When it comes to Halloween, I expect a lot from the celebrity world. If I can make a better costume for $20 than the world’s richest musicians, models and movie stars, then someone is failing at dress-up (and it’s not me). Using that as my criteria, I like to judge the best celebrity costumes from Halloween every year. I admit, I am a blatantly subjective judge with a preference for costumes that pay homage to the pop culture icons of years past. With that in mind, here is this year’s roundup of what I consider to be the best celebrity Halloween costumes of 2023.
Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dome as Timothée Chalamet and Pete Davidson in “Rap Roundtable” (Saturday Night Live)
After careful observation, I have concluded that no SNL skit has better engrained itself in Gen Z’s psyche than “Rap Roundtable.” The understated nature of Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dome’s costumes perfectly capture the spirit of hip hop’s two most confident white boys. I give it ten “Ye, Ye, Skrt, Skrts” out of ten.
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly as Gogo Yubari and The Bride from “Kill Bill: Volume 1”
“Kill Bill” is a work of art, and so are these costumes. Although Machine Gun Kelly could never kill the role of The Bride as well as Uma Thurman, he comes close. I’m still not sure why Megan Fox tagged @sagaftra in her Halloween Instagram post, but the costume itself is pretty good.
Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber as Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko from “Grease”
It’s a Hollywood miracle that Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber have managed to celebrate over 25 Halloweens together, but their costumes are still going as strong as their marriage. They absolutely nailed the retro look with Gerber’s greased-up hair and Crawford’s gravity-defying head of blonde curls. I suppose the two just go together “like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong” (as it goes in “Grease”).
Megan Thee Stallion as a flower from Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”
Megan Thee Stallion, like me, loves Halloween — except, unlike me, she could pull off any costume. This year, she went as a flower from Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” donning a sparkly green bodysuit and what might be the coolest headdress I’ve ever seen. I expected a lot from her, and she delivered.
Drew Barrymore as Bob Ross
Drew Barrymore delivered the one Bob Ross costume I didn’t know I needed in my life until now. Everything — from the iconic perm to the denim shirt and brown belt/pant combo — was spot on. I cannot overstate the wholesome power of this happy little costume.
Hailey Bieber as Carmen Electra from “Scary Movie”
Speaking of Barrymore — Hailey Bieber recreated model Carmen Electra’s look in “Scary Movie,” which directly spoofed Barrymore’s opening “Scream” scene. Considering that “Scary Movie” might be one of my least favorite films of all time, Bieber must have done a pretty good job to make my (highly subjective) ranking.
Heidi Klum as a peacock
Of course, this list would be nothing without the queen of Halloween herself. Complete with a team of acrobatic feathers, Heidi Klum went all in for Halloween — as she always does. I’m impressed less by the costume itself and more by the fact that this somehow managed to top even my wildest expectations. I may prefer last year’s worm costume, but I still give credit to Klum — after all, she could dress up as anything and make it iconic. Klum will go down in Halloween history just for being her, and for that, she wins the night.
Honorable mentions go to Ed Sheeran as Chucky (truly terrifying), Kim Kardashian and North West as Cher and Dionne from “Clueless” and Maya Jama as Storm from “X-Men.”
Halloween’s top celebrity costumes: A tribute to the best of pop culture
Marissa Panethiere
