen it was an Alaïa dress, but any black collared dress with a full, frothy layered skirt reads instantly. A thrift store black dress with a tulle underskirt added underneath does the job. Finish with black tights and chunky black boots or lace-up shoes. Wednesday's signature two braids, a pale face and dark lips finish it. Learn a few moves from the dance and you have a party trick as well as a costume. It is easy to adapt for children too.

Barbie's pink gingham dress Difficulty: easy. A pink and white gingham midi dress, white daisy earrings and a daisy necklace or bracelet, pink heels and glossy blonde hair, a wig if needed. Gingham dresses turn up often in thrift stores, and pink check fabric is cheap if you want to sew one. Everything should be pink and perfect, so pink nails and pink lipstick are part of the outfit. Ken needs little more than a pastel shirt and a fixed grin.

Sandy's all-black finale look in Grease (1978) Difficulty: easy to moderate. Skin-tight black high-waisted pants, a black off-the-shoulder top, a black leather or faux leather biker jacket and red heels or mules. Big, tousled permed curls and red lipstick finish it, plus a cigarette prop if you like. The pants are the hard part: Olivia Newton-John was sewn into hers each morning because the zipper had broken. Shiny black leggings or wet-look jeans are the practical answer, and you will still be able to sit down. Pair with a friend in a T-Bird jacket and quiff as Danny.

The Bride's yellow suit from the fight with the Crazy 88 Difficulty: moderate. A bright yellow tracksuit or motorcycle-style two-piece with black stripes running down the sides, and yellow sneakers with black stripes, the shoe being Onitsuka Tiger's Mexico 66 on screen. If you cannot find the suit, buy a plain yellow set and add black stripes with fabric tape. Carry a toy katana and tie your hair back loosely. Film fans will also spot the nod to Bruce Lee's yellow suit in Game of Death, which the costume deliberately echoes.

Michael Jackson's red jacket from the Thriller video (1983) Difficulty: moderate. The jacket is everything: bright red, with black stripes and raised shoulders that make an inverted triangle. Find a red faux leather or bomber jacket, add V-shaped stripes across the chest and shoulders with black fabric tape or vinyl, and sew in shoulder pads if it needs more height. Pair it with red pants or narrow red jeans, white socks and loafers. Add zombie makeup if you want the second half of the video, and practice the dance's arm moves so the costume has a party piece.

Marilyn Monroe's white halter dress over the subway grate Difficulty: moderate. A white or ivory halter-neck dress with a fitted bodice and a full, pleated skirt that swings below the knee, white strappy heels and white or pearl earrings. The pleats matter, because a flat skirt will not do the famous billow. Platinum curls set close to the head, a beauty spot and red lips complete the face. A hidden handheld fan, or a friend with a hairdryer, recreates the moment for photos. Vintage-style shops sell halter dresses year round if thrift stores let you down.

Princess Diana's "revenge dress", Serpentine Gallery, June 1994 Difficulty: moderate. A short, fitted black off-the-shoulder dress, ideally ruched, with a length of black chiffon pinned at one hip so it falls to the side like the original's panel. Add sheer black tights and black heels. The jewelry is what identifies it: a statement multi-strand pearl choker with a large blue stone at the center, and pearl drop earrings. Short blonde hair and a confident walk do the rest. Fitted black dresses are easy to find; the off-the-shoulder neckline and the side drape are the details worth adding, since a plain little black dress on its own will just look like a night out.

Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress, 1997 Brit Awards Difficulty: moderate, but cheap. The original was a plain black Gucci minidress with a Union Jack dish towel stitched onto the front by her sister, so the homemade route is the authentic one. Sew or glue a flag dish towel or flag fabric onto a short black dress. Add chunky red boots, big red hair and plenty of attitude. A peace sign for photos is compulsory. Bring four friends and you have the whole group.

Madonna's cone bra corset from the Blond Ambition tour, 1990 Difficulty: moderate. The Jean Paul Gaultier original was a satin corset with sharply pointed conical cups. Build it from a peach or pink corset or bodysuit, with cones made from card or craft foam, covered in satin and topstitched in rings so they hold their shape. Wear it over black pants or fishnet tights, with a high blonde ponytail, a headset microphone and bold red lips. For a less exposed version, wear the cone bra under a black suit, which is how it first appeared on stage, showing through slits in the jacket.

Jennifer Lopez's green Versace dress, 2000 Grammy Awards Difficulty: moderate. The gown was green bamboo-print silk chiffon with long sheer sleeves, a neckline plunging past the navel, a jeweled brooch at the hip and a high split. Look for a sheer green leaf-print maxi dress or kimono, or buy two meters of printed chiffon and drape it into a deep V over a nude bodysuit, pinned at the hip with a big costume brooch. Add bronzed skin and long, loose hair. Fans of internet trivia will enjoy the backstory: so many people searched for this dress that it is credited with prompting Google Images.

Lady Gaga's meat dress, 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Difficulty: hard, though not for the reason you might fear. Do not use real meat. The original by Franc Fernandez was made from raw beef, including a matching bag and a little beret. Recreate the cuts in red and white craft foam, felt or printed fabric, layered over an old strapless dress so the "slices" overlap. The finishing touches are a small meat-covered hat perched on the head, a matching clutch and platform boots. Pale blonde hair and a straight face complete it. This one takes a weekend, but it gets talked about all night.

Cher's Bob Mackie look at the 1986 Academy Awards Difficulty: hard. The outfit was all black: a jeweled lattice bralette that left the midriff bare, a low-slung sequined skirt slit high up the sides, thigh-high boots, a long black shawl and a towering feathered headdress. Build the headdress from a headband with black feathers or black card fringing fanned upwards, as tall as you dare. The rest is easier: black ribbon or bead strings criss-crossed over a black bralette, a strip of sequined fabric hanging from the waist over black leggings, tall black boots and a wrap from any black fabric. Long, dark hair under the headdress finishes it.

Rihanna's yellow Guo Pei cape, 2015 Met Gala Difficulty: hard, mostly because of the train. The original was a fur-trimmed canary yellow cape with gold floral swirls, said to have taken two years to make. Start with a yellow or gold satin cape, or a large circle of yellow fabric, edged with yellow faux fur and decorated with gold fabric paint or appliqué. Underneath, a simple gold or yellow dress and gold jewellery. The bigger the train, the better, but plan where it will go: a friend to carry it is half the fun, and the internet's egg dish comparisons mean everyone will get the joke.

Björk's swan dress, 2001 Academy Awards Difficulty: the hardest here, and the most rewarding. Marjan Pejoski's dress was made to look like a swan, its neck wrapped around her own neck with the head and orange beak resting on her chest, above a fluffy white skirt and over a sheer nude-toned top. Make the neck and head from a white stuffed fabric tube with a felt beak, stitched to a nude top, and add a puffy layered white tulle skirt. Carry a white plastic egg to drop behind you on arrival, as she did on the red carpet. Very few people attempt it, so it will stand out at any party.