10 DIY Lesbian Couples Costumes That Aren’t All L Word Characters
Whether you’re pop-culture-obsessed or you love puns.
Halloween is spooky, witchy, full of mischief, and requires you to pretend to be something you’re not — a skill any formerly-closeted person will surely have perfected. Halloween is a night of endless possibilities, and — regardless of your sexuality — the best costumes are always homemade displays of creativity and craftiness. Yet somehow, you and your partner have managed to dress up as Shane and Carmen from The L Word for the past three years in a row because it’s easier to leave everything to the last second, throw on some hair grease and a pair of low-rise leather pants, and call it a night. This year, however, you want something different. You’re looking for some new DIY lesbian Halloween costume ideas, but don’t know where to start.
In the last few years, queer representation in media has reached new heights. Lesbians and members of the women-loving-women (WLW) community can now turn on the TV (or read a book, or open Instagram and TikTok) and find more than just one show that explores queer relationships and lives. This is important not only to educate about and celebrate queerness as a culture, but also because it totally revolutionizes Lesbian Halloween. Channel your inner indie-pop star for a DIY King Princess look, or layer your favorite colorful sweaters à la Ola and Lily from Sex Education.
Whether you two are pop-culture-obsessed, you’re a pair who loves their puns, or you’re in a retro-loving relationship, read on for 10 ideas that’ll shake up your lesbian couple costume game for Halloween this year, and beyond.
Taissa & Van From Yellowjackets
One of the buzziest TV shows of the past year, Showtime’s Yellowjackets burst onto the scene with its Lord of the Flies-esque story of a girl’s soccer team that gets stranded in the woods after a gnarly plane crash in the mid-90s. And one of fans’ many favorite aspects of the show includes the heartwarming romance between Taissa and Van — and the characters make for a perfect lesbian couple costume this Halloween. Either go for blue and yellow soccer uniforms, or try to recreate their “doomcoming” party look. You’ll need to DIY a pair of leather and feather-decorated half-face masks like the ones Tai fashions for herself and Van (after Van’s face is torn up by wolves, of course).
For Taissa:
This purple mini dress, $58, Lulus
This brown faux lather fabric, $8.99, Amazon
These pheasant feathers, 15.99, Amazon
For Van:
This brown buttoned vest, $24, Forever 21
This short sleeve button-up shirt, $22.99, Abercrombie & Fitch
These brown straight-leg pants, $98, Everlane
This brown faux lather fabric, $8.99, Amazon
These pheasant feathers, 15.99, Amazon
King Princess & Quinn Wilson
Filmmaker Quinn Wilson and her girlfriend, pop star King Princess, have never been shy about their relationship or their PDA, making them one of the most fun celebrity couples to follow. For your DIY costume, recreate any number of iconic KP and QW red carpet moments, interview portraits, or past Instagram photos depending on the clothes and accessories you have lying around your house.
For Quinn:
— This silver metallic top, $31.20, Nasty Gal
— This black lacy bra, $28.99, Amazon
— These black satin wide-leg pants, $25, Lulus
— These silver sock boots, $53.99, Amazon
— This shiny teal eye shadow, $6.50, NYX
For King Princess:
— This purple pantsuit, $50, Boohoo
— This red lacy bra, $14, Amazon
— This red fanny pack, $17.99, Amazon
— These black patent oxfords, $29.00, Forever 21
Princess Bubblegum & Marceline From Adventure Time
Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen on Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time are beloved animated TV characters for a lot of reasons. Not only are they strong femme protagonists written with depth and nuanced backstories, the duo also broke a lot of status quos by being an openly queer couple on a show aimed at kids. Plus, their frenemies to lovers arc is so cute. And with their cartoonish looks, they make for a fun couples costume.
For Princess Bubblegum:
This hot pink wig, $22.88, Amazon
This 3D printed crown, $24.29, Etsy
This fuchsia pink dress, $60, Lulus
This Barbie pink cropped zip-up hoodie, $30, Forever 21
These bright pink cowboy boots, $69.99, Zappos
For Marceline:
This long black wing, $18.99, Amazon
These vampire fangs, $4.99, Spirit Halloween
This red tank top, $12.47, Aerie
These skinny blue jeans, $23, ASOS
These knee-high brown boots, $51.99, JC Penny
U-haul-ers
Every lesbian has heard the U-haul joke at least once, but here it is again in case you forgot: “What does a lesbian bring on a second date? A U-haul.” The U-haul costume is for any WLW couple that wants to be a little cheeky. Go big and craft a whole truck out of cardboard moving boxes or keep it a little simpler and just decorate a pair of white tees with the U-haul logo and some orange stripes. Follow this (adorable) video for a rough idea of how to cut your cardboard into the shape of a truck.
For the box:
— These medium-large moving boxes, prices vary, FedEx
— This X-acto knife, $4.99, Amazon
— This white wrapping paper, $8.54, Amazon
— This orange paint, $11.57, Amazon
— This black paint, $0.87, Amazon
— This Mod Podge, $6.99, Amazon
— This white yarn, $3.42, Amazon (for shoulder straps)
Lily & Ola From Sex Education
The British Netflix series Sex Education has captured the hearts of viewers around the world with its frank discussion of taboo topics relating to sex, sexuality, romance, and puberty. Lily and Ola were one the show’s most strange and charming pair — Lily’s a comic book artist with a particular knack for writing space-erotica, for example — and their romantic relationship instantly lands them in the lesbian hall of fame.
For Ola:
— This green corduroy jacket, $38.99, Amazon
— This appliqué rainbow patch, $5.75, Amazon
— This rainbow button-down crop top, $10.99, Amazon
For Lily:
— This pastel yellow turtleneck, $34.95, L.L.Bean
— This patterned mohair cardigan, $28.32, Yes Style
— These floral patterned pants, $96, ASOS
— This playful bumbag, $25.60, Madewell
— This pack of giant rainbow lollipops, $14.93, Amazon
“Stoned” Butch & “High” Femme
Calling all 4/20 lesbians! This is another punny one that takes lesbian tropes (“stone butch” and “high femme” make up the opposite ends of the “futch” spectrum) and spins them into Halloween gold. One partner can dress like a classic stoner — in a beanie, a khaki jacket, maybe some weed glasses, and a bandana if you feel like invoking Cheech and Chong. And the other partner can get really fancy and femme, with a long green gown or weed leaf–printed dress paired with some nice weed-themed costume jewelry.
For the stoned butch:
— This weed beanie, $11.99, Amazon
— This stoner tee, $15.99, Amazon
— These weed joggers, $26.99, Amazon
— These weed leaf sunnies, $6.68, Amazon
For the high femme:
— This weed dress, $17.99, Amazon
— These weed hoop earrings, $9.96, Amazon
— This green eyeshadow, $6, Target
— This green liquid lipstick, $15, Sephora
— These green chunky heels, $27.50, ASOS
Gina Gershon & Jennifer Tilly In Bound (1996)
A classic sapphic flick, Bound was groundbreaking for its time and explored female sexuality through a female gaze. Plus, the fashion from this era is too good to pass up. Whip out those temporary tattoos!
For Gina:
— This white muscle tank pack, $10.98, Amazon
— These navy painter’s pants, $18.98, Amazon (option to stain with white paint)
— These temporary tattoos, $6.99, Amazon
For Jennifer:
— This sexy black slip, $19.98, Amazon
— These costume cigarettes, $4.69, Amazon
— This red lipstick, $5.8, Amazon
— This black nail polish, $1.97, Amazon
Eve & Villanelle From Killing Eve
The sexual tension on this show is unbelievable — though nothing is more awe-inspiring than Villanelle’s many outfits. Killing Eve is a gold mine for Halloween costumes, and chances are you may have some items in your wardrobe that already work, like a trench coat for Eve or a colorful blazer for Villanelle.
For Eve:
— This neutral trenchcoat, $34.99, Amazon
— This green turtleneck, $36, Los Angeles Apparel
— This brown slouchy beanie, $12.99, Amazon
For Villanelle:
— This maroon blazer, $85, ASOS
— These patterned trousers, $60, ASOS
— This makeup kit for costume bruises, $6.99, Amazon
Norma Tanega & Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield was one of Britain’s most popular singers of all time. She was a music legend of the early ‘60s with melodramatic hits such as “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” and “Son Of A Preacher Man.” Though it was never confirmed, she was believed to be a lesbian, and she spent much of her adult life in a domestic partnership with folk singer and songwriter Norma Tanega. Prepare your best retro looks because this costume is all about classic ‘60s glam, mixed with a little earthiness for good measure.
For Dusty:
— This ‘60s style dress with pussy bow, $39, Zapaka
— This super-thick eyeliner, $11, NYX
— This frosted pearl-pink lipstick, $23, Runway Rogue
For Norma:
— This ‘60s A-line dress, $96, Reformation
— These mod dangle earrings, $14, Etsy
Bette & Tina From The L Word
OK, the list wouldn’t be complete without at least one costume inspired by the show. Bette and Tina are easily one of TV’s most iconic duos, plus they’re easy to emulate for Halloween. Win-win!
For Bette:
— This black oversized pantsuit, $26, Shein
— This tiny ‘90s red purse, $20, Amazon
— These ‘90s-style black sunglasses, $18, ASOS
For Tina:
— This mint green ribbed tank, $18.99, Amazon
— These tan cargo pants, $49.95, Zappos
— This big crossbody purse, $29.99, H&M
— This yoga mat, $16.99, Yoga Accessories
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