Trying to think of mid century Halloween costume ideas? Let’s go straight to the source. Here are some photos from mid century Halloweens and ideas pulled from period costume magazines to get your wheels turning!
Costume Ideas from the Mid Century
It’s hard to go wrong with a big cat costume. A little face paint for the whiskers ties it all together. It looks like this girl’s costume served her well all across town! No one said Trick or Treating wasn’t tiring!
A work Halloween party from the 70s looks like it was just groovy! We spy some classic ghost costumes, Spider-Man, and we’re not so sure about the identity of the monster or the two girls’ costumes in the middle. But with the passage of time, their look itself could be a costume with the floral dresses and pigtails giving off a hippy vibe.
Provincial Archives of Alberta.
From adorable to strange, these kiddos are sporting a variety of costumes: angel, pirate, wizard, dog, chimpanzee, Raggedy Ann, and we’re not so sure about those creepy masks on the end there!
Take it or leave it for costume ideas, but the carefree 70s vibes and grainy photo were just too good to pass up.
This year featured several robots, football players, an astronaut, a vampire, and we’re not sure about what the costume in the back left is, but they deserve honorable mention for creativity!
Vintage Costume Inspirations
If you’re feeling crafty and ambitious this year, you can find even more ideas—some quite out of the box—in Vintage Costume Inspirations, which compiles costume ideas from mid century costume magazines. We just couldn’t resist sharing a few of our favorites!
Find more creative costume ideas pulled straight from the mid century in Vintage Costume Illustrations, available here.
Costume Ideas Inspired by the Mid Century Culture
Hippy
We all have a pretty strong mental image of what hippies look like, so we thought we’d find a historical photo of actual hippies. Note the bright clothes and free flowing hair. You can have fun at a vintage store finding bright floral blouses with flared sleeves. Or break out your old tie dye shirt. As long as it’s breezy and bright, you’re good to go! If your fashion taste leans boho, you may not have to buy too much to complete the look.
Flintstones
Whether you’re dressing up solo, as a pair or as a family, you can easily find Flintstone themed costumes to match.
Muppets
The Muppets are another customizable and beloved mid century series with plenty of character and costume options! If you and your buddies or family play instruments, then you can even bring the Muppets band to life with a performance!
Elvis
The king lives on, indelible in pop culture memory, and finding costumes inspired by him should be pretty easy. Or you can make your own. He had many costumes, and this one in particular was to promote Jailhouse Rock. (To see the Mid Century Modern getaway where Elvis honeymooned, click here.)
Choose your favorite MCM architect/designer!
We love this photo of Eero Saarinen and Florence Knoll as a jumping off point. You may already have similar clothes in your wardrobe, and if not, you might be able to use them again for an occasion other than Halloween! It’s a smart and unexpected way to nod to Mid Century Modern with your Halloween costume.
If you love mid century Halloween ideas, keep reading for MCM Halloween Shopping Spree and A Mid Century Halloween: History, Entertainment and Decor. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more Atomic Ranch articles, house tours, and ideas!
