VIVID STYLE: WHAT ARE WE WEARING?
There are costumes—and then there are looks.
The look walks through the door and everyone immediately knows who she is. The hair is right. The makeup is right. The shoes make sense. And there is always one tiny detail that proves she understood the assignment.
For Halloween 2026, movies, music and fashion have given us plenty to work with. But VIVID has one rule: don’t just wear the costume. Style it.
Here are the looks we expect to see after dark.
1. KPOP DEMON HUNTERS
RUMI, MIRA + ZOEY
If three friends are still debating the group costume, close the group chat. HUNTR/X has entered the building.
The trick is combining K-pop performance glamour with action-hero streetwear. Think cropped bombers, fitted shorts, colorful cargos, crop tops, statement boots, jewelry and dramatic hair.
BEAUTY: Luminous skin, soft blush, glossy lips, defined liner, individual lashes and strategic shimmer. For Rumi, that long purple hair is essential.
THE DETAIL: The hair. You can approximate the clothes. Get the hair wrong and you’re simply three attractive women in colorful outfits.
VIVID TIP: Upgrade the costume with better boots, jewelry and makeup. You’re not trick-or-treating. You’re going on tour.
2. SABRINA CARPENTER
SHORT N’ SWEET
Sabrina has practically created the perfect Halloween formula: bombshell hair, tiny corseted dress, enormous platforms, flushed cheeks and a microphone.
Start with a pastel or crystal-covered corset mini in baby blue, blush, ivory, butter yellow or silver. Add sheer tights, towering platforms and delicate jewelry.
BEAUTY: Big blonde blowout, curtain bangs, pink cheeks, fluttery lashes and glossy nude-pink lips. Keep the face romantic rather than heavily contoured.
THE DETAIL: A rhinestone microphone.
VIVID TIP: Don’t turn Sabrina into “generic sexy pop star.” The femininity makes it work: soft hair + tiny dress + enormous shoes + perfect blush.
3. WICKED
GLINDA OR ELPHABA?
Possibly the ultimate best-friend costume. For Glinda, think pink tulle, organza, crystals, a fabulous dress, sparkling heels, tiara and wand. Beauty is glowing skin, champagne shimmer, pink blush and romantic hair.
For Elphaba, go architectural and dramatic: black dress, strong shoulders, boots and the pointed hat. Blend theatrical green makeup over the face, neck, ears and exposed chest before adding brows, liner, lashes and a deep berry lip.
THE DETAILS: Glinda needs the crown. Elphaba needs the hat.
Together? Halloween perfection.
4. CHER
THE BOB MACKIE FANTASY
If you’re going to be Cher, don’t be casual about it. Halloween is the one night when too much is exactly enough.
Channel 1970s Cher through Bob Mackie: crystal bodysuit, barely-there beading or black sequins. Add nude fishnets, platforms, rhinestones and perhaps a few unapologetic feathers.
BEAUTY: Bronzed skin, sculpted cheeks, smoky eyes, dramatic lashes and glossy nude lips. And then there’s the hair: pin-straight, jet-black, center-parted and extremely long.
THE DETAIL: The hair should be somewhere near your waist.
VIVID TIP: Build this instead of buying a cheap packaged version. A black bodysuit, rhinestone appliqués, fishnets and a spectacular wig can look dramatically more expensive.
5. WEDNESDAY ADDAMS
NEVERMORE, BUT MAKE IT FASHION
Forget Halloween-store Wednesday. We’re doing editorial Wednesday.
Start with a beautiful black mini or midi dress with a sharp white collar. Add tights and chunky loafers or platform Mary Janes.
BEAUTY: Pale—not ghost-white—skin, taupe around the eyes, defined brows, muted berry lips and two immaculate braids.
THE DETAIL: The expression.
Do. Not. Smile.
VIVID UPGRADE: Replace the schoolgirl costume with black lace and a crisp white collar. Suddenly Wednesday grew up and got invited somewhere better.
6. GHOSTFACE
THE FASHION GIRL’S HORROR COSTUME
Take the iconic Ghostface mask—and give it a wardrobe department.
Skip the standard robe. Pair the mask with a black slip dress, leather mini, catsuit, oversized tuxedo or dramatic floor-length gown.
BEAUTY: Go gorgeous. Smoky eyes, sculpted cheeks, deep red lips or immaculate glam. The mask is already doing the horror.
THE DETAIL: Obviously, the mask.
VIVID TIP: The contrast makes this costume: glamorous woman, terrifying face. Don’t overcomplicate it.
7. GREEK GODDESS
MYTHOLOGY, BUT MAKE IT FASHION
Ancient Greece is having a pop-culture moment, but nobody needs the polyester toga from 2004.
Choose an ivory or cream draped dress, preferably one-shouldered. Add real-looking gold cuffs, a metallic belt, strappy sandals and a delicate headpiece.
BEAUTY: Bronze skin, gold lids, strong brows, glowing shoulders and a nude gloss. Hair can be braided, twisted or loosely piled up.
Want something darker? Become Medusa. Keep the goddess silhouette, then add snake jewelry, metallic green eyes and snakes woven through the hair.
THE DETAIL: Gold. Not yellow plastic. Gold.
8. LADY GAGA
MAYHEM AFTER DARK
Gaga understands the fundamental rule of Halloween: why dress like everyone else when you can become another creature entirely?
Think black tailoring, corsetry, lace, sheer tights, extreme shoulders and platforms. Then add one strange element—a veil, sculptural headpiece, severe eyewear or exaggerated sleeve.
BEAUTY: Graphic liner, strong cheekbones, sculpted brows and intentionally dramatic hair.
THE DETAIL: Something should feel slightly unsettling. If everything is simply sexy, you’ve lost Gaga.
BEAUTY AFTER DARK
Whatever you choose, Halloween makeup has to survive Halloween.
Prime the face and eyes. Set theatrical cream products.
Waterproof the eye makeup. Blend body makeup into the neck, ears and chest when necessary.
And please: take the wig out of the package before October 31. Trim it. Brush it. Shape it. A little dry shampoo can remove that synthetic shine.
Carry only three emergency items: lip product, powder and lash glue.
THE VIVID RULE
The best costume isn’t necessarily the most expensive. It’s the one where you understood which details actually matter.
For Sabrina, it’s the hair and blush. For Cher, the hair and sparkle. For Elphaba, the green. For Glinda, the crown and pink. For Wednesday, the braids and attitude. For Ghostface, one mask does almost all the work. And for HUNTR/X, it’s committing to the fantasy together.
Don’t recreate every inch. Find the visual language. Then make it yours. Because the difference between wearing a costume and serving a look? Usually it’s about three really good decisions.
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