A celebration of outrageous costumes and collaborations, Halloween is a night of fashion at its extreme. It’s a weekend of transforming the normal day-to-day ensemble into an over-the-top creation of fashion and mayhem. At Syracuse University, it’s also an opportunity for some pretty creative outfits.

Sure, some students could take the traditional route. They can search the Internet and costume shops for tacky, packagedlooks, lacking any sort of creativity. You could be a half-naked nurse or a provocative police officer, but the only eye-catching thing about your outfit is the cheap shiny material hugging your body. Ditch the polyester. With your plastic stethoscope or handcuffs, you’re anything but original.

You wouldn’t be caught dead in the same dress as every other girl, so don’t settle for wearing the same costume. Take advantage of SU’s slew of distinct characters and try something unique.

All basketball fans should take a shot at being the next Jim Boeheim. It’s easy to achieve this look, starting with your favorite khaki dress pants. Pair them with a simple white button down and a minimal printed tie. All that is left to make this look complete is the classic black or blue blazer. The must-have for this costume is a basketball, and if you feel like going all the way, change it to a 1970s orange and blue-checked blazer and a bald wig. Put your game face on, and there’s a good chance no one will be able to match your costume.

But let’s not forget SU has an iconic female costume, too, with Chancellor Nancy Cantor.  Capture Cantor’s look by pairing a modest skirt suit, cut just below the knee, with pumps. Cantor’s reserved fashion and simplistic hairstyle assure us she means business. With deep rouge lipstick, your costume as Cantor will be far more striking and powerful than one of a typical French maid.

Cantor isn’t the only woman worthy of imitation on Halloween night. Instead of being the standard princess with a barely-there taffeta skirt, try dressing like your favorite sorority sister. It is generally a bit chilly in late October, so this will be the perfect costume to keep you warm when running from party to party.

Start with a black North Face jacket and black leggings. Whether it’s 90 degrees or 5 below zero, the average sorority sister is sure to have her versatile nylon pants on. Consistency is key, so complete the outfit with the necessary footwear. You must wear Ugg boots. If it’s raining, don’t worry about soaking your Australian boots: Just choose Hunter rain boots instead. Diversify the look with a pair of short jean shorts and colorful Ray-Ban wayfarers. And double points will be scored to any guy who can pull this costume off.

As convenient as it could have been, one doesn’t see prepackaged ‘No. 1 Orange’ costumes in the University Bookstore. Luckily, it won’t be hard to scrounge one up in this neck of the woods. Grab an orange wig, orange face paint, orange hoodie, orange shorts or orange tube socks. Stand out on Halloween night and show school spirit at the same time. Be creative. Even an SU Snuggie will do. If it’s orange, you can work it out. You may not be original when it comes to an SU basketball game, but this Halloween, you’re sure to have a unique costume among the sea of devils and angels.

aspizzi@syr.edu

Published on October 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm