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    Imitation Game

    Best Halloween costumes: From Drake to Donald Trump, Kardashian mag cover — and more

    Elizabeth Rhodes
    Oct 27, 2015 | 12:21 pm

    Let's face it — it's not every day you have the opportunity to wear something completely ridiculous and get away with it. Since Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, there's really no excuse to skip out on celebrating, so we've compiled a list of fantastic costumes to commemorate some of the more significant pop-cultural events and figures of the last year.

    Drake from the "Hotline Bling" video

    Drizzy always manages to cause a stir when he drops new material and he certainly didn't disappoint when his new video for the chart-climbing single "Hotline Bling" was released last week. While the James Turrell-inspired video has been both praised and (heartily) mocked throughout the Internet over the course of the last week, Drake dancing in a chunky turtleneck sweater and drop-crotch sweatpants has to be my favorite thing to come out of it.

    Add a pair of hiking boots and dance like you're playing Wii Tennis and you've got yourself one hell of a Drake costume.

    Kim Kardashian's "Break the Internet" outfit

    While Kim may not have truly broken the Internet with her photo spread in PAPER Magazine's Winter 2014 issue, it's likely that people won't be forgetting it any time soon.

    To imitate Kim's "champagne-balancing booty" look, don a black sequined dress, elbow-length gloves and a wrapped string of pearls, put your hair in a wild bun, pad your butt to get her curvaceous shape and add a bottle of champagne (or glass, if you choose).

    Kim Davis

    Kim Davis, the county clerk known for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Kentucky in spite of the June 26 Supreme Court ruling, is a woman many love to hate and is extremely recognizable thanks to her keen sense of 'style.'

    All you need for this modest costume — which would best be assembled at a thrift store — is a long-sleeve shirt covered by a contrasting short-sleeve one, some kind of horribly patterned maxi skirt, wire framed glasses and a long (I mean long) brown wig. If you want to perpetuate the charade, make sure you object to people obeying the law.

    Donald Trump

    A seemingly appropriate segue from Kim Davis, Donald Trump is another oft debated figure in both political and popular culture these days. Whether it's his politics or his hair that offends or intrigues you, Trump is likely to dominate the Halloween costume scene this year.

    To accurately imitate Trump you'll need an outrageous wig (there are a number of options, but I feel this one truly captures the spirit of his unruly 'do), a navy blue suit, a red tie, a flag pin and his favorite "Make America Great Again" hat (if you want to cover up the wig, that is). Don't forget to say "You're fired!" a lot.

    (Note: If you find that you aren't the only Trump at a party, all Trumps are legally required to participate in a live political debate.)

    Emojis

    With nearly 200 new emojis introduced with Apple's iOS 9.1 last week (I'm looking at you, taco), there's no better time to be an emoji. Whether you want to be the cool smiley with shades, the 'in love' cat or even the happy pile of poop, the sky's the limit for you with more than 1,600 options currently available on the iPhone (and on Emojipedia).

    This costume requires a DIY attitude as you'll need to craft your emoji mask out of cardboard and paint on your preferred design. Other than the mask, all you need is an all-black outfit — and potentially a posse of other emojis to join in on the fun.

    Marty McFly from Back to the Future II

    In 1985, audiences watched with rapt attention as Doc Brown and Marty McFly arrived in the distant future — October 21, 2015 — only to be met with incredibly advanced technology like flying hoverboards, flat TVs and even fax machines on street corners. Now that we, too, have arrived to 2015, we may not all have hoverboards of our own (however, they do exist), but we can still pay homage to the futuristic dream from 30 years ago.

    Head to your local thrift store for a red bomber jacket — or you can purchase a replica of the original online — and add a red shirt, a cap and some high-top sneakers. If you want to go all-out, you can even buy a wonderfully '80s-looking prop hoverboard and holographic hat of your own.

    Left Shark

    When you flub your dance routine during the Super Bowl halftime show while dressed as a giant cartoon shark, people are going to notice. And notice they did, as the "Left Shark" from Katy Perry's performance has been honored with an officially licensed costume of its own.

    To get the true Left Shark vibe, make sure you wave your arms and dance to your own rhythm (actual music is not necessary).

    'The Dress'

    Now that the international social media firestorm is over, you can use your Halloween costume to commemorate the time when your Facebook feed was filled with nothing but people arguing over the color of some dress.

    Split down the middle with half of the garment in blue-and-black and the other in gold-and-white, a costume version of "The Dress" from Yandy is perfect for reminding people of the fact that the entire world was upset over the color of a piece of clothing.

    Show off your (real or fake) curves in a sequined dress like Kim Kardashian from her photo spread in PAPER Magazine.

    Kim Kardashian Break the Internet
    papermag.com
    Show off your (real or fake) curves in a sequined dress like Kim Kardashian from her photo spread in PAPER Magazine.
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    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Sudden shutter of Killen's Barbecue leads our top 5 Houston stories

    CultureMap Staff
    Dec 6, 2025 | 11:00 am
    Killen's barbecue meat platter with sides
    Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma
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    Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including a sudden shutter and our favorite dishes of the month. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then plan your weekend right here.

    1. Exclusive: Killen's Barbecue will soon shutter in The Woodlands. Killen’s Barbecue’s location in The Woodlands closed for good on Thursday, December 4, just a few days after the shutter was announced.

    2. 2-acre Houston patio bar rebrands with new name and family-friendly menu. A bar in Houston’s Near Northside neighborhood is switching things up with a new name and revised menu. Effective immediately, Woodland Social is now known as White Oak Social.

    3. 2 Houston suburbs named top-10 best Texas cities to move to. Several Houston neighbors have been deemed the best Texas cities to move to, with two local suburbs placing in the top 10.

    4. CultureMap editor's 10 favorite dishes at Houston restaurants in November. November’s dining adventures consisted of a couple of new restaurants; an upscale, contemporary Chinese restaurant in River Oaks; an ambitious neighborhood eatery in Garden Oaks; and a buzzy barbecue spot on the border of Conroe and The Woodlands. Here are Eric Sandler's favorite dishes.

    Lazy Lane birria beef paccheri Lazy Lane is already winning fans in Garden Oaks. Photo by Eric Sandler

    5. Astros and Rockets finally launch streaming service for Houston sports fans. Houston sports fans finally have a way to watch their favorite teams without a cable or satellite subscription.


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