Holidays like Halloween are one of our favorite days on the calendar. The ancient ritual of dressing up on this day is powerful and adds vibrant colors to ones' life and soul. These rituals date back to the Celts to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Hence, trick or treating. Holidays like this are the foundation of a more civil and sophisticated world which are just two reasons we enjoy dressing up each October for Halloween. Plus, who doesn't love transforming into someone different for a night? 

Backstory: 

We were cleaning out the moving boxes after leaving our dream offices of six years. The final box contained Halloween decorations that brought warm memories to mind. It inspired Intention's designer, Cynthia, to think of a blog idea we wish we had come up with for ourselves ages ago! A variety of costume ideas can be less expensively crafted using pieces from your own closet and less investment-heavy Halloween-style embellishment. Cynthia mixes easy-access elements like suiting to create fun, inexpensive, earth-friendly, and fewer costumes. "The foundation of the outfit comes from commonly found women's clothing. Not only does this drive the cost of a costume down, but you also look great in something creative and overall more earth-friendly." Cynthia says.  

Having spent over 20 years costuming actors and studying pop culture, Cynthia can develop fast, easy ideas for Halloween costumes. "The goal is to combine fashion essentials with a touch of fun with the help of makeup and props to create fabulous, affordable, eco-costumes," she remarks. Many of these Halloween character ideas only need accessories commonly found around the home. Making a costume from sustainable fashion products is one way to be conscious of our waste during the holiday season. The following characters are for idea generation and are not meant to be a step-by-step guide due to their simplicity and variety our readers have to choose from. These characters are less conventional than traditional wizards, vampires, and ghosts. 

Easy-To-Make Costumes:

Agent Dana Scully: An unconventional choice for some, but not for fans of science fiction. Agent Dana Scully has a signature look that is easy to replicate. Scully used fresh 90s minimalism to create a timeless silhouette. Her strong and sexy features made Gillian Anderson's performance and signature look so memorable for reruns fans. The key to her look is a classic suit. Take the Intention modern jacket and ankle pants; they both have timeless styles with elegant minimalism.  Pair any two-piece pantsuit in your closet with a white high-collar blouse (to prop up) or a soft round-neck T-shirt. Add studded earrings, a prop gun strap, and a penlight. The one cost for most people will most likely be a decent wig that can look "Scully red."
Ellen Ripley of the Alien franchise: One of the ultimate sci-fi-inspired costumes we like is Alien's resident-badass - Ellen Ripley. She is one of the most recognizable action characters to ever grace the big screen. To copy Ripley, you will want to hit up your own closet or Goodwill for a one-piece blue or gray zip-up coveralls. Wear a dingy round neck t-shirt and add a pair of beat-up white kicks, a kitty-cat (stuffed, preferably ;-)), an oversized plastic nerf-gun, and a brown curly wig to cinch the lookalike. She rocks a hoodie and sweats look you can easily copy, sans the wig, of course.
Princess Leia: Now for one of the most iconic characters that you can quickly transform into. All you will need is a white, long-sleeve, stretch maxi dress. The Intention biodegradable maxi works well for this look. Simply add a thin white stretch hoodie under the dress, hang the hood over the back of the dress, add the signature hair and chunky white boots, and you are good to go! The most important part of Princess Leia, aside from the head-to-toe white outfit and 100% commitment, is the signature hair-do. If you are brave and have bikini-wearing confidence, then aim for her infamous Jabba-The-Hut slave outfit. (Perhaps that one is best for in-home celebrations.)
Pussy Galore: Fans of James Bond will love this second Bond Girl for her rare place in the franchise's history. The stunning Maude Adams, the only Bond Girl to appear in three Bond films, is a fun and unexpected choice. A simple silk or satin robe in white or beige can be adorned with a cut out of an oversized printed octopus. If you are good with a paintbrush, you can paint the octopus by hand. Expect nice compliments from a variety of people for your genius!
Xenia Onatopp: The name is so memorable, like all Bond Girls, made famous by Famke Janssen; Xenia Onatopp. Why? The character wore so many fabulous black outfits. She rocked everything from a suit to a dress and even a skin-tight uniform to bring us the madness that is this memorable character. The vital thing with Xenia is ATTITUDE! She was fearless! Just add dramatic eye makeup, a big dark-haired updo, red lips, and strategically placed diamond jewelry to a cutting-edge black suit or dress to truly capture her unique character (plier-life thighs are not included).
Vesper Lynd: If you are fans of Penny Dreadful, then Eva Green's Vesper Lynd is the one for you. Vesper/Eva is one of our favorite characters and actresses. She is perfect for anyone with a black long-sleeve, floor-length A-line maxi dress. For example, we can take the Intention black chiffon maxi or black knit maxi dress and add a lace bodysuit to bring out the romantic but edgy look she calls her own! The key to this look is a seductive attitude, smoky eyes, and powerful lipstick. Face powder can add the right amount of ghostly essence, but the sex appeal has to come from within!

More Easy-To-Make Costumes:

• The Devil Wear Prada's Miranda Priestly: I rented couture oversized black sunglasses to channel Anna Wintour's look. This look is all about Meryl's signature gray bob wig, slides, and a large handbag. 
• Seinfeld's Elaine Bennis: To pull this off, all you need is a 90's shoulder-padded grey or tweed suit paired with a patterned blouse and big curly wig. 
• Basic Instinct's Catherine Tramell: This one is easier than you think. Find a white dress suit and a blond up-do wig, and you are ready. The panties are up to you!
• Legally Blonde's Elle Woods: You have to be committed for this look. This look is all about a pink outfit, a prissy pink handbag, a big blond wig, oversize sunglasses (pink, natch), and a cute lapdog. 
• Clarice Starling: If you like harder-to-guess costumes, then Clarice might be the one! Her outfit is simple. Just take an oversized 80's-style men's suit, and add a boring men's dress shirt and bob-wig hairstyle in mouse brown. That's it! 
• Carrie Bradshaw: All you need are heels, a bag, gleaming legs and arms, lace, poof and color, and a wig in a riot of honey curls. 
• Marilyn Monroe: Nothing could be easier. All you need is a white halter dress, white heels, and a blond wig. Viola!