Halloween Costume With a Black Hoodie: 10 Cosy Ideas

5 min read · The Costume Rack

A halloween costume with a black hoodie is the warmest, comfiest costume you can make: sew or pin felt ears to the hood and you're a black cat or bat, add white felt ribs and you're a skeleton, or add faux fur and claws and you're a werewolf. The hood is the secret, because it puts the "character" right on your head without a headband. Here are ten cosy builds.

If you know you want to be cosy but can't decide what your hoodie should be, The Costume Rack matches your vibe and closet to a costume in about two minutes: Start my costume.

Why a black hoodie is the warmest costume base

Halloween night can be cold, and most costumes aren't built for it. A hoodie is. It's the best choice on any list of warm halloween costumes or comfortable halloween costumes, because you're wearing something you'd happily wear anyway.

What makes it work:

• The hood holds ears. No headband slipping off all night.
• The front is a big flat canvas for ribs, a belly patch or a spooky design.
• It layers. Put a thermal under it, or a cape over it.
• Zip hoodies open to reveal a costume layer underneath, which is fun for photos.

Pair it with black joggers, leggings or jeans and black shoes, and you have a full black outfit ready for any of the builds below.

Bat hoodie build

The bat hoodie costume is our favourite because it looks big and dramatic for very little work.

You need: black hoodie, black felt, safety pins or fabric glue, scissors.

1. Cut two triangle ears from black felt, about the size of your palm. Fold the bottom edge so they stand up.
2. Pin or glue them to the top of the hood.
3. Cut a large scalloped wing shape for each side (lay the hoodie flat with the arms out to size them).
4. Pin each wing from the underside of the sleeve cuff to the side seam at the waist.
5. Lift your arms. If the wings pull, loosen the pins.

No sewing option: buy a set of costume bat wings and wear them over the hoodie.

Black cat hoodie build

The black cat costume is the easiest hoodie build of all.

You need: black hoodie, black and pink felt, a black sock or fabric strip for a tail.

1. Cut two triangle ears from black felt and two slightly smaller triangles in pink.
2. Glue the pink onto the black, then attach the ears to the hood.
3. Make a tail from a black sock stuffed with tissue, or a strip of black fabric, and pin it at the back of your waistband.
4. Optional: whiskers with eyeliner.

For a black cat costume for women or girls who want a little extra, add a black skirt and tights under the hoodie. For more cat ideas, see our black turtleneck costume guide.

Skeleton hoodie build

You need: black hoodie, black joggers, white felt or white fabric tape, fabric glue.

1. Lay the hoodie flat.
2. Cut a sternum (one vertical strip) and six rib curves from white felt.
3. Glue them on the front, ribs curving out from the sternum.
4. Add finger bones on the backs of black gloves, and leg bones down the joggers if you're keen.
5. Optional: a skull face with white and black makeup, or skip it and wear the hood up.

Tip: draw the ribs lightly in chalk first so they're even before you glue.

Other hoodie costume ideas

Once you've done one hoodie build, the rest are easy.

Werewolf

Glue faux fur around the hood edge and the cuffs, add wolf ears on top, and wear plastic claws. It looks like you're mid-transformation.

Devil

Red felt horns stuffed with a little tissue, glued to the hood. Add a red felt tail with a triangle tip. Done.

Spy

Hood up, dark sunglasses, black gloves. It's a mask-free, face-paint-free option that works for guys and teens who don't want anything fussy.

Here's the point where most people stall: you've got the hoodie, but you're not sure which build suits your vibe, and you keep forgetting to buy the felt. The Costume Rack picks the costume, lists every piece with a "Find it" link to an Amazon or Target search, and runs a one-piece-a-day countdown to October 31 so it actually gets finished. Start my costume

Hoodie costumes for groups and couples

Hoodie costumes are perfect for groups, because everyone owns one and you can all make ears at the same table.

Couple ideas:

• Black cat and bat
• Skeleton and ghost
• Vampire and bat

Group themes:

• Night creatures: bat, black cat, werewolf and vampire hoodies.
• Skeleton crew: everyone as a skeleton, each with a different skull design.
• Red and black: devils in black hoodies with red horns, plus one angel in white.

For a bigger picture of all-black group looks, read our all-black clothes costume guide.

Make sure everyone commits to a costume early. Five bat hoodies is a look, but three bats and two people who "forgot" is not.

Make your halloween costume with a black hoodie tonight

A black hoodie plus some felt is a real costume, not a cop-out. The Costume Rack matches your vibe and closet to one of sixteen costumes, including bat, black cat, skeleton and werewolf, gives you a version from what you own and a no-makeup build, and lets friends claim costumes on a shared group rail.

Start my costume

FAQ

What can I be for Halloween with a black hoodie?

Bat, black cat, skeleton, werewolf, devil, vampire and spy are all easy black hoodie costume ideas. Most just need felt ears or a simple add-on attached to the hood.

How do you make a bat costume out of a black hoodie?

Glue or pin black felt ears to the hood, then pin large felt wings from each sleeve cuff to the side seam at your waist. Test that you can lift your arms before you go out.

What is the most comfortable Halloween costume?

A hoodie costume is hard to beat for comfort. You wear soft layers, nothing pinches, and the hood keeps you warm outside.

Can I do a hoodie costume without makeup?

Yes. Bat, black cat, devil, werewolf and spy hoodies all read without any makeup. The Costume Rack gives a no-makeup build for every costume it suggests.

What is a good hoodie costume for guys?

A skeleton hoodie, a werewolf hoodie or a spy with the hood up. All three are warm and quick to make.