11 Times The SS18 Catwalks Inspired Us With Haute Halloween Outfit Ideas

The month-long Spring/Summer show schedule often leaves us feeling slightly confused. We have just temporarily archived our summer clothes and dusted off favourite knits but then –boom! – we see next season’s catwalk offerings and just like that, we’re wishing away a season again.

Not this time, though. SS18 wrapped up last week in Paris and, lo and behold, the designers gave instant gratification via one huge offering of Halloween inspiration.

It’s not that the shows were spooky as such and there really weren’t any "costume" costumes. But what we did see was playful escapism and a healthy dose of humour and pop culture nods.

Some did it low-key, limiting the supernatural happenings to crafty hair and makeup. Others – we’re looking at you, Thom Browne – went in hard. Browne’s show was a spectacle: it closed with a unicorn, which one could only assume to be life-size, operated by two male models donning much tulle and led down the catwalk by a female model. Her look was Jilly Cooper-meets-workwear, obviously.

But it wasn’t all large-scale ensemble spectacles; there were many solo outfit ideas too, some not even scary. If you’re going to engage in Halloween dress-up, let next season’s collections be your guiding lights. From the traditional to the sublimely sinister, here are 11 of the best.