Men's Patrick Swayze Halloween Costumes

Patrick Swayze was a phenomenon and his far too early death from pancreatic cancer robbed the world of a rare talent. Dressing up as one of the many characters he played is actually very inexpensive. Most of his roles were not heavily costumed and require only items you may already have in your closet.　

Dirty Dancing: One of my favorite 80s films, for this look, start with a black short sleeved shirt with a collar & wear it unbuttoned. Add any style of black pants and black dress shoes and you're ready to dance. Fluff you hair in 80s style or wear a wig if you hair is too short. If you'd like to be more authentic, you can find a dancer's style open black shirt but its not necessary for the budget costume. The main idea is to channel the 80s while still being masculine.

If your partner wants to dress as Baby to match, she can wear a white sleeveless dress with a full skirt & white heels. Alternately, she can wear cut off jeans, a white shirt tied very high & big fluffy 80s hair.　

Roadhouse: perhaps the easiest movie in the world to create a costume for.

Black or blue jeans. Check.
Black button up shirt--top few buttons undone & roll up the sleeves. Check.
Belt with a shiny buckle. Check.
Cowboy boots. Check.
Blow dried fluffy hair. Check.

Ready to rumble!

The Outsiders: Once again, a black shirt with jeans will work for this film. Just grease your hair back 50s style & make sure you've got some dirt on your shoes! Also, you can wear a jean shirt with rolled up sleeves, open over a white tee shirt. Whatever you already have in your closet or like better!

Red Dawn: Another easy costume. The most expensive part will be the brown bomber style leather jacket he wears throughout the film unless you already have one. Pair it with jeans and nearly any color shirt (in the film he wore a blue button up over a white tee). We don't suggest carrying rifles or a holster as he does in the film, since you don't know who might mistake it for the real thing.

Ghost: We are not going to provide a guide for costumes for this film as we believe it to be in poor taste so soon after his death.

In order to pull these costumes off, you will need to channel the attitude of these characters, which is one of confidence, calm, & raw masculinity. Patrick Swayze didn't need intricate costumes or outrageous props to fulfill his role as the hero in his many films. Most of the clothes he wore were items that the average man already has in his closet--so pictures 20 years from now of this year's Halloween costume won't leave you embarrassed as you try to explain why you were an insane clown or wearing a toga. Certainly your costume will not be obvious so may have to answer the question "Who are you supposed to be?" several times, but your tribute to Patrick Swayze will not be unappreciated.