One of the easiest costumes to pull together last minute are Harry Potter costumes. They are often easy to create with just a few key additions to your current wardrobe! Of course, the cosplay for Harry Potter can be really detail oriented and extravagant. From Luna's Lionhead to transforming yourself into an owl you can get really creative with your wizarding costumes!
But with just a few days left before Halloween, here is a list of some simple and fun ways to put your love of Harry Potter first and foremost this Halloween.
4 Fun Harry Potter Costume Ideas!
1. Moaning Myrtle is one of my favorite cosplays to see fans dress up as. She played an important part in the Harry Potter series and left a big impact because of her interesting personality.
Inspiration: I especially love Moaning Myrtle because of her fascinating backstory and how she died while hiding from bully Olive Hornby in the girl’s bathroom. I sympathize with Myrtle and think she’s a very likeable character!
Supplies: HalloweenCostumes.com offers a super cool grey Moaning Myrtle costume that comes with a grey wizard’s cloak, glasses, and brown wig! If you would rather create your own Moaning Myrtle cosplay, Etsy sells a very good replica of Myrtle’s robe, but a plain black wizard’s cloak would work as well. Just remember to pair your cloak with a white buttoned-down shirt and striped tie! Optional (but totally recommended!): a toilet seat to complete the look (I absolutely loveee this idea!).
Time it takes: The easier and quicker option is to order the grey Moaning Myrtle costume from HalloweenCostumes.com and pair it with a toilet seat, but the DIY version of this costume won’t take long at all either! You can also wear your choice of shoes with this costume and add optional text on the toilet seat. I’ve seen a lot of cosplayers write on the seat, “You’re welcome to share my toilet…”
2. Who doesn't LOVE Dobby! And such an easy costume to put together at the last minute! And who could resist a baby Dobby!
Inspiration: Dobby is such an awesome part of the Harry Potter series and such a unique costume idea to choose for this Halloween. There’s so much flexibility with this costume. You can dress up your baby or kid as Dobby...or you can dress up as him yourself!
Supplies: All you need for this costume is a tan dress, pillowcase, or sheet, cut to resemble Dobby’s ragged outfit. The more roughly cut and dirtier the dress, the more accurate it will look, so don’t worry about “messing it up” by getting it dirty or making rough cuts! For Dobby’s ears, I have seen them crafted with construction paper, but I think that soft felt would work much better. In a pinch you could even cut a paper plate in half and shape them to fit! It would also be more comfortable to wear all night if made into a helmet or headband! Optional: one sock determines your destiny: will you be Dobby the House Elf or Dobby the free elf! The choice is yours! (I vote for the sock!!)
Time it takes: Even though this costume is a creative endeavor and requires a little bit of craftsmanship, there is a low level of skill required to create this costume. The time to create this costume is also low, the most crafty part of the costume being Dobby’s ears.
3. Lily and James Potter....sigh. I can’t tell you how much I love the fact that people are dressing up as Harry’s parents!
Inspiration: Dressing up as Lily and James Potter, the talented and loving parents of one of the greatest wizards of all time, is such an awesome couple’s costume idea. If it wasn’t for their unfortunately tragic death, the Harry Potter we know and love wouldn’t exist today...neither would his world or all of the events that eventually unfold!
Supplies: I’ve seen a few variations of these costumes, but my favorite ones are of James Potter in a pea coat and Hogwarts house-themed scarf, along with circular glasses that almost resemble Harry’s. Lily is of course in a cap, paired with a red wig. There is some flexibility with this costume as both cosplayers can wear normal clothes with pea coats. I’ve seen a few Lily Potter cosplayers opt for skirts, though. The most defining aspects of these costumes are Lily’s cap, her red hair, and James’ glasses, scarf - both wearing pea coats.
Time it takes: If you already have the clothes for these costumes, all you will need is the red wig for Lily, her cap, and James’ glasses as well as a scarf! This is a fun costume that you can customize to your own liking.
4. And for our overambitious, DIYers....Quidditch costumes! If you’re into DIY projects, a Quidditch costume from Harry Potter would be a fun way to experiment creatively. Quidditch is such a unique aspect of the Harry Potter universe and dressing up as a player would be a special way to keep this legendary franchise thriving!
Inspiration: I especially love this one featured at LeakyCon a few years ago. The girls in this picture (above) appear to have made this costume themselves because I cannot find it...anywhere! They are a pair of beaters with bats, safety gear, knee pads, goggles, and all!
Supplies: There are several variations of this costume that you actually can buy online to make your Halloween cosplaying easier. Spirit Halloween does have a more affordable option, but I love this version from HalloweenCostumes.com! It can get pretty pricey with the golden snitch, broomstick, goggles, scarf, and wand, but it’s nice to have these options to stay true to the costume’s authenticity. This costume is available for both men and women. :) This particular site only offers one option, so if you decide to join a game, you’ll have to be Team Gryffindor!
Time it takes: Depending on whether you decide to DIY a certain team costume or buy one online, this costume can take anywhere from a few days to months to prepare. Although DIY is the more painstaking option, it’s not a bad thing to be extra prepared for a Quidditch match!
So what do you think of this list of Potterhead costumes? Are you ready to bring your Hogwarts inspired game?