How to Create a Hillary Clinton Halloween Costume

She's been on the board of Wal-Mart, a First Lady, a senator, a presidential candidate, and is now the Secretary of State of the United States. Now, in just a few easy steps, you, too, can be Hillary Clinton -but only for a night. This is a guide to creating a Hillary Clinton Halloween costume.

As with any costume, it's probably easiest to start from the top and work your way down. In this instance, that includes the hair and makeup, which are vital in determining which era Hillary Clinton you want to be. If you're going for 1992, when her husband was running for president, you'll need a pageboy, slightly below shoulder length hair with bangs. For Clinton era presidency years (1993-2001) you should go with slightly above the shoulder hair, curled under (bangs are optional). Then, if you're going for a more modern Hillary look, the post-presidency, senate, and now Secretary of State time, you'll need short, no-nonsense hair. Naturally, she's a blonde, so that's an important detail to consider. While you can always purchase or rent a more expensive wig from a costume shop, a great thing to do is purchase a long blonde wig from and inexpensive store like Wal-Mart and cut and style it to your specifications. You'll need very little make-up to become Hillary Clinton -a little foundation and dark lipstick should do the trick.

Now, we move on to clothes. The easiest thing and what will most identify your costume as Hillary Clinton is to wear a pantsuit similar to the Secretary's now famous ones -especially if you're going for the post presidency years look. If you prefer the First Lady look, keep the top of the pantsuit and trade in the pants for a long skirt. A simple black would be a good color choice, but a bright patriotic red or blue would help you stand out more. Finish off your ensemble with sensible low-heeled or flat shoes and your basic outfit is complete.

For accessories, you'll want to add a pearl necklace and gold earrings (obviously, fake is fine) if you're going for a more accurate look. But, if you're like most Halloween lovers, you'll probably be trying to achieve a more amusing look. In that event, accessorize your outfit with as many campaign buttons as you can. You don't have to actually own any campaign buttons. For just a few dollars you can purchase blank pins that let you insert slips of paper with your favorite sayings. Naturally, a flag pin is a good choice, but so are ones from Arkansas (where she was First Lady for several years) and New York. You can re-create her own slogans, such as Hillary '08 or make up your own. For a fun touch, add a Yankees baseball cap, a nod to the fact that she has said she was a fan even before her move to New York.