Last Friday, Andover’s paths were lined with neon wigs, painted faces, and towering hats. The costumes were part of “HALL-IN,” a school initiative aimed toward bringing more Halloween spirit to campus. Competing for titles such as “Best Costume,” “Best Duo,” and “Best Trio,” students donned meticulously handcrafted costumes, cleverly repurposed thrift-store finds, elaborate group ensembles, and more.
Carolyn Miller ’29, Alexandra Natan ’29: The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, and Thing 2 (Best Trio for Flagstaff Cluster)
“We’re all roommates, so we knew we wanted to be a trio… I am currently wearing a neon blue wig. [I’m wearing] my Thing Two shirt that Shiloh [Mensah ’29] and I ironed on in the Makerspace, a tutu, blue and red striped hand sleeves, and neon, striped knee-high socks. I like the tutu. I think it’s fun… The wig required several bobby pins and grating. I thought about using spray dye for the hair instead [of a wig], but I honestly think this is easier because I can just take it off,” said Miller.
“We were deliberating for a while on what we wanted our costumes to be. We floated a lot of different ideas, but a couple days before Halloween, we all landed on this one… I’m wearing a giant red and white hat. It’s very Cat in the Hat-esque… [and] who doesn’t love a giant hat? We walked outside of our dorm yesterday morning, and we were in full getup. [Carolyn] was in the wig, I was in my hat, and we looked around, and we were like, ‘Well, no one’s dressed up like us, but we’re just gonna own it,’” said Natan.
Allegra Lee ’27: White Rabbit
“My original idea was to be a pirate because one of my favorite movies is ‘Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy,’ with the pirate fairy in it. I was gonna be her for Halloween, but then my friends asked if I wanted to do an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ group costume, so I repurposed the [pirate] outfit. The pirate costume and the corset came with this low-cut shirt and puffy sleeves. I had to swap that out and change the corset to be less [pirate-esque] and more like a formal suit. I was changing [the costume] from being more like a pirate to being dressed up at a tea party. I had a blue ribbon that I got from the Makerspace… I think it added a little more whimsy to my costume,” said Lee.
Carter Chen ’28: Skull Ferryman
“The skull ferryman is a symbolization of the Halloween spirit. It carries the dead back and forth across the Styx. I just tied a rope around my neck, and then I put this chain of skeleton lights and wrapped it around my chest. I put on my jacket and inserted the skeleton arm, which I conveniently have a little pocket for in my hoodie to hold it in place. I couldn’t find a chain with a bunch of skills on it, so I just took one of the old decorational lights out of storage and tied it to me instead. Of course, it’s not the best version that it can be, but it has a lot of personality about me… I threw it together myself. Nothing bought,” said Chen.
Enhao Ren ’30: Mozart
“I took into account [functionality], how it was going to hold up, whether it was going to be socially acceptable, and whether I was able to move around in it. I definitely took it into account whether people were noticing me or avoiding me or just [didn’t] care about the costume… I did consider societal norms and how people would perceive my costume. That’s why I was actually hesitating about the Mozart costume. It’s a very niche thing, and not many people are going to understand it,” said Ren.
Serafina Luk ’30: Piano
“I have a massive love and passion for music. I also love fashion, but I’ve never really gotten the chance to dress up like this. I always wanted to wear a piano skirt, and then I was like, ‘What if I include that?’ A lot of my musician friends and musicians that I’ve never really talked to complimented my outfit. With Enhao Ren ’30, we were talking about his different characters… He said he was still finding out who he was. We were like, ‘You should take a picture with Serafina because you’re Mozart, and she’s a piano, and Mozart plays the piano,’” said Luk.
Chance Hernandez ’29: Mariachi Band Member
“I am wearing a Mariachi costume since I’m Hispanic, and it’s a typical Mexican band member. They play instruments in groups, and it’s a cultural thing. I also attached a cow to my costume, which my sister gave to me. I used [Halloween] as an opportunity to share my culture, and connect with others who are Hispanic. It would be kind of cool [to] make each element, like learn[ing] how to make the materials and sew the fabrics together. It would be the coolest thing [if] I could make it fit exactly,” said Hernandez.
