5 Halloween costume ideas for black couples

Whether you're Halloweening at home with kids, or tuning into a spooky Zoom party – The NATIVE have got a look for you

Written by The Native - 29.Oct.2020

I learned everything I know about Halloween in a 2004 lecture theatre directed by Cady Heron. Watching her awkward car crash into the reality of adolescent Halloween celebrations equipped me with significant enough second-hand embarrassment to never falter when October 31st came around. What Mean Girls didn’t equip me with, however, was a character that looked like me, for me to dress up as. Every Halloween event, where the fancy dress is not limited by theme, the rotating go-tos for my girls and I were Aaliyah, Cat Woman or Storm, or settle we’d settle for a costume that invited the parenthesis “black” – one of my proudest costumes my “black girl” Batman outfit.

In my older years, however, the pool of potential costumes grows fuller and fuller, thanks to increased representation in film and TV and growing visibility of black love. From Orange Is The New Black Jumpsuits, to inspired recreations of Beyoncé and Jay Z iconography, Halloween doesn’t have to be a reminder that mainstream media viciously omits people that look like you, have experiences like you, or even love like you.

So, for the couples who want to show off their bond (as well as their style), we’ve got a few ideas of couples, from contemporary culture, that make excellent inspiration for a Halloween night with bae.

Eric & Rahim

If you’re looking for a Halloween costume that celebrates contemporary cultural artefacts and the increased representation of queer black love in mainstream media, then Eric and his doting boo, Rahim are the perfect couple for you. Though in the end he went with his heart and settled on an abusive Adam, Rahim’s love for Eric was proud, pure and frankly, aspirational. If you’re not too superstitious, you should be willing to look past the bitter ending of their relationship in appreciation of what would have been the best TV couple of the year, if the writers weren’t so set on breaking our hearts. Dressing as these two for Halloween would be particularly perfect for couples who share diverging styles and characters. Eric’s fashionable exuberance versus Rahim’s signature leather jacket will highlight your differences in a playfully dramatic way.

The Wilsons

The Tethered family, as created by Jordan Peele in his 2019 horror moie, Us, make an excellent Halloween costume for those who seek out actual spook on the scariest holiday in our calendar. With this simple red jumpsuit, you and your partner are likely to silence the room upon entry, similar to Cady’s ‘Ex Wife’ costume – only yours would be met with nods of approval (from us first) and not head shakes in contempt. An added bonus to this costume is that there’s room for more! Whether you have children of your own or you’re adopting friends as kids for the night, the unrelenting familial bonds of the tethered Wilson family gives you the opportunity to show off your own close ties to your nearest and dearest, including your partner, in the most frightful way.

Priscilla & Mike

Robbed of the Love Island win at the start of this year, Mike and Priscilla were synonymous with Black British Love and unlike a few of their fellow Islanders, their own South African romance has stood the test of time. Black don’t crack, and it seems neither does Black Love. Their Instagrams are populated with visual media that boasts about their lasting love – from date nights, and campaign shoots to protests and loved-up tik toks – but no image screams Priscilla & Mike more than their official Love Island coupling up picture. If you’re concerned about the impracticality of topless chests and swimming costumes in the winter, let the immortal words of Cardi B remind you, “A hoe never gets cold”.

Mike and Priscilla are not quite Bey & Jay, but once couple memorialise their Love Island couple shot in the Halloween spirit, the iconic image might just emerge the next ‘Carters @ Le Louvre’ for UK lovebirds.

The Ex-Wives

If you’ve got a dark sense of humour and a healthy obsession with Mean Girls like anyone who grew up in the 00’s should, this Halloween costume will undoubtedly be your favourite on the list. Married for only two months, Lena Waithe and Alana Mayo, were quite the headlining act across the new year. Whilst their relationship might have ended badly, their sadly severed bond and Cady Heron’s frightful “Ex Wife” pun, make for a thrilling Halloween costume for any tongue-in-cheek couples out there. With fake blood and wounds, fangs, contacts and distressed patterns on your clothing, this all simple all black ensemble morphs into a your worst nightmare – just what Halloween should be.

FKA Twigs & 645AR

Given the current restrictions in the UK, celebrating Halloween at an actual party is something of a luxury. Most of us will have to flaunt our fancy dress on Instagram, as the function is no longer an operational catwalk, whilst others of us, the more dedicated Halloween goers, might have a virtual party planned. If you’re in the latter group, it seems like a no-brainer to take advantage of of the lockdown commemorative video from 645AR and FKA Twigs, “Sum Bout U”. As always, Twigs’ styling in the music video is eye-catching and unmistakable to replicate, so even if the 645AR get-up might not be immediately recognisable (although it should be because who really dresses like that), you and your partner’s tag team will become clear, clever and witty upon seeing the FKA Twigs costume – a match made in Internet.