12 Best Cheap Fancy Dress Costumes Ideas for Students in 2023
Need some fancy dress ideas? Fancy dress outfits are a key part of university culture. If you’re starting uni in 2023, be prepared because you will most definitely be dressing up in fancy dress at least 3 times during your freshers’ week. Dressing up is a fun part of uni, but it can sometimes be hard to think up the perfect fancy dress ideas, especially as you’re going to need a few and you won’t want to repeat your idea twice!
If you’re looking for the best fancy dress outfits for uni in 2023, check out our ideas for couples, groups, people on a budget and more fun ideas below.
Easy fancy dress costumes for under £20
1. Vampire
A vampire is a tried and tested fancy dress costume that won’t break the bank if you’re on a budget. You can DIY this by doing some spooky makeup, or you can buy a costume from your local fancy dress store. If you’re on a budget you can simply buy accessories, such as vampire teeth and fake blood to really elevate your look and take it to the next level.
Moon Terror Pro FX Fake Blood- Amazon, £3.99
Get a student discount at Amazon Prime
Vampire Teeth- Amazon, £4.99
Get a student discount at Amazon Prime
2. Lara Croft
Lara Croft is one of the easiest on a budget/last-minute fancy dress ideas. Several fancy dress shops will sell costumes, but this is easy to DIY with items you already have in your wardrobe. You’ll need cargo or tight shorts, combat boots and a chunky belt to complete your look.
Double Thigh Holster- Amazon, £13.97
Get a student discount at Amazon Prime
Best couples fancy dress costume ideas
3. Mario & Luigi
Mario & Luigi is a fun and easy couples fancy dress costume to wear and find. For an instantly recognisable, fairly comfortable and easy-to-put-together look, all you’ll have to do is decide who is going to be Mario and who is going to be Luigi.
Super Mario Luigi Bros Fancy Dress Outfit Costume Unisex- Amazon, £35.99 each
Get a student discount at Amazon Prime
4. Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake’s iconic VMAs look is one that has been recreated for fancy dress outfits for years since. For an instantly recognisable couples costume, you’re going to want to get your hands on as much denim as possible. Denim jeans, jackets, hats, dresses bags…whatever you can find will complete this iconic look.
PrettyLittleThing Mid Blue Wash Oversized Boyfriend Pocket Detail Denim Jacket- PrettyLittleThing, £30
Get a student discount at PrettyLittleThing
Denim Patchwork Bucket Hat- PrettyLittleThing, £18
Get a student discount at PrettyLittleThing
Skinnydip Denim Shoulder Bag in Blue Swirl Print- ASOS, £28
Get a student discount at ASOS
Best fancy dress costumes for 4
5. The Plastics from Mean Girls
The Plastics are an easy and iconic group costume idea because all you’ll really need is some pink! Each of the plastics has their own individual style that you can draw inspo from, Gretchin tends to wear checked mini skirts while Cady is known for her iconic oversized pink polo top. Whatever outfit you decide on, the 4 characters have some great fancy dress potential for you and your friends to try out.
Hollister Icon Logo Pique Polo in Pink- ASOS, £25
Get a student discount at ASOS
Ribbed Knitted Tie Front Cardigan- Nasty Gal, £29
Get a student discount at Nasty Gal
Check Double Slit Mini Skirt- Nasty Gal, £24
Get a student discount at Nasty Gal
6. The Cheetah Girls
For the ultimate 2000s throwback, The Cheetah Girls are an iconic Disney Channel trio with a whole bunch of iconic looks to try out. Obviously, the key to nailing this look is you’ll need to get your hands on some cheetah print. However, The Cheetah Girls are also well known for wearing matching velour tracksuits, chunky headbands and sparkly scarves and a host of other 2000s throwback trends that you can explore.
My Accessories London Jersey Headband 2 Pack- ASOS, £10
Get a student discount at ASOS
ASYOU Velour Straight Leg Jogger Co-Ord in Green- ASOS, £29.99
Get a student discount at ASOS
Daisy Street Crop Top With Lace Trim in Leopard Print- ASOS, £11.99
Get a student discount at ASOS
Best fancy dress costumes for 3
7. Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is an easy fancy dress outfit to recreate for a group of 4 or more. To pull off the perfect Tommy Shelby look you’ll need to get a flat cap to really look the part and a waistcoat, bow tie or braces for the most put-together look.
Peaky Blinder Costume Fancy Dress Accessories Set- Amazon, £19.90
Get a student discount at Amazon Prime
8. The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls wear costumes that are instantly recognisable, so if you’re looking for fancy dress outfits for you and 2 of your other friends this will be perfect. This is a pretty easy costume to DIY as Bubbles, Buttercup and Blossom each have their own colour, blue, green and orange. You can get a tutu from your local fancy dress store and wear bold tights with a t-shirt correlating to your colour, or if you’re lazy you can just buy a costume too.
Powerpuff Girls Blossom Costume- Amazon, £29.99
Get a student discount at Amazon Prime
Best last-minute fancy dress costumes
9. Pirate
A pirate costume is very easy to put together last minute. Most fancy dress stores will carry a pirate outfit or accessories, but if you can’t get to one because you’ve left it until literally the day of the event you can DIY one too!
Pirate Lady Costume- Smiffys, £24.49
Get a student discount at Smiffys
Deluxe Swashbuckler Pirate Costume- Smiffys, £39.99
Get a student discount at Smiffys
10. Any era (20s/60s/70s/80s/90s)
If in doubt, eras remain a firm choice for fancy dress outfits. With a revival in both 60s, 80s and 90s fashion trends over the last year, you’ll be able to easily find some pieces that fit into this era in a lot of high street shops or fast fashion websites. The 20s Great Gatsby-esque costumes have always been very popular fancy dress outfits, so you’ll be able to find something that will fit in at most fancy dress stores.
20s Peacock Flapper Costume- Smiffys, £27.49
Get a student discount at Smiffys
Vila Ring Detail Top With Flared Sleeves in 60s Retro Print- ASOS, £28
Get a student discount at ASOS
ASOS DESIGN Collar Zip Front 70s Rib Jumpsuit- ASOS, £36
Get a student discount at ASOS
Best fancy dress costumes for clubbing in
11. Euphoria
The Euphoria girls have great style with club-inspired outfits and bold makeup, which is easy to recreate on a budget and will look great among the crowd. After all, they do actually wear these clothes to clubs so there’s no reason why you can’t too! To master the Euphoria look you’ll need some glitter or face gems and an outfit that consists of either flared trousers and a crop top, a dress, co-ord and loads of sparkle and shimmer.
Daisy Street Y2K Strappy Butterfly Crop Top- ASOS, £35
Get a student discount at ASOS
Weekday Ray Cut Out Trousers- ASOS, £25
Get a student discount at ASOS
ASYOU Diamante Trim Cut Out Co-Ord- ASOS, £25.99 top and £35.99 trousers
Get a student discount at ASOS
12. Baywatch
When you’re in a club you probably don’t want to be wearing a costume that’s going to be tricky to get on and off when you’re going to the toilet. Similarly, clubs tend to be hot so if you’re going to a club in fancy dress, you probably won’t want to be in a stuffy costume. Baywatch is the perfect compromise here, affordable, easy to do, instantly recognisable and comfy enough to dance all night in! You could even DIY this costume yourself by buying plain red shorts and a yellow top from somewhere like PrettyLittleThing or Amazon if you’re on a budget.
Baywatch Beach Costume- Smiffys, £25.49
Get a student discount at Smiffys
How to make a pirate costume
For a DIY pirate costume, you’ll want to buy a cheap costume that you don’t mind cutting up. You can cut your shorts or plain shirt into a frayed look and team this with some long boots and a long coat for an easy look. You can also make a sword out of cardboard and kitchen foil for a more realistic prop!
How to make a ghost costume
A ghost costume is an easy DIY fancy dress idea. You can either dress in all white or get your hands on an old sheet or pillowcase and simply cut some holes out so you can see and you’re good to go!
What to wear to a 90s party
90s fashion has made a comeback in recent years, so you should have no problem in finding the perfect y2k outfit to wear to your fancy dress party. Some big trends of the 90s include butterflies, cargo pants, low-rise jeans, baggy jeans, Juicy Couture tracksuits, halter crop tops and double denim.
