Courtesy of Cameron Nye
From chipmunks to Chinese takeout, Yalies represented their creativity and craftsmanship during this Halloweekend.
Celebrations started with Wednesday’s iconic “Hallowoads” on Oct. 30 and ended with various Greek life parties on Nov. 2. Throughout the festivities, two Arts reporters were on the hunt for the best hand-made costumes seen this weekend.
Gatorade Bottles Caps
Complete with orange caps and green bodysuits, some students took a more unconventional route this Halloween.
Four sophomores, Elle Stearns ’27, Kayla Tillman ’27, Adele Auchincloss ’27 and Riley Getchell ’27, dressed up as the iconic Gatorade water bottle for Hallowoads on Wednesday night.
“We thought it would be really funny to dress up as the green Gatorade bottles that literally everyone has,” said Stearns.
Stearns was the mastermind behind the costume. Possessing a “vision and a dream,” they bought the supplies and assembled them at the CEID.
After making the final touches, the group headed over to Toad’s Place. Their hard work paid off, as they were awarded fifth place in the annual Toad’s costume contest.
“It was very exciting to know everyone liked our costumes. We put our hearts into planning this and it felt like the perfect end,” said Tillman.
Nice Day Chinese and Chipotle To Go!
On the night of Halloween itself, a popular New Haven dining spot was seen in line for the Yale Symphony Orchestra concert.
Waiting patiently to enter the Schwarzman Center was none other than a Nice Day Chinese takeout bag. Vincent Tan ’25 had onlookers smiling and complimenting him on this creative costume.
Joining him was Alliese Bonner ’27, who had dressed up as a Chipotle takeout box. She used a mix of printed logos, clothing she already owned and household items — such as tin foil — to craft her costume.
Tan was not inspired by a love for Chinese food, but rather by a desire to celebrate New Haven eateries. From the inspiration to the tools used to create it, Tan was focused on supporting town retailers.
“I wanted to represent a local business,” said Tan. “I just took a bunch of cardboard that no one was using, and then I went to Hull’s and I bought some paint and markers and then spent a lot of time on it.”
Painted face and dyed hair for Gideon the Ninth
Halloween allows some to embrace their love for niche interests and characters. Dalaney Westbroek ’25, donned a homemade costume to complete they transformation into the character of Gideon the Ninth from the Locked Tomb Series on Friday night.
“I love the Locked Tomb Series,” they said. “The characters are great and my friends and I are all super into it.”
Gideon the Ninth is a cavalier to a space necromancer, someone who resurrects and summons spirits. Dressed in all black, Westbroek focused most of their energy on the “extensive” face paint that resembled the iconic skull design on Gideon’s face. They even dyed her hair red to match the character’s look.
Even if people didn’t fully understand her costume, they still appreciated the artistry behind it, said Westbroek.
“A lot of people thought it was cool and I did get recognized a handful of times,” they said.
A Branford Trio takes on Alvin and the Chipmunks
Another classic group costume was spotted on Saturday night –– the best friend/brother/singing trio: Alvin and the Chipmunks.
The costume was sported by Steven Shepherd ’27, Beto Arguelles ’27 and Owen Setiawan ’27 as Alvin, Simon and Theodore, respectively. The trio have been friends since freshman year, and currently live together as suitemates in Branford College.
In true Alvin fashion, Steven took the responsibility of crafting the costume. He bought shirts, but used paint and tape from an art studio to stencil the letters onto the shirts.
The three boys were sporting blue, green and red t-shirts painted with their respective initials. Alvin also wore his signature red baseball cap, Simon a blue beanie and Theodore a green bandana.
The trio even painted chipmunk noses on their faces, completing the full look.
“I was inspired by my love for the film,” said Setiawan, “And I think we really function in the way [Alvin and the Chipmunks] do.”
Though these reporters did not get to see them sing, they still made people smile with their energy and friendship.
The Yale Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1965.
Correction, Nov. 8: The article has been updated to correct Westbroek’s pronouns.