5 Book Couples Costumes So You & Your Partner Can Bring Your Favorite Stories To Life
If you and your partner are both bookworms, then a book couples costume is definitely the way to go this Halloween season. The literary canon definitely has plenty of horror stories to draw inspiration from — Dracula and his bride, Frankenstein and his monster. Even Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have plenty of highly recognizable characters that will bring the spirit of the season to your Halloween party. If you aren't interested in looking like a fright, there are plenty of books with other highly recognizable characters that your party guests will instantly recognize. Worried your literary tastes are too obscure? Stick to something that everybody read in high school, a myth, or a story that is easy to summarize. It's OK if somebody asks, "Who are you supposed to be?" but you don't want to see that flicker of nonrecognition on their face.
Plus, picking a book couples costume provides you with plenty of material that you can recycle for future Halloweens or even for your fall wardrobe, if you want to make a statement. Here are the best literary couples costumes that will show off your and your partners' book smarts while also showing up to the party looking chic AF.
1. Dorian Gray And His Painting, The Picture Of Dorian Gray
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If you want a couples costume that will have everyone thinking about their own mortality and public image, then let Oscar Wilde be your muse. Of course, you and your date this Halloween might end up arguing over who gets to be dashingly handsome and who has to look like a decaying, old painting, but that's always something you can work out in couples therapy in November.
2. Zeus And Io, Metamorphoses
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If you want your book couples costume to have a classical flair, consider dressing as Zeus and his sacred cow. According to this myth, Zeus changed his girlfriend, Io, into a white bovine to protect her from Hera, his wife. Obviously, there are some problematic implications here, though, so you may wanna keep those in mind. And if one of you really objects to being a heifer for the evening, you can always dress up like one of the moons of Jupiter instead.
3. Heathcliff And Catherine, Wuthering Heights
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While this book couples costume is a bit of investment clothes-wise, it offers great opportunities to add flair to your fall wardrobe and recycle some of these pieces throughout the season. You might not be interested in owning a gothic tailcoat, but I bet one of your friends might be.
And if you'd rather have a more contemporary flair to your book couples costume, consider watching this Kate Bush music video, inspired by the classic Brontë book. You might just find yourself inspired.
4. Harriet M. Walsh And Janie Gibbs, Harriet The Spy
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Harriet The Spy was the most low-key queer content of the 1990s, and if you don't believe Harriet was in love with her best friend Janie, then you probably weren't paying attention. Dressing up as these beloved childhood characters is probably the cutest, queerest book couples costume idea ever. And while Janie might not be as recognizable as the title character Harriet, you can play up those mad scientist schoolgirl vibes and still be a hit at the party.
5. Vladimir And Estragon, Waiting For Godot
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Dressing up as these classic characters from Samuel Beckett's beloved play will definitely have your friends thinking about whether or not their lives have any meaning — probably the scariest thing you can think about on Halloween! In addition to wearing black Derby hats, both of you should probably take a trip to the thrift store to find some dusty old jackets, and one of you should definitely bring along a suitcase. Bonus points if you spend the whole evening asking whether anyone's seen Godot arrive or even reciting lines from the play.
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