All You Need Is A Leather Jacket To Master These 5 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes

If you're anything like us, you likely haven't decided on a Halloween costume yet, let alone actually purchased one. But before you give up on the holiday altogether — and opt for a night of Hocus Pocus and half-priced Kit Kats instead — let us show you the art of the last-minute costume. After years of trying and failing to give Halloween the time it deserves, we've become masters at creating the best costumes in the worst of circumstances. Our trick? Using what you already have.

Start with one of the hardest-working items in your closet: the leather jacket. Usually, its role is merely utilitarian, a stylish way to avoid freezing while you bop from one soiree to the next. But what most people don't remember is how many of your favorite pop-culture icons make the leather jacket their signature. From Sandy Olsson's skin-tight pants and cropped moto to Michael Jackson's red leather 'fit for the “Thriller” music video, there's no end to the costumes you can create around a leather jacket.

Ahead, check out how we used nothing more than our leather jackets and a trip to Party City to win this year's costume competition in two days or less.