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Five iconic DIY costumes that you’ll only understand if you go to Warwick

cheap, easy, or impressive: choose two


We know the struggle. You're on that maintenance loan budget, it's the end of the month and all the bills are due – not only do you need to fund a Halloween night out, but you now have to get a costume for it too, and in true student fashion you've procrastinated it to the very last minute. Congratulations.

But remain calm! Not all is lost quite yet. Here's five craftily cheap and fabulously freaky Halloween costumes inspired by the haute couture of Warwick culture:

5. Westwood:

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Nature has never been more generous

It's scarily far from Central Campus, does that count?

You will need:

– Cardboard

– Tissue paper

– Twigs and leaves

Gather up some sticks and leaves and with some green tissue paper, you can put together a makeshift bush. Pair it with a large cut out compass made from cardboard, and you have captured the essence of Westwood: vaguely recognisable, but totally mysterious.

Expense: ££

Effort: ??

4. Queue for the U1 post-5pm:

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It might take a little explaining, but people will fear for their lives

There's absolutely nothing more terrifying on campus

You will need:

– Clothes

– More clothes

– Something to stuff your clothes with (read: even more clothes)

Take your extra clothes and stuff a couple of the limbs, to really encapsulate the feeling of arms and legs everywhere fighting to get onto the bus. Socks and gloves will really polish the look, but you're going to need some patience to get this conceptual piece to work.

Expense: £

Effort: ???

3. Geography student:

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Rarer than any alien or ghost

Trust us, it's the cheapest mythical creature costume out there

You will need:

– Your own wardrobe

– A sticker label

Going to a party dressed as a dragon or a unicorn is too predictable, so choose the less well-known but equally legendary creature: a Geography student. Remarkably, they'd look just like you (well, if you're a business student, think like you but with worse fashion sense), and the fear factor here is that no one has ever seen one.

Expense: £

Effort: ?

2. Rootes meal deal:

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Everyone wants to look like a snacc

For when the squad is on a budget but still want to look expensive

You will need:

– Cardboard

– Printing credit

– DIY determination

This requires a team effort, so get your friends and flatmates together and put those long lost art GCSE skills to use. Print out some logos, swap, share and steal clothes to achieve your required look and scavenge any other accessories like bottle lids or crisp packets from the kitchen (we know you've stolen more from your flatmates before).

Expense: ££

Effort: ??

1. Rolf the campus cat:

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One word: iconic. The purr-fect choice

Because dressing up in a sexy 50 quid catsuit is overrated

You will need:

– A basic cat-ear headband

– A hi-vis jacket

– A scarf

The most expensive of our suggestions, true, but the payoff is well worth it. Unmistakable, and low effort, dressing as Rolf the Campus Cat is a tribute to the local legend. The hardest part to find is a hi-vis jacket, which is really not that hard to find, so you're onto a winner here.

Expense: £££

Effort: ?

Slide into our DMs on Instagram and nominate your friends (or yourself) for best dressed this Halloween, and if you put together one of these looks, let us know!