By james art With Halloween just around the corner, here’s the unofficial guide to dressing up according to your college stereotypes and mood.
Collingwood: Undead Jocks
Collingwood is already known for its obsession with sport and fitness, so undead athletes are kind of a no-brainer. If any college is so committed to sport that it literally comes back from the dead for one more game, it would be Collingwood. That’s good because you can dress up in whatever sportswear you want and still get the job done: All you need is some fake blood – and maybe some white contact lenses if you’re feeling extra.
Grey: Ghosts
Despite being a very comfortable college with a pretty good bar, Gray is constantly forgotten and underrated. Gray would embrace their reputation as a boring and unremarkable college by being a ghost this Halloween, plus it’s an easy costume with lots of possible variations. For example, Ghost of Christmas Past has big gray vibes with its flaming mascot and general eeriness…
Hatfield: Slytherin
All you need is a green scarf, a Hogwarts uniform, a robe and a wand – no attitude change required. Hatfield gives off major Slytherin vibes – so much so that I gave them the Harry Potter costumes instead of the more obvious choice. Hatfield should embrace their sly, serpentine reputation this Halloween by dressing up as the worst Hogwarts house.
Jon Snow: Game of Thrones
This one was written, to be honest. It is only right that John [sic] Snow students dressed in fur cloaks, monologuing about existential despair and holding a fake sword – or silver Targaryen wigs and long flowing dresses – this Halloween.
Josephine Butler: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark
As the furthest college up the hill—plus its proximity to the woods—Josephine Butler is essentially District 12. The facility, surrounding a large grassy mound, resembles a Hunger Games arena, making Katniss and Peeta—or other franchise characters— appropriate choice.
South: Sims
After trying hard to come up with a costume that perfectly embodied the South, the Sims seemed to be the only costume anywhere close. Southern students could walk around with the iconic green plumb bobs hovering over their heads, making random, exaggerated gestures, speaking Simlish, occasionally freezing or waving their arms in frustration because they “can’t get to the door.” Sims 4 inspired costumes would embody the whole “so new and shiny it’s actually a simulation” feel.
St. Aidan’s: Rainbow Magic Fairies
Honestly, I had no idea. Aidan’s identity as the rainbow college or the college with lots (and lots) of stairs doesn’t really translate that well to a Halloween costume. Rainbow Magic fairies would work pretty well considering – you can wear whatever you want with some wings. Plus, this would be pretty fun as a group costume for your Halloween bar crawl.
St. Chads and St. Cuts: Shrek or Fiona
If you somehow haven’t noticed, Chad and Cutt’s really (really) like the color green, so the Shrek costumes definitely fit the bill. Plus, I just feel like they give off the eccentric, slightly swampy vibe needed to pull off this costume. Bonus points if you make your college kids nightmare baby Shrek.
St. Hild and St. Trouble: Coraline
Hilde Bede’s quirky, slightly detached, estranged vibes really lend themselves to Coraline-inspired costumes. Dressed as characters from Coraline – or just button-eyed versions, for ease – Hild Bede will certainly embrace their (slightly unwarranted) reputation as a distant, elusive Otherworld. You get a gold star if you dress up as April and Miriam, the movie’s most iconic duo.
St. John: Lana Del Rey and her alligator husband
The obvious suggestion is nuns or priests, but for reasons completely unknown to me John’s mascot is a crocodile and I just couldn’t resist. To celebrate Lana’s marriage to Alligator Man this September, St. John’s students should consider wearing vintage white dresses and daisies or alligator costumes.
St. Mary’s: Sirens
Based on Mary’s unshakable reputation as the “college of catfish”, think of this as an umbrella term for all the characters who seemed innocent and kind but ended up hiding a darker end – like Lotzo from Toy Story 3 or Esther from “Orphan”. Likewise, real mermaids would make pretty cool costumes…
Stevenson: Thomas the Tank Engine
If memory serves, Stephenson’s bar has “platforms” and is themed around trains. When it comes to college pride, dressing up as a famous train is really a must. Plus, going out on Halloween as a train can subconsciously give you an extra boost to climb that godforsaken hill at the end of the night.
Trevelyan: Fools
Unfortunately, it’s quite difficult to go as a hexagon for Halloween, so after the countless jokes about Trevelyan’s “unique”, “modern castle” inspired architecture, it would be great to see Treves students bend to the absurd and go as court jesters. These are just pretty fun costumes that can be done in so many ways, so it would be good to see them in 2024.
University: Knights
As a quintessential Durham college, with its gowns, history and traditions and literally a Norman castle, University College absolutely has to be knights in shining armour. There are so many ways this can be done, whether by replicating traditional armor or using metallics, glitter and chains.
Van Mildert: Donald or Daffy Duck
To the outsider, the extent of Van Mildert’s college identity is the vast, slightly irritated pond that surrounds it. In light of this, Van Mildert students may wish to dress up as Daffy, Daisy or Donald Duck this All Hallows’ Eve. Any known duck applies.
Ustinov: Old people
Being the only graduate college in Durham, Ustinov students may be inclined to lean into the “old and wise” stereotype this Halloween. This one is a bit broad, but could include Gandalf, Dumbledore, or even (the wicked and evil) Grandpa Joe.