Halloween costumes during the coronavirus pandemic: 2020 trends

However, the virus is still powering many of this year’s hot costumes. According to Cuthbertson, a medieval “plague doctor” outfit – complete with a bird’s beak mask – is one of the most popular choices this Halloween worn by doctors who have treated bubonic plague victims.

Marie Antoinette was also a huge hit. The decapitated last queen of France is always popular, says Cuthbertson, “because people like to do it with the slit neck, but it’s really very good [now]to distance oneself socially and to carry the big crinoline. ”

Elsewhere, people let their funny bones guide the way to dictate the choice of costume.

“Aussies tend to rely on their humor when the chips are down to get them through a dire situation,” says Andrea Beattie, editor of Hallozween In their 6,500 Facebook community, people plan to dress up as a hand sanitizer bottle, loads of toilet paper, and “the holidays they couldn’t attend this year.”

“A man leaves as a Hawaiian tourist and he will set himself on fire, like Scott Morrison did when he went to Hawaii during the bushfires,” says Beattie.

Others take inspiration from this year’s hit shows – like the Emmy Awards Schitt’s Creek and Tiger King.

“Especially Moira The croweningIt’s going to be a lot of “Caw, caw!” This year, ”says Beattie, referring to the episode of Schitt’s Creek when the character of the actress Catherine O’Hara in an indie film plays half a crow, half a human race.

Of course, this Halloween is going to be like no other with masks that are mandatory in Melbourne, where the city is still in a second lockdown. And while the rules vary from state to state, the usual trick or treating and big parties that mark Halloween won’t happen.

But it seems some people are hungrier than ever for the disguises. Big W says national costume sales this Halloween season increased 46 percent year over year. (A big seller is a range of costumes depicting characters from the 1993 film Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmaswhich has just been re-released.)

In Sydney, Mark Tucker, who hosts a Halloween event every year, this year created his largest haunted house next to his home in Erskine Park and spent $ 20,000 on construction, as opposed to his normal $ 2,000 spend.

“I thought, ‘How can we turn this around and make it a little funnier if you like and not that serious?'” Says Tucker of his haunted house, “phobias and fears,” which the story of Dr. Evil told. Who designed a vaccine to stop COVID-19 but accidentally causes a zombie apocalypse.

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The house, a fully enclosed set with animatronics and people dressed as zombies, clowns, and ghouls, is a COVID safe attraction registered with the NSW government. His last day is October 31st.

Tucker isn’t going to break even – “Oh, no, not even close” – but having an event that brings them together has been more important than ever for his community.

Costume designer Rose Chong, who made bespoke face masks for many of the costumes she sells this year, also takes Halloween to the next level.

“You know when to go out in winter and you have to put on a coat and that just ruins it [costume]? “Says Cuthbertson of Chong’s creations. “You need a mask that matches the costume.”

Of particular note is a bright blue-green confection that goes with another costume that has proven popular: Nurse Ratched, the vicious central character in the new Netflix series Ratched.

Still others use Halloween as a kick-off to pay tribute to those who made this troubling year just a little sweeter.

“A few people on the Facebook group say that they are the person who has had the greatest positive impact in their lives, which is their Postie,” says Beattie. “There was so much online shopping in Victoria. We are. ”With the first name of our delivery man. ”