35 DIY Halloween Costumes for Guys That Are Already in Your Closet

Men’s Journal aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission. Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.

Halloween sneaks up every year. And even though some adults plan their Halloween costumes way in advance, others wear the same thing they wore last year. But if you’re a guy who hasn’t decided on a costume yet, don’t worry about it. There are plenty of easy Halloween costumes for guys, including easy last-minute costumes for somewhat lazy (or just busy) men that will also make you look good.

Most men already have everything they need to execute a great last-minute costume—whether they know it or not. From well-known movie stars to The Dude to Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary, to the immortal Bob Ross to your favorite TV cowboys, your closet is brimming with easy Halloween costumes waiting to come to life. You just have to figure out how to combine those elements to get the right look—and that’s exactly what we’re here to help with. 

Below are 35 easy Halloween costumes for guys you can pull off in a jiffy using only your closet, and maybe a last-minute purchase or two.

1. Carmy in The Bear

The hit FX show stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a globetrotting chef who returns home to take over his family’s Chicago sandwich shop. His character comes complete with a recognizable look—one that ranks high among easy Halloween costumes for guys. A simple white T-shirt, a blue or dark-colored apron, blue jeans, and dark-hued boots make this fit. You can even find temporary tattoos to mimic his ink. The only thing you can’t DIY in a night are White’s biceps. But in case you want to get a head start on next year’s costume, try the best arms exercises of all time on for size. Filming for season four is underway with a start date of February/March 2025.

2. Shane Gillis

One of the best comedians in the game is also one of the greatest costumes you can create for yourself. All you really need is the mustache. It’s thin, but not too thin, and Shane is usually just rocking a t-shirt and jeans. And, if you want to go deep, you can recreate his 2025 SNL look from the CouplaBeers sketch in which he’s wearing a blazer and boxer shorts. Or, even just carry “a couple of beers” around with you.

3. FIFA Player

Pick your favorite team, throw on a jersey and some cleats, and you’re a World Cup star. And, depending on who you were rooting for during the 2026 World Cup, you may have a jersey or two lying around already. Obviously, the weirdest move here would be to pick a fictional team from Ted Lasso, but hey, if you’ve got the jersey, go for it.

4. Matty Matheson, Chef and Star of The Bear

We love Matty Matheson here at Men’s Journal. Not only is he fantastic in The Bear, but he’s also a great chef in real life. And the thing is, doing a Matty costume for Halloween isn’t too tough. In fact, Matty himself even has a cool body tattoo apron you can buy right now. It’s available on Matty’s World.

Matty’s Body Tattoo Apron

5. Jack Reacher

The greatest thing about dressing like Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) is that he wears the plainest or most available clothes possible. Generally, a good-fitting black or grey shirt, some basic jeans, and boots, and boom, you’re Reacher. Granted, not all of us have the height or muscles of Reacher, but never forget, Tom Cruise played Reacher too!

In Season 3, Reacher wore an “I Lobster Maine” t-shirt because it was the only thing around. You can get that shirt from Tee Public right here. For Season 4, Reacher is wearing a normal dark T-shirt. Also, grabbing a Carhartt jacket generally makes the Reacher thing pretty authentic.

6. Rip Wheeler in Yellowstone and Dutton Ranch

Cole Hauser’s Rip is one of the most beloved and badass characters in the Taylor Sheridan/Yellowstone universe. And dressing as Rip for Halloween is easy as hell. All you need is jeans, a button-up shirt, and a cowboy hat.

The sunglasses are also somewhat crucial to make the Rip thing work, and you can get that style pretty much anywhere. But if you want to go fully authentic, Hauser also has a new line of sunglasses that are pretty awesome. You can check those out here.

7. Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary

One of the biggest movies of the year is also one of the best costumes. If you want to recreate Ryan Gosling’s hero of Project Hail Mary, all you really need is a ringer t-shirt of some kind and some glasses. For the full Ryland Grace effect, hang those glasses off of one of your ears while you’re doing something that seems important. If you want to get the full effect, grab a rock and bring that with you as “Rocky.” If people don’t get it, that’s their loss.

For the full Grace effect, you can also get yourself an old-school cardigan with some foxes or wolves on it. Any cardigan will do, but people have gone to great lengths to get the exact vintage pattern.

8. Harry in When Harry Met Sally

The 1989 Billy Crystal rom-com is a certified fall favorite, and the actor’s turn as Harry comes with some cool knitwear that looks as stylish now as it did decades ago. To round out one of the coziest Halloween costumes for guys, adopt Crystal’s chunky ivory cable-knit sweater, stonewashed jeans, and white sneakers (all of which you likely have in some form or another already). 

9. Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun isn’t new per se, but does Maverick ever go out of style? With a white T-shirt, an olive flight jacket, blue jeans, and aviator sunglasses, Tom Cruise stepped back into the role with ease, and you can do the same this year. 

10. Lumberjack

We can’t safely recommend lugging a giant axe around a party, but the rest of this look surely qualifies among last-minute Halloween costumes for guys. Take your trusty red-and-black plaid flannel, tuck it into some blue jeans, add the toughest pair of Red Wing boots you own, and consider throwing on a beanie for good measure. Bonus points if you’ve been growing out your beard already. 

11. James Bond

You know the name, you know the look, and you know the catchphrase. Everyone’s favorite secret agent just so happens to come with a rather timeless costume that can work if you own a tuxedo (especially if you own a tuxedo). On the other hand, if you own a suit of any kind, you might be in luck. There’s Daniel Craig’s light grey suit from the opening of Skyfall, or even George Lazenby’s cream suit in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

But Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan also wore a variety of windbreakers and linen shirts, other kinds of casual jackets, too. There’s also Sean Connery’s golfing Bond from Goldfinger (pictured above), and the option to be an off-duty James Bond. And for that, all you need is a nice bathrobe and some silly puns ready to go.

You can hunt down some nice official Bond clothes and Bond-inspired clothes at Orlebar Brown’s 007 Collection.

James Bond Dr. No Toweling Polo from Orlebar Brown

12. DJ

For the laziest among us, a DJ is the best last-minute Halloween costume for guys. Throw on a simple tee, dark jeans or joggers, white sneakers, headphones (not AirPods), and sunglasses. Grab a vinyl record from your collection, or a boombox, and you’ve got a simple, fun look that might even encourage someone to let you rule the playlist. 

13. Sailor

Have a white-and-navy striped sweater or an ultra-thick navy fisherman cardigan you’ve been saving for brisk weather? You could turn that into a sailor’s costume, or better still, you can work up a quick and easy take on Popeye using a navy T-shirt, lighter blue pants, and a red bandana. When in doubt, look to The Rock for inspiration. 

14. Construction Worker

Get down to business with one of the quickest last-minute Halloween costumes for guys. A hard hat (or even safety goggles), a hi-vis vest—or a tool belt—plus beat-up jeans and work boots ought to do the trick. Grab an old lunch pail and fill it with…well, cans of cold beer, of course. 

15. Bruce Springsteen

The Boss has come back in a big way with smash-hit shows. He’s also responsible for some of the most iconic looks in rock n’roll history—the kind that never go out of style; the kind that make for some of the best easy Halloween costumes for guys. Grab a red or blue (or red, white, and blue) bandana, throw on some all-American blue jeans, and cut the sleeves off any white T-shirt. Voilà, you’re “born in the U.S.A.” 

16. J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer

Plenty of easy Halloween costumes for guys use a sharp suit as a base. It’s the details here that make the difference if you want to nail Cillian Murphy’s take on scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer from the smash-hit Christopher Nolan flick. Namely, a fedora and a pipe—or a plain old cigarette—and a suit in a charcoal color should do the trick.

17. Skateboarder

There’s only one Tony Hawk, but one of the best easy Halloween costumes for guys means anyone can be a skater boy. Dig that old board out of storage, throw on that ‘90s-era graphic tee, cargo shorts, and Vans, then head to your next costume party. Oh, and maybe brush up on any old skateboard tricks—just be sure to stretch beforehand and wear a helmet…and knee pads. 

18. Freddie Mercury

Live out your rock star dreams with a few quick picks that certify this look in the pantheon of easy Halloween costumes for guys. Replicate Mercury’s star turn at Live Aid 1985 with a white tank top, white jeans, and white sneakers. A black leather belt should suffice, but a studded belt is even better. You’re a (Halloween) champion now. 19

19. Cowboy

Western wear is all the rage right now, from Western shirts to cowboy boots to custom-made hats—and perhaps you’ve got all three handy at this very moment. Either way, Halloween is a nice time to saddle up and put each of these on-trend pieces together. Plus, your significant other can rock a similar look quite easily, too. 

20. Tommy from Landman

Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris is, perhaps, one of Taylor Sheridan’s best creations ever. He’s also a simple and clear dresser. Tommy’s western shirts aren’t too difficult to find, but tracking down his exact straw, cattleman-style hat takes slightly more work.

21. Jim Halpert From The Office

You don’t need to change anything about your daily office attire to pull off this costume. Jim’s nonexistent effort for his “Facebook” Halloween costume is an inspiration for lazy dudes everywhere. There’s no need to buy anything, and you’ll seem clever by making a sly pop culture reference. It’s a win-win.

22. Pickleball Player

If there’s one sport that’s swept the nation, it’s pickleball. Adopting the costume couldn’t be simpler. Don some white crew socks, athletic shorts and a T-shirt, then grab a paddle. A sweatband might be overkill, but it never hurts to fully commit.

23. The Dude From The Big Lebowski

This is probably the easiest—and comfiest—Halloween costume you could do. There are many laid-back looks The Dude pulls off, so you can base it off what you have readily available in your closet, whether it’s a bathrobe, sweater, or wildly patterned harem pants. Want to stay true to the character? Buy a replica of his crazy cardigan here.

24. High School PE Teacher

Think back to your own high school physical education experience. Was there legitimate training involved, or did you mostly play touch football? Did anyone ever mention workout finishers or whey protein isolate? Loathe as we are to pose this question again, did you even lift? Of course you didn’t. And that might have something to do with the fact that your PE instructor (like Coach Carr from Mean Girls) was too busy pairing polo shirts with windbreakers and accessorizing them with sweatbands to put together an actual fitness program.

25. A Private Eye

There’s something so very 1940s about the job of a private eye, and that means you can evoke the look by wearing a handful of the decade’s men’s style staples. If you have a fedora and a trench coat stashed away in your closet, you can be anyone from the late, great Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (seen above) to the late, great Bob Hoskins in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

26. Terry Crews in Old Spice Commercials

Technically, this one is already in your bathroom, not your closet. If you’re feeling really confident about your body right now, wrap yourself in a towel and carry around your favorite grooming product for an evening. Whether that’s a bottle of Old Spice spray (a favorite of Terry Crews, seen above) or another deodorant, everyone will know what you’re going for. 

27. The Fonz in Happy Days

A leather jacket, a white T-shirt, a good pair of jeans, and a healthy dose of attitude are the core components of looking like the Fonz. And while a decent head of hair doesn’t hurt either, there’s no danger of people not getting your look if you greet everyone with a languorous, “Eyyyyyyy.”

28. A College Professor

We get that college professors have wide-ranging style, but the key to nailing the professorial look for the purposes of Halloween is to go more Robin Williams in Flubber than Colin Firth in A Single Man. Wearing a bow tie with a dress shirt, a vest, and a pair of your most generous khakis or wool trousers will do the trick—and don’t be afraid to let the look get more disheveled as the night goes on.

29. Mr. Clean

White shirt? Check. White sneakers? Check. White jeans? Also check. Those garments and a steady hand with a razor blade are all that separate you from a successful evening as the cleanest character in product marketing.

30. Marty McFly in Back to the Future

Who doesn’t love a good dose of nostalgia at Halloween? The great thing about this last-minute Halloween costume for guys is the fact it mashes up gear picks you might not normally think of pairing. For instance: Consider the puffer vest, the denim jacket, and high-top sneakers. Put them all together, and you’ve got the makings of Michael J. Fox’s McFly in Back to the Future. Layer the vest (particularly if it’s red) atop your denim jacket (with a rumpled light blue shirt underneath). Pair it with some mid- or light-wash jeans and white high-top sneakers. Throw on some retro shades (Wayfarers, if you’ve got ‘em), and don’t forget your watch: You wouldn’t want to miss the big dance, right? 

31. Indiana Jones

When it comes to big-screen adventurers, who’s more iconic than Indy? While you might not have a dusty leather hat lying around, you can take just about any brown leather jacket and pair it with a beige or white Oxford shirt and tan chinos. Then lace up a pair of brown leather boots—all the better if you happen to own a pair of Alden “Indy” Boots. To accessorize, grow out your stubble and consider drawing up your own map or carrying around a brown leather pocket book to really complete your adventurous ensemble. 

32. A Lifeguard

Here’s one that’s particularly easy to pull off if you live in a warmer climate. Just wear a solid-color, neutral tank top over some tailored, above-the-knee swim trunks and a pair of flip-flops. Accessorize with sunglasses, a bottle of sunscreen and—if you have one lying around—a whistle to keep the party under control. Just like that, you’re beach-ready. Or at least you’ll look the part as you stroll to the fridge for another pumpkin beer.

33. Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders

Sure, plenty of Halloween costumes can involve a suit, especially in black or shades of gray. But if you’ve been searching for a way to wear that new waistcoat or stylish flat cap (also known as a “newsboy” cap), then Cillian Murphy’s unflappable gangster Tommy Shelby is the costume choice for you. For the full effect, team your darkest suit with a white dress shirt, a solid dark-colored tie, your waistcoat, and that newsboy cap.

A pair of black lace-up dress boots will complete the look. Shelby’s chain-smoking habits aren’t advisable, but to accessorize, you can carry a bottle of whiskey around with you. If you want to really look like Tommy in the final movie, The Immortal Man, you can bring your typewriter with you, too.

34. Kay and Jay in Men in Black

Recall what we said about a suit serving as the base for many a Halloween costume? Pair a white dress shirt with a black silk tie, a black suit, and black dress shoes, and you can say you’re an agent from Men in Black (just don’t forget sleek black sunglasses and a neuralyzer). That’s not the only look you can create with a black suit. You could also add an earpiece and pass yourself off as the sinister Agent Smith from The Matrix. 

35. Bob Ross

Sure, you could go for a costume that feels of the moment (a revived Beetlejuice from the much-loved sequel, perhaps?). Or you could go with someone who is timeless no matter the year: Robert Norman Ross, aka Bob Ross, the ever-relevant host of The Joy of Painting instructional TV show, soothingly coaching viewers through creating impressive landscapes, always adding “happy little trees” to his evolving canvas. He’s not only a (late) real human—he’s a legend across multiple generations and countries whose profile has only grown over the years.

The curly perm isn’t necessary, though intentionally frizzing out your hair couldn’t hurt. Growing whatever facial scruff you can is highly recommended. Then it’s about throwing on ‘80s-era dad jeans, a light blue button-down shirt (first two buttons left open), and grabbing a paintbrush on your way out the door. Friends will smile as if you were America’s TV painter himself.

More in Movies

• One of 2022’s Most Terrifying Horror Movies Is Coming to Netflix Nov. 15
• Brendan Fraser’s Film Ranked Among the Best Romantic Adventure Movies Is Coming to Netflix on November 1
• Liam Neeson, Michael Chiklis, & “Mongoose’ Director Talk Ageless Action of Film & More (Exclusive)
• 31 Years Later, Woody Harrelson Action Film is One of Netflix’s Most-Watched Movies in the World