Looking for an out-of-this-world costume for Halloween? Look no further than our DIY alien costume–perfect for kids and adults alike! Keep reading for all of the spacey details!
How to Dress Like an Alien for Halloween
The first detail I thought of when I decided to make these costumes was chrome! Anything silver, shiny, and futuristic fit the image I had in my head. Luckily, I found it shockingly easy to find silver clothes online for the foundation of the costume!
Next, I gathered supplies to add bright, shiny, spacey details to the costume. Everything from Duck Tape to embroidery hoops, to gems was fair game! I wanted lots of geometric details and accessories so I hunted through my craft room for anything that might fit the bill. Using Duck Tape was probably my best idea because its colorful and shiny finish can make nearly any surface look futuristic!
How to Make an Alien Costume for Kids
When making this costume we planned to make a kids and adult version at the same time. For the kid costume my favorite detail had to be the skirt made from a plastic bucket. Because a kid’s waist is so small I could use a bucket from the dollar store to give the skirt sharp angles that felt alien!
Putting the pieces together was definitely the fun part. We didn’t do any sewing for this costume–we just used Duck Tape and hot glue! Let your imagination take you wherever it wants to go with this one. Cut the tape into interesting shapes, make accessories from recycled materials (we used a lot of cardboard), add some starry details and you’ve got an alien!
Supplies Needed:
Solid Silver Clothes (We found our silver clothes on Shein.com but there are lots of options on Amazon, here.)
Duck Tape in Baby Pink, Fluorescent Citrus, Chrome
Duck Glitter Crafting Tape in Silver
Cardboard
Scissors
Round plastic basket
Safety Pins
Accessories, as desired (we added glasses, headwear, makeup, star stickers, laser gun, etc.)
How to Make an Alien Costume
Watch us make the costume on Instagram Reels!
- Make the skirt: Using scissors, remove the handles of the bucket and carefully cut through the basket and cut out the bottom, leaving just the outer ring of the basket. Then, use Duck Tape to embellish the skirt. For ours, we created stripes around the exterior using the Chrome, Citrus, and Silver tapes. Do not close off the open seam of the skirt until it is time for wearing. Then, secure it with matching Duck Tape.
- Embellish the pants: Cut strips of Duck Tape and place in desired areas on the pants. We did this around the knee area and cut graphic shapes in a variety of sizes to add embellishment in other areas.
- Embellish the top: Repeat step 2 and apply Duck Tape to the top in various areas such areas as around the elbows and chest.
- If desired, make graphic shoulder pads:
- Lay 4, 12-inch pieces of tape, sticky-side up, on a flat surface with long edges touching to create a rectangle.
- Lay 4 more, 12-inch pieces of tape, sticky-side down, on top of the tape rectangle, using your finger to smooth out any wrinkles or bubbles. This creates a kind of Duck Tape fabric for making your shoulder pads.
- If desired, add more tape in various shapes/sizes to embellish the rectangle.
- Cut the rectangle into a large, half-circle shape.
- Fasten the shoulder pads onto the shoulder of the desired top using safety pins.
- Lay 4, 12-inch pieces of tape, sticky-side up, on a flat surface with long edges touching to create a rectangle.
- Make desired accessories:
- Belt: To make a belt, take a thin piece of cardboard and cut it into a 3 inch wide strip, long enough to go around the waist of the person who will be wearing it. Cover the strip in Duck Tape in your desired color. Once the cardboard is covered, use Duck Tape in contrasting colors to embellish the belt. When it’s time to wear the belt, secure it around the waist with matching Duck Tape.
- Laser Gun: To make a laser gun, use silver spray paint to cover a toy gun. Next, use items such as paper cups and mini embroidery hoops to give the gun spacey details, covering each in Duck Tape to embellish
and secure. - Adding Dimension: To add dimension to the alien costume we used items like embroidery hoops and paper cups to give the costume a graphic feel. Wrap an embroidery hoop with Duck Tape and use as a necklace, or cut paper cups and spray paint or cover in Duck Tape to be worn on bracelets and ankles.
- Head Accessories: We used headbands, pom poms, wooden star pieces and silver spray paint to a make a variety of head accessories.
- Belt: To make a belt, take a thin piece of cardboard and cut it into a 3 inch wide strip, long enough to go around the waist of the person who will be wearing it. Cover the strip in Duck Tape in your desired color. Once the cardboard is covered, use Duck Tape in contrasting colors to embellish the belt. When it’s time to wear the belt, secure it around the waist with matching Duck Tape.
Happy Making!
ox. Liz and Sam
