This Halloween season it’s time to get your creative juices flowing and DIY your own contest-winning costume. When you show up at the party dressed like an IRL dating app — in the form of a coffee grinder, a door hinge, or a hot, hot flame — it’ll be hard to keep track of how many right swipes you’ll be getting. Scroll on to learn how to create your own witty Hinge, Tinder, Grindr, and Bumble dating app costumes.
HINGE COSTUME
ICYMI, Hinge is a dating app that matches you up with people who they think you’ll have great first dates with IRL. In the words of DJ Khaled, “Take the hinges off the door…” and as we say around HQ: “…just turn it into a Halloween costume.”
You’ll need:
- gold spray paint
- cardboard
- X-Acto knife
- Velcro
- pool noodle
- gold romper
- hot glue
Directions:
1. Cut out two equal rectangular shapes out of cardboard and cut three holes in each piece.
2. Spray paint your rectangles and the pool noodle gold.
3. Cut the noodle lengthwise in half and into sections and then glue to cardboard.
4. Add Velcro straps to both sides of the cardboard.
TINDER COSTUME
Tinder is the firecracker of dating apps, having been the first to capture collective millennial interest. Coining the signature swipe-right-swipe-left-game, there’s really no better way to pay homage to the OG app than with this hot, hot costume.
You’ll need:
- yellow, red, and orange construction paper
- scissors
- foam core
- Kraft paper roll
- hot glue
- plastic guard
- Velcro
- boots
- khaki pants
- plaid shirt
Directions:
1. Measure your head’s circumference and create a paper headband that is 1 inch wide; attach with hot glue or Velcro.
2. Cut construction paper flames and glue to the headband.
3. To make the log, cut out two equal rectangles out of the foam core.
4. Cut pieces of Kraft paper and fold into an accordion shape.
5. Crumple the folded paper and attach each section to the foam core using hot glue.
6. Repeat until you’ve covered each piece of foam core and then add dark brown paint to create added dimension.
7. Attach the two pieces of foam core together with a piece of the plastic guard on the sides, using masking tape. Cover plastic guard with Kraft paper and add Velcro straps.
GRINDR COSTUME
With the goal of creating a platform for men seeking men, Grindr emerged in early ’09 filling the void of the search for same-sex dating via app. We took the name very literally and created a coffee grinder costume ideal for swapping stories of love lost and found.
You’ll need:
- two pieces of foam core board
- two pieces of white poster board
- hot glue
- plastic guard
- packing tape
- duct tape
- X-Acto knife
- two pieces of string
- printout of coffee beans
- beret
- black pom-pom
- headband
- wire hanger
- Kraft paper
Directions:
1. Make the hat by twisting the two wires together and leaving one inch untwisted at the bottom. Poke the wire through the top of the beret and wrap that bottom inch around the headband.
2. Roll silver pieces of paper into cylinders and hot glue to the wire, creating the metal handles. Glue black pom-pom to end of the handle.
3. Make the grinder by cutting out two donut-shaped circles from the foam core. One should fit your body (and will be the base of your grinder), and the other should fit your head (and be the top of the grinder).
4. Cut three 5-inch strips of poster board and glue together into a long strip. Then, cut three 3-inch strips from remaining poster board and glue together creating another long strip for the base of the grinder.
5. Cut plastic guard to fit around your body, allowing some wiggle room. Use tape to attach the coffee bean print facing outward to the inside of the plastic guard. Then, cut two arm holes and create a cylinder with the plastic guard, using duct tape to seal it inside and out.
6. Hot-glue the five-inch strip of poster board to the top of the grinder, creating a rim. Repeat with the three-inch strip at the base of the grinder.
7. Cut four holes parallel to each other in both of the donut-shaped foam core. This is where the strings will go. Carefully glue around the perimeter of the plastic guard and attach the foam core circle to the smaller opening at the top of the cylinder. Repeat this step and attach the larger circle at the bottom of the cylinder.
8. Attach strings through the holes on the bottom of the grinder to base to the top on both sides.
BUMBLE Costume
While many apps have come (and gone) since the dawn of Tinder, Bumble really changed the game by giving women the sole ability to initiate each connection. Grab some felt and get crafty with this tech-focused and contemporary take on a classic bee costume.
You’ll need:
- black dress
- yellow felt
- fabric glue
- fabric scissors
- yarn
- pom-pom maker
- headband
- gold wire
- black tights
- wings
- black shoes
- sunglasses
Directions:
1. Measure and cut five 1-inch strips of yellow felt and attach to the top half of the dress with fabric glue.
3. Make two yellow pom-poms.
4. Spray-paint the headband gold; once dry, wrap two pieces of gold metal wire around it.
6. Use hot glue to attach the pom-pom antennae.
This costume makes for a really fun group costume too — especially for all of your single friends who are very familiar with the right (and left) swipe.
Tell us which dating app is your fave on Twitter @BritandCo.
Production + Styling: Kayla Haykin
Photographer: Britany Griffin
Models: Patrick Carr, Jeff Kneis, Kayla Haykin, Anjali Naicker
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