Stressed About Your Halloween Costume? All You Need Is a Tracksuit

Back in 2019, aka a lifetime ago, I declared that the ever-popular jumpsuit was the “holy grail of Halloween.” At the time, it made sense: Booksmart, Fleabag, Us—these were the pop culture moments we were obsessing over, and all of them featured at least one perfect jumpsuit. But things have changed since then. We’ve lived through the onset of a pandemic, another presidential election, an insurrection, and a whole slew of new TV shows, movies, and headlines. So in 2021, we’re leveling up—or at least getting slightly cozier. And with that in mind, I bring you this year’s Halloween panacea: the tracksuit.

No matter the color or the material, if you have a tracksuit sitting in your closet—or waiting for you at a nearby thrift store—I promise you have your costume sorted. Below, just a few ideas to consider.

When reality is a nightmare, it can be hard to feel jazzed about stepping into something spooky. Enter: Ted Lasso, the endlessly charming, feel-good fictional football coach who’s not only addictive to watch, but also incredibly easy to portray. Just nab any blue tracksuit, throw on a whistle, a visor, and practice that vague Midwestern accent, and people will easily mistake you for Jason Sudeikis come Halloween. (And if you really want to nail it, pass out some scary-good biscuits to your friends. Ted would be proud.)

To be honest, this is less about the outfit and more about paying homage to the iconic singer who’s spent so much of this year battling her conservatorship in the public eye. If you too have been following along and wishing the best for our forever pop queen, grab any Juicy tracksuit and channel this classic, early 2000s Britney look. And if your night devolves into a round of karaoke… well, you know what to do.

If you, like everyone else, are newly obsessed with the K-drama Squid Game, ELLE.com has you covered with a full guide to dressing like any of the characters this Halloween. But if you’re looking for the TL;DR, here it is: Snag a green tracksuit from H&M, iron on a number patch, slip on some white sneakers, and you’re ready for a night of festivities—aka talking to everyone who crosses your path about how the Netflix thriller is an expert exploration of economic inequality and class divides.

This summer in Tokyo, the USA women’s gymnastics team pulled off an incredible second place finish in the team competition, making our nation proud and providing us all with a solid group costume idea. All you need for this one is a few friends, a set of white tracksuits, and a silver medal to throw around your neck. Extra points if at least one of you can do a cartwheel.

It’s been more than 14 years since The Sopranos aired any new episodes, but thanks to our pandemic-induced lockdown, the show has had a recent surge of popularity and, like all great art, has its own tracksuit moment. You can channel your inner Paulie Walnuts in a black tracksuit (or red, or blue) complete with white loafers, a gold chain necklace, and his signature pinky ring. (Extra points if the tracksuit is velvet!) Plus, there’s also the new Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark if you’re looking for a recent excuse to don this ’fit.

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