8 Halloween Costumes With a White Dress
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A white dress can go spooky, angelic or ancient. That range makes it one of the best costume bases you can own, whether it’s a sundress, an old bridesmaid dress or something long and flowing.
Some of these keep the dress clean. Others ruin it on purpose. Each idea says which, so you’ll know before you start.
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1. Ghost Bride
The scariest thing you can do with a white dress. A ghost bride is elegant and creepy at the same time.
How to do it: Gray-white face makeup, dark hollow eyes and a torn veil. Tear the hem of an old dress and dust it with gray eyeshadow for age. Carry a bouquet of dead or black flowers. Glides, not walks.
Worth buying: a tattered bridal veil.
Full guide: our ghost bride costume guide
2. Angel
An angel is the classic white dress costume, and it’s one of the easiest to make look expensive.
How to do it: Add feathered wings, a gold halo headband and some gold jewelry. Highlighter on the cheekbones and gold eyeshadow. Pair it with a friend in a red dress as a devil.
Worth buying: angel wings and a halo.
3. Greek Goddess
A long, flowing white dress is a Greek goddess costume with almost no work.
How to do it: Belt the dress at the waist with a gold cord, add a gold leaf headband and gold arm cuffs, and wear sandals. Loose curls or a low braided bun. Pick a goddess and carry her symbol: an owl for Athena, a bow for Artemis.
Worth buying: a gold leaf headband.
4. Cleopatra
Ancient Egyptians wore white linen, so a simple white dress is the right base for Cleopatra.
How to do it: Add a wide gold collar necklace, gold arm cuffs and a headpiece. Heavy black eyeliner winged out long and a sleek black wig with blunt bangs (or your own hair straightened).
Worth buying: a black Cleopatra wig.
5. Zombie Bride
The ghost bride’s messier cousin. Use an old dress, because the zombie version is meant to look rough.
How to do it: Rip the dress, smear it with dirt and fake blood, add gray skin, sunken eyes and a veil hanging off one side. Wilted flowers and a limp are the finishing touch.
Worth buying: washable fake blood.
6. Bloody Prom Queen
A horror movie classic. A white or pale dress plus a bucket’s worth of fake blood is a costume people will recognize.
How to do it: Wear a pale slip dress and a plastic tiara. Pour or brush fake blood from the top of the head down over the dress, and let it dry before you head out. Wide eyes and a blank stare complete it.
Worth buying: a plastic tiara.
7. Living Statue
Head-to-toe white looks like carved marble. It’s a great costume for a party where you want to make people jump.
How to do it: White dress, white tights or bare skin painted white, white gloves and white face and hair paint (or a white wig). Gray shading in the hollows of the face makes it look carved. Stand perfectly still.
Worth buying: white face and body paint.
8. Snow Queen
Icy and elegant, and it works well into December for holiday parties.
How to do it: Add a sheer pale blue cape, a silver snowflake crown and silver or white glitter on the cheekbones. Icy blue eyeshadow and pale lips. Hair in a braid over one shoulder.
Worth buying: a silver snowflake crown.
White Dress Costume Tips
Decide early whether the dress survives. The angel, goddess, Cleopatra and snow queen keep it clean; the ghost bride, zombie bride and prom queen don’t.
Use washable fake blood. Even then, test it on a seam first. White fabric shows everything.
Layer for warmth. A white dress on a cold October night is rough, so plan for white leggings or a cape.
Short on time? Our 10 last-minute Halloween costumes all come together tonight, or browse the full costume encyclopedia from A to Z.
White Dress Costume FAQ
What can I be for Halloween in a white dress?
A ghost bride, angel, Greek goddess, Cleopatra, zombie bride, bloody prom queen, living statue or snow queen.
What’s the easiest white dress costume?
An angel. Add wings and a halo, and you’re ready.
What’s a scary costume with a white dress?
A ghost bride or a bloody prom queen. Both are simple and genuinely creepy.
What couples costume goes with a white dress?
An angel and a devil, Cleopatra and a pharaoh, or a ghost bride and a skeleton groom.
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.
