Words by Mia Foale, Editor in Chief

Kim K at the Met

What’s more terrifying than a sleep-paralysis demon? An Haute Halloween roundup wouldn’t be complete without a Met Gala reference, and the shift from May to September this year makes a spooky sartorial nod to the event all the more apt. Kim K’s Balenciaga bride look is surprisingly easy to pay homage to – if you are prepared to buy many, many pairs of tights. To complete the look, match with stiletto boots and floor length hair extensions, but we’d recommend avoiding steep marble stairs.

Elton John and Dua Lipa, Cold Heart Music Video

Perhaps the ultimate couples costume of 2021, both for its romantic and platonic potential. You and your beau can lock star-sunglassed eyes across the dancefloor whilst singing Cold Heart to each other, or you and your bestie can embrace what might be the unexpected friendship of the year in the form of Dua Lipa and Elton John. The MUAs among you can be bold in replicating the cartoon versions of your best selves, or keep it low-key with some green velvet and red glitter. Thriftily, you can also re-use this outfit for your office Christmas party – who said chic can’t be cheap?

Love Quinn, You

Prove that even if romance is, Love might not be dead by personifying this problematic partner-in-crime. Love’s low-key looks are sure to inspire a last-minute costume from the back of even the most disorganised of wardrobes, although I personally believe there is nothing more terrifying on this earth than a beige cardigan. Accessorise with a look of anguish and small gold hoops to be Quinntessentially scary.

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly

Hot girl summer move over – it’s cold, it’s dark, and it’s hot goth girlfriend’s time to shine. Have a creepy cuffing season and make like Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox, a bona fide scream queen in her own right. Their iconic GQ shoot should give you plenty of inspiration for scary soirees this weekend, although perhaps not the best look to replicate if you’re meeting his family for s’mores and scary stories around the fire. Commit to corsets and wigs and you’ll look hot on the grid, but beware, commitment is key. This is not a look to soft-launch your lover in, so don’t bother if you’re planning to be over by Valentine’s Day.

Balenciaga Croc

We’re not too high fashion for a comedy costume. Elton John is clearly having a moment, and you can’t spell “crocodile rock” without croc. These frightful flats return every season like a recurrent nightmare, a fashionable manifestation of Freud’s return of the repressed. Sitting at the centre of the Venn diagram of “haute” and “horrifying”, dressing up as this heeled croc is certain to earn you bonus points for originality. Take an intellectual stance at the party and claim you’re a fashionable spin on pandemic loungewear, and remind your friends of how on the pulse you are – these were only released yesterday. By mimicking Balenciaga, you’ll be in good company – with the fashion powerhouse taking two spots on this list, they must be frightfully good at something.

Haute Girl Halloween: five fashion fits for this weekend