9 Halloween Costumes With a Black Dress
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Almost everyone owns a black dress, and almost every spooky character wears one. That makes it the single most useful costume base in your closet.
These nine ideas range from five-minute easy to full glam. None of them hurt the dress.
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1. Witch
The number one adult Halloween costume, and a black dress is the whole base. A witch only needs a hat and one pop of color.
How to do it: Add a pointed hat, striped or purple tights, a broom and dark lipstick. One color accent, like a purple sash or green nails, keeps it from looking like regular clothes.
Worth buying: a witch hat with a wired brim.
2. Black Cat
Five minutes, start to finish. A black cat with a black dress looks sleeker than one in leggings.
How to do it: Cat ears, a winged eyeliner cat eye, a drawn-on nose and whiskers, and a tail pinned at the back. Black tights and boots.
Worth buying: cat ears and a tail.
3. Vampire
A black dress plus a cape is a vampire with real elegance.
How to do it: Add a high-collar cape, a choker, dark red lips, pale skin and a drip of blood at the corner of the mouth. Fangs if you can talk in them.
Worth buying: a stand-up collar vampire cape.
4. Flapper
If the dress is short and loose, it’s a 1920s flapper. Black fringe is the most classic version.
How to do it: Sequin headband with a feather, long pearls, T-strap heels and a dark lip. Finger waves in the hair.
Worth buying: a feathered flapper headband.
5. Black Widow Spider
Creepy, chic and easy. Extra legs and a red hourglass make it read right away.
How to do it: Pin a red hourglass shape to the front of the dress, and attach extra stuffed legs (black tights filled with stuffing) to the back. A small veil or web-print tights and a dark lip finish it.
Worth buying: attachable spider legs.
Full guide: our black widow spider costume guide
6. Bat
Cute or spooky, your choice. Wings and ears turn the dress into a bat costume in about ten minutes.
How to do it: Add black bat wings (store-bought or cut from a black umbrella), a headband with bat ears and black tights. Smoky eye makeup.
Worth buying: black bat wings.
Full guide: our bat costume guide
7. Mourning Widow
Dark, dramatic and a little funny if you play it right. Victorian mourning wear is all black and all attitude.
How to do it: Long black dress, a black lace veil or fascinator, black gloves and a small black handbag. Pale skin, dark lips. Dab your eyes with a black hankie and say nothing.
Worth buying: a black lace veil.
8. Gothic Schoolgirl
Wednesday Addams has made this one of the most popular costumes of the last few years. A black dress with a white collar is the entire look.
How to do it: Pin or clip a white collar onto the dress, braid your hair into two tight pigtails, wear black tights and chunky black shoes. No smiling.
Worth buying: a detachable white collar.
9. Skeleton
Skull makeup on top of a black dress is striking, and it’s one of the most photographed costumes every year. A skeleton works with almost any cut.
How to do it: White and black skull face paint, skeleton-print gloves or tights, and a black flower crown if you want the sugar skull version.
Worth buying: skeleton-print tights.
Making a Black Dress Look Like a Costume
Add one signature piece: a hat, ears, a collar, wings. That’s the difference between a costume and a night out.
Use color on purpose. A witch with green tights or a vampire with a red lip looks more finished than one in all black.
Pin, don’t cut. Collars, hourglasses and spider legs go on with safety pins so the dress lives to see next weekend.
Short on time? Our 10 last-minute Halloween costumes all come together tonight, or browse the full costume encyclopedia from A to Z.
Black Dress Costume FAQ
What can I be for Halloween with a black dress?
A witch, black cat, vampire, flapper, black widow spider, bat, mourning widow, gothic schoolgirl or skeleton.
What’s the easiest black dress costume?
A black cat. Add ears, a tail and eyeliner whiskers, and you’re done.
What’s a last-minute black dress costume?
A witch or a cat. Both take under fifteen minutes with things you can grab at any store.
What group costumes work with black dresses?
A coven of witches, a family of black cats, or a group of bats are all easy for any number of people.
Free: The Last-Minute Costume Cheat Sheet
Ten costumes you can make tonight, mostly from your own closet. One page, printable, plus a short email before each costume season. No spam.
