As Lindsey Lohan once said, “Halloween is the one night a year where a girl can dress up—”
That’s where the quote will end today, I think.
Anyway, in the modern age of 2024, where the average girl wears Lululemon and sweatpants every day, Halloween can seem like one of the few times that a girl can dress to impress—and the only time of year when people can take as much creative liberty as they want when it comes to dressing up.
Sabrina Carpenter
Since the controversial release of the music video for “Feather” and her brief time opening for Taylor Swift’s Latin American leg of the Era’s Tour in 2023, Sabrina Carpenter has risen in both pop music and culture. The recent release of her 2024 album, Short n’ Sweet, characterized this rise to stardom, securing her many spots in Billboard’s top 100, including “Please, Please, Please,” which debuted at the number one spot.
With this rise to fame, I expect many blondes will sport her classic heart-cutout dress; neither do I doubt some recreations of her outfits from her most recent music video, “Taste.” Such gory (but nevertheless iconic) looks are perfect for the spooky seasons, and a duo costume recreating both Sabrina and Jenna Ortega’s outfits from the video would be an unstoppable combination.
Chappell Roan
Another pop star who has established a notable reputation in 2024 is Chappell Roan, a pop artist and drag queen with a flair for dramatic performances and even more spectacular costumes. Any of her performance looks would be a perfect Halloween costume.
Personally, I think her most iconic outfits that would be recognizable but still relatively easy to execute would be her Midwest Princess album cover look, her football player look, and her Tiny Desk performance look. Her football player look would likely be the easiest to carry out, while her Tiny Desk look or Midwest Princess cover outfit, both executable in their own right, would be the easiest to identify as Chappell Roan.
Tyler Owens from Twisters
Another costume I expect to see is Tyler Owens, Glen Powell’s character from Twisters. The popular reboot gained swift success in theaters this July. This all-American cowboy would be considerably easy to carry out with warm-toned flannel, a beige cowboy hat, and a classic pair of cowboy boots. Though cowboys are and always will be a classic Halloween ensemble, the connection to Twisters and its widely acclaimed original movie will likely create a storm of Tyler Owens this October.
Deadpool and Wolverine
The third installment in the Deadpool series, Deadpool and Wolverine, has been a summer movie theater staple, uniting Marvel and X-Men fans under Ryan Reynolds’ iconic, hilariously sarcastic demeanor. Their iconic red-and-yellow spandex combo would make an easily identifiable duo. A family could also do a Deadpool-variant twist, complete with Original Deadpool, Ladypool, Kidpool, Babypool, and maybe even Dogpool.
Glinda and Elphaba
Another 2024 duo is Glinda and Elphaba from the hit Broadway musical Wicked. This Broadway show has been adapted into a film that will be released on Nov. 22. Though the pink-and-green duo has been a Halloween classic for a while, I believe this famous costume pair will resurge with the long-awaited release of the Wicked film.
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan
With the announcement and commencement of the Sweat tour—kicking off right next door in Detroit—Charli XCX and Troye Sivan have become an unstoppable duo. Charli’s futuristic, groundbreaking style alongside Troye’s classic star-cut-out tank top could be both realistically brought to life and absolutely iconic.
Though there are many more film, music, or internet culture references (some honorable mentions include Descendents: Rise of Red, Lisa Frankenstein, and Olivia Rodrigo), these are the most standout pop-culture people, duos, and groups from the year 2024. I hope to see many of these soon-to-be Halloween classics throughout house parties, decorated roads, and lit-up cities on Oct. 31.
