Forget the witch hats and sexy nurses; the best Halloween costumes are the ones that nod to viral memes, niche inside jokes and unexplainably online moments. If you know, you know. If you don’t, well, you’re about to hear a very long explanation about a Met Gala PR assistant’s shoes.
From fashion week disasters and unwashed feet to tradwives and new horror heroines, 2026 has given us plenty of material to work with. So, whether you’re looking for a couples costume, an excuse to wear an enormous green coat or simply want to prove that you have spent an alarming amount of time online this year, here are the pop culture moments we think deserve to be brought back from the internet and onto your Halloween costume Pinterest board.
Magick from Euphoria
While the obvious choice from Euphoria’s much-maligned third season might be Sydney Sweeney’s cringe-inducing puppy-dog OnlyFans outfit, we’re thinking about a different collared look. Rosalía’s Magick was one of the genuinely redeeming factors found in the much-anticipated latest instalment of Sam Levinson’s notoriously horny teen drama, and we think her bedazzled neckbrace makes for the perfect Halloween DIY. Grab a bedazzling kit and an obnoxiously long wig, and practise your best resting bitch face.
The Met Gala Red Flats Queen fighting for her life
Fashion assistants everywhere found themselves saying a collective “same, girl” to Erin Gilman, a VIP assistant and PR working at the Met Gala. While the rest of the fashion industry got into their gladrags to walk the carpet, Gilman was caught by onlookers furiously directing traffic, chaperoning models, and shouting at clueless security guards at this year’s event. Wearing the classic PR uniform of all black (in her case, an oversized black tee and maxi skirt) paired with a pale yellow cross-body bag, Gilman was dubbed “Red Flats Queen” by the internet thanks to a practical pair of ruby red Tory Burch ballet flats. We can only assume that after a night of running around the Met Gala, a sensible pair of shoes was the only thing keeping the whole operation together.
Cin-dior-ella
We’ve all heard of a Cinderella moment, but Dior gave us something a little more fashion week: Cin-dior-ella. After a model lost one of her polka-dot, bow-adorned heels on the AW26 runway, the orphaned shoe was left sitting alone on the catwalk, quickly becoming one of fashion month’s funniest moments. For Halloween, recreate the look by wearing the matching Dior-inspired outfit with just one shoe on, or go full polka-dot mode to honour fashion’s fallen soldier.
Timothée Chalamet shot in space for Vogue
When Vogue sent Timothée Chalamet to space for its December 2025 cover, online critics wondered just how the image made it through the magazine’s many rounds of approval. Shot by frequently-acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz, the actor was digitally transported into a series of eerie, uncanny space scenes that looked less like a high-fashion editorial and more like an AI-generated fever dream. For Halloween, recreate the look with an unnecessarily large cream overcoat, an aggressively serious Timmy smoulder, and absolutely no sense of why you’re there (bonus points if everyone keeps asking whether you’re real).
Victoria Beckham dancing at Brooklyn’s wedding
You might think Victoria Beckham’s most memorable look of 2026 would involve a runway, but instead it was a silver slip dress and some deeply questionable mother-son dancing. When Brooklyn Beckham reignited the Beckham-Peltz family feud in January, he claimed that his mum had “hijacked” his first dance with Nicola at their 2022 wedding, dancing “very inappropriately” on him in front of their 500 guests. Whether or not it was technically the first dance, the details that emerged were gloriously awkward: Marc Anthony called Victoria onstage, told Brooklyn to put his hands on his mum’s hips, and the pair proceeded to do a Latin dance while Nicola reportedly left the room in tears. For Halloween, recreate Victoria’s custom silver slip dress, add a tiny clutch and spend the evening dancing with the confidence of a mum who has just been told this is her special moment too.
Alysia Liu going ‘Stateside’
One of 2026’s standout stars, Alysa Liu also did her bit to keep ‘Euro Summer’ alive and thriving, and so it’s only right we bring her particular brand of alt-skate-girl glamour out for Halloween. The figure skater’s signature raccoon-striped hair is the key to the look, finished with hair tinsel, face gems and enough sparkle to make Zara Larsson proud. Throw on a classic skater fit from Vinted and, if you’re feeling particularly committed, add a faux smiley piercing (or, for those of us who can’t commit to the real thing, a tiny gem in your lip will do).
Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco’s unwashed feet
We all remember Hailey Bieber in her red mini and Justin in his grey trackies, and thankfully, 2026 has delivered a new swag gap couple’s costume. Selena Gomez has spent the year looking as polished as ever in endless Rare Beauty press appearances, so it came as something of a shock when her fiancé Benny Blanco became the internet’s latest hygiene villain after debuting his apparently filthy feet on his Friends Keep Secrets podcast. Blanco subsequently defended his toes on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and spent an entire podcast episode discussing his shower habits, before Selena took matters into her own hands and kissed his allegedly dirty foot on camera to prove she was unbothered. For Halloween, one of you gets Selena’s perfectly groomed look, while the other goes full Benny: scruffy, barefoot and looking like you’ve just walked through a building site. Finally, a couples costume for people whose love language is one person being hot and the other being absolutely rancid.
Nikki from Obsession
Horror movies took over the box office in 2026, and none dominated online discourse more than Obsession. Inde Navarrette’s Nikki became one of the year’s most beloved horror characters thanks to her increasingly unhinged facial expressions, spawning countless reaction memes, viral TikTok audios and even a dance trend. For the costume, recreate Nikki’s deceptively normal girl-next-door look, then let the facial expression do the heavy lifting. Extra points for practising your best “I thought we were having a nice date!” impression all night.
JW Anderson-inception
If Jonathan Anderson smoking a cigarette beside the Seine has become the internet’s shorthand for fashion-induced stress, his 2026 pairing with Sabrina Carpenter is a considerably more cheerful costume alternative. Following the launch of Dior x A24, Anderson starred in a series of short films alongside actors playing versions of himself, most notably with Carpenter, who went full flannel mode to evoke the Irish designer. Now, we’re calling it the unexpected couples costume of the season: one person goes full Jonathan Anderson, cigarette and all, while the other channels Sabrina channelling Jonathan.
The H&M show’s PETA protester
After PETA protesters were manhandled out of the COS show at New York Fashion Week (with CFDA boss Steven Kolb becoming an unlikely contender for villain of the year), the animal rights group tried again at H&M’s runway show at London Fashion Week. But this time, their anti-wool protest sparked an entirely different question: who was she? Josie Knowles, a 26-year-old PETA activist, stormed the runway in a black crop top, tailored trousers and heels, delivering such a poised catwalk that attendees were more interested in her strut than her protest sign. For Halloween, recreate the outfit, make your own “Wool is Bloody Cruel” sign and spend the evening looking considerably more like a model than a protester.
Yesteryear & 2026’s tradwife exodus
2026 was the year even the most famous tradwives started running from the T-word. Enter Natalie Heller Mills, the picture-perfect homemaker at the centre of Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear, whose entire existence is built around baking bread, raising children and performing domestic bliss for millions of followers – before she gets sent back in time to find out just how horrifying life was like for women in “a simpler time”. Anne Hathaway is set to play the influencer in the forthcoming film adaptation, so grab your gingham, churn some imaginary butter and perfect your most convincing “I made this entirely from scratch” sickly sweet smile – because sometimes, the scariest monsters aren’t fictional, they’re frighteningly close to real life.
Like a sailor in a big green boat…
New York rock band Geese have had a very good 2026, and we’re taking one of the Brooklyn band’s most iconic lyrics from 2026 single ‘Au Pays du Cocaine’ rather literally. If you’re going to be “like a sailor in a big green boat / like a sailor in a big green coat”, why not be both? Grab a sailor hat, an aggressively oversized green coat and, if you’re feeling committed to the bit, fashion yourself a cardboard boat. It’s the perfect Halloween costume for anyone who’s ever wanted to embody a lyric a little too on the nose.
Enjoyed this story? Help keep independent queer-led publishing alive and unlock the BRICKS Learner Platform, our alternative education platform for emerging and aspiring creatives, hosted via Substack.