When it comes to the best Halloween looks, niche always wins. Forget scrolling TikTok compilations or trawling Pinterest boards. Put down the hi vis jackets and costume jewellery – there will be 12 Louvre heist robbers at every party you go to. Instead, get your inspiration straight from the source: the runway.

Get ready to smear on sand, black out your pupils, and pile your hair into brightly coloured wigs. Here are five SS26 runway beauty looks to steal for your own Halloween experimentation. Those who get it, get it; those who don’t... won’t need to.

A GLOOMY CHOPOVA LOWENA CHEERLEADER

With a full fringe of tinsel to put last year’s Anora costume to shame, Chopova Lowena’s Cheerlore girl offers a cosmic take on the traditional cheerleader costume choice. The show took its own inspiration from American football and its traditions, as well as southern Bulgarian Karakachani attire. To achieve the look, pile up on the excessive fake lashes and neon contacts, and the essential Rapunzel-like pigtails that tumble all the way to your waist.

A KAI GHATTAURA BRAIN-ROT WARRIOR

Unless your SFX game is next-level, an inspired look might have to do here. Or instead, opt for the bruised, blotchy, and dirt-streaked styles that populated Kai Ghattaura’s A Scattered Dream runway. The looks draw from the crossroads of brain-rot culture and the medieval world, to land somewhere between fairytale and nightmare. Vape in hand: optional.

A QUIRKY SMALL TOWN ASHLEY WILLIAMS GIRL

Inspired by the people who populate provincial towns, the look is all about leaning into the experimental side of yourself. What you’ll need is either a long asymmetric wig (or any wig that you have in the back of a cupboard), uneven bangs cut on a whim, or a messy updo accessorised with various cute hairclips. Pair these with foundation lips, heavily blushed cheeks, and Starface patches scattered across the face to get the quirky, small-town aesthetic we caught in William’s kitschy show.

A DIRTY DI PETSA SAND ANGEL 

Smear it on the sand (mud works too) and recycle the sunglasses from last year’s Charli xcx cosplay, and you’ll land somewhere close to Di Petsa’s sandy angel look. Taken from their The Archaeology of Self show, the collection explored the inner self and subconscious through the metaphor of archaeological excavation. It’s a great springboard if you want the conversation to veer into deep territory at a house party – and most likely a guaranteed mess if you’re pushing through a sweaty, packed club.

A POST-HUMAN RICK OWENS CLONE

There’s a fine line between a Rick Owens runway model and an East Londoner in the queue for UNFOLD. Bleached brows, fully blacked-out contacts, and a deathly smize – acquire these, and you’ve got it down. Paralleling the aesthetics of The Great Eusexua, this look would fit perfectly on a sweaty dancefloor.

The show itself was more philosophical than club-ready, titled Temple, after Owens’ Paris retrospective Temple of Love. The zodiac focus comments on Owens’ belief that astrology is the answer to all of life’s problems – after all, nothing is scarier than truly knowing yourself.