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8 DIY trending Halloween costumes that you can get last minute in Leeds
Think Squid Game, Cruella, Hocus Pocus' Sanderson Sisters, Netflix's You, Peaky Blinder, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland characters and even spooky costumes for your dogs.
If you're anything like us, we need a last-minute costume and queuing up down the streets of Headingley, desperately trying to get into the fancy dress shop is not how we plan to spend our evenings.
Instead, we've taken inspiration from celebrities, movies and classic horror costumes to create some easy last minute Halloween costumes that you can easily pick up in the city centre.
Forget the bargain witch hat from the supermarket, we've got some far more exciting ideas for you to try this Halloween.
Squid Game Contestant
Hayley Kiyoko makes this Squid Game costume look effortless and its given us a few ideas... / Image: Hayley Kiyoko, Instagram
If you saw Hayley Kiyoko's amazing Squid Game costume appear on your feed over the weekend then you'll know this is one of the best costumes from the Korean-Netflix hit around. It's also really easy to recreate: all you need is a green striped jacket, think 80s Adidas, and a number tag.
Both stores stock what feels like an unlimited stock of brightly coloured sportswear. Their selection of Adidas jumpers will be perfect for this and by shopping vintage, you're helping the planet: win, win.
Emma Stone's Cruella
This Cruella look is so simple and you should have a few items you can use at home already. / Image: Tamara Stilley, Instagram
All you need to transform into Emma Stone's version of Cruella is a satin-look white shirt and plenty of bling. This easy outfit just requires some red lipstick and monochrome eyeshadow to complete the look. Dalmations are a bonus, but not essential.
Where you'll find your costume in Leeds: Mki Miyukoi Zoku in the Corn Exchange or Zara on Briggate are your shops for a crisp white shirt.
If you're not ready to commit to the two-colour hair do, then that doesn't mean you have to miss out on this easy Halloween costume. Grab some white colour hair spray from your local beauty store and spray half of your head for the same effect.
Joe from You
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUc6IXTlgTK/
The serial-killer from hit Netflix show is such an easy costume to pull off. All you need is Joe's signature baseball cap and a shirt to pull off the costume. If you don't already have these items lying around in your wardrobe, we're certain a friend will. If all else fails, head over to Trinity and you'll find some great options for under £10.
Where you'll find your costume in Leeds: Clothes store in Trinity Shopping Centre have some great options. In H&M in particular you can grab a cap and shirt for around the £10.
This costume is so simple that anyone can find a Joe outfit in five minutes but the same also goes for the rest of the characters. Grab your mates and together you can create the whole cast: Love, Beck, Candace and Forty, all have similarly easy signature looks that are probably already in your home.
Crushed velvet and plenty of pink is all you need to channel your inner Sanderson Sister. This costume will also keep you cosy and warm if you choose to grab yourself a cape made from the comfy material: vintage stores are you go-to for this.
Where you'll find your costume in Leeds:Blue Rinse opposite the Corn Exchange or Sue Ryder Vintage on Otley Road are great bets for this one.
Laura Whitmore shared this incredible Halloween outfit with her followers over the weekend, and if you've already got the blonde hair, this costume will be a breeze. Why not head to the Hocus Pocus Bottomless Brunch in this get-up for a test run before Halloween?
Alice from Alice in Wonderland
Real-life American Disney Princess Kate has given us all the inspiration we need to recreate this look in Leeds. / Image: Parties and Paint by Kate, Instagram
Curiouser and curiouser, this is an easy-to-recognise costume that can be recreated at home. Grab yourself a pastel blue dress (or dye an existing dress blue with ink) and add frilly material and you're good to go. You can even cut up an old shirt into the apron shape for an inexpensive solution.
Where you'll find your costume in Leeds: Hidden Wardrobe should be your one stop stop for all things Wonderland.
If you're doing group costumes, you'll also find bandanas to use as neck scarves for a Mad Hatter look and perhaps even a red printed dress for the Queen of Hearts. There's also an Alice Immersive Experience coming to Leeds in the next few weeks that these costumes will be perfect for, so why not ahead and get a costume you can reuse?
The biggest gang in Birmingham are set to return to our screens soon for the final season of Peaky Blinders, making this year the perfect excuse to dress up in your best vest. To channel your inner Shelby, all you need is a waistcoat and hat but you can use makeup to chisel your cheekbones and add some fake blood for an extra spooky look.
Where you'll find your costume in Leeds: The British Heart Foundation opposite Kirkgate Markets has a great selection of Peaky Blinder-esque hats.
The charity shop have loads of options in a range of neutral colours: perfect to differentiate costumes if you're going as a group. They also have a full rail of 20s Gatsby dresses and glamorous accessories for anyone wanting to dress as Ada or Polly.
Group costumes can be stressful, especially when it comes to knowing how many costumes you need. This Oompa Lumpa costume from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the ideal quick-fix as you can have as many or as little as you like: all you need in green hair.
Where you'll find your costume in Leeds: Superdrug sell spray-on hair colours that wash out. Grab a neon green bottle and a white eyeliner for your brows and you're sorted.
If you're feeling creative, you could also try and create costumes for Willy Wonka or the five lucky golden ticket winners.
Let your pooch do the talking
How adorable is this pumpkin-themed selection from Pets at Home? / Image: Pets at Home UK, Instagram
Let's face it. If you take your four-legged friend anywhere this Halloween, they're going to be the centre of attention. So why not just become their side-kick for the night? Dress up your dog to the nines and then dress in the same colour.
Where you'll find your costume in Leeds: Pets at Home in Headingley, Kirkstall Bridge Shopping Centre or Crown Point in the city centre have all the dog-friendly costumes you need.
For a pumpkin, throw on some orange tights or draw on a spooky pumpkin-style grimace with makeup to match. Pets at Home are also offering Halloween spa treatments in their Groom Room for all pooches where your pride and joy will get a free Halloween bandana that will also do just the trick.
If you're got a sweet tooth, then you're going to want to keep reading.
Oh Leeds, if there's one thing we're good at - it's baking.
Just walking around the city you'll bump into delightful bakeries offering sweet treats galore, and you'll find even better gems when you venture into the suburbs.
We've rounded up a handy little guide for you to make your way through when you're looking to treat yourself to a cheeky baked good, which should be every day if we're being honest.
So, without further ado let's dive into the best bakeries in Leeds.
Bake
Mustard Approach, Mustard Wharf
Images: The Hoot Leeds
From the team behind Things in Bread and Doh'hut comes this absolutely beautiful bakery by the water.
Led by mastermind Tom, they're serving up great British bakes but with a refined twist. Think ultra cheesy cheese twists, sticky school cake and unbeatable sausage rolls.
Fat Pigeon Bakery
406 Broad Lane, Leeds LS13 3DF
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Fat Pigeon is a micro-bakery in Bramley that opens every Saturday to queues of adoring fans. And it’s no surprise why, as here you’ll find some of the very best bakes - from croissants to cinnamon buns - that Leeds has to offer. Oh, and owner Ruth is about as lovely as they come too.
Fold
62 Brussels Street, LS9 8AB
Images: The Hoot Leeds
From the absolute masterminds behind The Cheesy Living Co. comes Fold, a hidden bakery serving up from under the arches every Saturday morning.
You can get your chops around their famous focaccia, stuffed sausage rolls, cookies, sarnies, bagels and the creme de le creme for us: the foot-long three-cheese twist.
Underground Bakery
Call Lane
Images: The Hoot Leeds
If you're after a really great almond croissant, then you've got to get yourself to Underground Bakery. They're serving a whole array of baked goods but doing them all really, really well.
Right in the centre of town, it's a great spot to swing by on your way to work because everyone deserves a midweek croissant every now and again.
Laynes
New Station Street
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This one probably doesn't need any introduction, as Laynes bakery are known amongst the city for their exceptional bakes and it's not hard to see why.
They stock a number of coffee shops across Leeds but for the true experience, pop in and enjoy a bake alongside a cup of their fabulous coffee.
Nova
Leeds Dock
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Nova Bakehouse is a beautiful sun drenched spot that serve up irresistible morning buns, chewy cookies and speciality bread.
They focus on 'flavour forward baking' using seasonal ingredients to create monthly specials that'll have you going back time and time again.
Oh, and they've been named one of the best bakeries in the UK by The Good Food Guide two years running now - so you know it's good.
These guys have really made a mark for themselves since opening, and have cured all of LS6’s sweet tooth cravings and caffeine fixes.
You'll find everything from stacked brownies and blondies to incredible red velvet cookie pies, and how could we forget their savoury options too?
Chunk
174 Kirkstall Hill
Images: The Hoot Leeds
If cookies are your kryptonite, then Chunk is where you need to be.
From baking inside her student shared house to opening her very first bakery, the last few years have been a whirlwind for owner Amy Bennett- and there's really no stopping her now.
Her gooey NYX-style cookies are out of this world, served with great drinks to match.
The Savvy Baker
Albion Street
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Again, this one needs absolutely no introduction. A Leeds staple that has been curing sweet toothed brownie-lovers for years, it's The Savvy Baker.
Their new site in the city centre is truly one to behold, baking cookies on site and whipping up speciality matchas from a dedicated matcha bar - you don't want to miss it.
Karpaty Bakery
Leeds Kirkgate Market
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This traditional Polish bakery inside the market is selling some of the cheapest bakes you can get your hands on. Their authentic donuts are as big as your head and the perfect sweet treat that won't break the bank.
Street Lane Bakery
399 Street Lane
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Hidden away just behind Street Lane, is Street Lane Bakery.
These guys have been baking up a storm in the kitchen for over a decade, from their ever-so-famous home-cooked bagels to the sweetest of treats.
Slow Rise Bakery
Sunnybank Avenue, Horsforth
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Can't get over to New York but craving a proper chewy, stacked bagel with all the trimmings? Slow Rise Bakery is the only answer.
Pick your flavour bagel from sesame to everything and then pick your fillings, we'd recommend going for lashings of cream cheese and layers of smoked salmon. Delicious.
The Leeds Chilli Shop selling sauces so hot they come with a warning
Clementine Hall
If you think you can handle your spice, then there’s one shop in Leeds that will put that to the test.
Tucked away on Merrion Street, Chilli Shop has been a staple of the Leeds high street for over a decade.
First opening back in 2014, Chilli Shop was founded by Frank Jay and has built a reputation as one of the city’s most wonderfully niche (and hottest) destinations.
It's basically a shrine to all things hot, a proper haven of everything spicy to get your tastebuds tingilng.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We're talking everything from chilli hot sauces and jams to chocolate, cheese, dried chillies and even novelty gifts perfect for the chilli lover in your life.
But what they're most famous for is a shelf fully dedicated to the Youtube hit Hot Ones, a show where celebrities are pushed to the limit and served hot wings coated in a variety of hot sauces from mild to blow-your-head-off hot.
So if you've ever watched that show and wanted to have a go yourself, this shop stocks all the sauces so you can be the star of your own Hot Ones episode.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Best of all, you can try before you buy. Free, heat-rated tasters are available, meaning you can work your way up from “that’s got a bit of a kick” to “I can no longer feel my face”.
We can't promise there's any milk or ice cream on hand though, so get tasting at your own risk.
So whether you’re looking for a new sauce, a spicy gift for your mate or simply want to discover exactly how much pain your tastebuds can withstand, the Chilli Shop is one Leeds independent that deserves a visit.
Sophie Smith -
27th October 2021 
