Easy closet cosplay ideas!

At this point and time, we definitely could use more closet cosplay in our costume lineup!

Because let’s face it; this pandemic has put a financial strain on a lot of us. Even if we wanted to spend money on an elaborate cosplay, we may not have the budget to do so.

That’s why closet cosplay is awesome; they can be great and wallet-friendly at the same time!

What is a closet cosplay you ask? Well, it’s exactly what the phrase implies; a complete cosplay you can make from only using the stuff that’s inside your wardrobe and closet! No kidding. No need to spend hundreds of dollars on a brand new costume online, or needing to use expensive material like Worbla. You can literally use stuff in your closet to look like many different characters across different fandoms. And in this post, I’ll show you how!

In this article, I will discuss 20 closet cosplay ideas you can do. It doesn’t matter what gender or body type you are; anyone can do these cosplays! For the most part, all you have to do is go through your closet, sort out the clothes you need, buy an extra item or two at the store, and you’re good to go!

With that said, let’s get started!

1. Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist

As her name implies, Lust is quite seductive-looking! Cosplayer: allure_cosplay. Photo taken by 7S Photography.

Let’s start with our first closet cosplay idea: Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist!

Even though Fullmetal Alchemist is (somewhat) an older series, the show is still on top up to this day. And one of the more well-known cosplays from FMA is Lust. Why? She’s got that sexy, seductively-evil look.

What you need

2. Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service

Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service. An older series but a classic <a href=
Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service. An older series but a classic magical girl worth cosplaying! Photo by 玄史生.

Kiki is one of the easiest closet cosplay ideas worth doing. Her outfit is definitely a casual cosplay for sure. This Studio Ghibli film is pretty old but she is still a great and easy choice for a female magical girl. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a great classic film and Kiki is an easy and wonderful character to cosplay.

What you need

  • Dark navy dress
  • Red head bow
  • Black wig
  • Broom

Alternatives?

While there are other magical witches in the film, they would be hard for most to recognize at your typical convention, since this film is over 3 decades old. So I recommend sticking with Kiki.

3. L from Death Note (closet cosplay that may be too easy!)

L from Deathnote (closet cosplay)
A white t-shirt and blue jeans are all you need to cosplay L from Death Note! Photo by Limelychan.

L happens to be one of the most popular characters in all of Anime. And he’s by far the easiest character to cosplay in all of Anime. So easy that it’s kind of a joke to cosplay him. Your closet may be more than enough to cosplay good ol’ L!

What you need

  • Long sleeve white t shirt
  • Blue jeans
  • Sneakers
  • Nicely styled black wig (or you could use your real hair)
  • Some candy with you! L loves sweets.

Alternatives to L

You could cosplay Light, but he is the complete opposite of L. While L is unkempt and quite the weirdo, Light is well-dressed.

4. Sebastian from Black Butler

Sebastian (Black Butler) by Galactic Reptile Cosplay. Photo taken by Tensai Photography.
Cosplayer: greptyle. Photo taken by Tensai Photography.

Sebastian might look like a butler with fancy clothes, but he’s actually quite one of many easy Anime characters to cosplay. Like Ouran Host Club, all you need is a bit of formal clothing and you’re done most of the Cosplay. The blazer is a bit unique however.

What you need

  • Short black wig
  • Black dress pants
  • White dress shirt
  • Black tie
  • Black dress shoes
  • Black blazer (you may want to get the buttons and chains added and customized to this blazer

Alternatives to Sebastian

Ciel!

5. Chloe Price from Life is Strange

The Bae will always be in our hearts. Cosplayer: rachasakawa. Photo taken by mayucosart. Edited by eckhardt.photos.

The most notable character from Life is Strange, Chloe Price is a badass punk!  Even though the game is a few years old now, she’s still an iconic character who pretty much everyone will recognize.

Pair your Chloe up with a Max Caulfield or Rachel Amber from Life is Strange, and you got yourself a nice duo/couple cosplay.

What you’ll need

  • Baby blue wig
  • White sleeveless t-shirt (preferably with a skull logo on it)
  • Chest-long necklace
  • Dark brown or black leather jacket
  • Ripped blue jeans
  • Boots
  • Toque hat
  • Fake tattoo on right arm (optional)

Alternative characters to Chloe

As mentioned earlier, Max Caulfield or Rachel Amber are two characters you can do instead or Chloe. If your hair is a brunette color, then these two are great since you could use your own hair to cosplay them!

6. Platelet from Cells At Work

Cells At Work
Cosplayer: macroadjustment_majeh.

Want to Cosplay someone easy? Then you should cosplay Platelet from Cells at Work! All you need is her white hat and blue shirt to cosplay from this series. Oh, and brown hair or wig of course.

7. Rei Ryugazaki from Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

Rei Cosplay (closet cosplay)
All about the Fan Service!

The Free! series is the ultimate fan service for those who love hot dudes in swimgear. And that’s basically what Rei’s cosplay is about: a jacket and spandex pants. So Ray (or any character from Free Iwatobi Swim Club) is insanely easy. And no, you don’t need to be jacked or have 6-pack abs to cosplay anyone from Free!

What you’ll need

  • Blue wig – Nothing fancy. Just a basic wig will do, and you don’t even have to style the wig much because Rei’s hair is not that flat.
  • Free! jacket – Making a jacket may be difficult to do, but you can easily buy one for cheap at a cosplay store, since Free! is a very popular series that is mass-produced.
  • Spandex pants – you can just buy regular stretch pants. The characters have a logo on the pants, so you can add it in yourself or just use the spandex pants like that. I’ve also used regular black jeans as well, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
  • Red glasses – Rei wears red glasses. You can pick one up at a dollar store for cheap. Just remove the lens. Alternatively, you can buy goggles since it is a swimming Anime!

Alternative characters to Rei

You can do any other Free! character aside from Rei. For the most, part, all you have to do is change the colour of the wig and the jacket.

8. Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist (classic closet cosplay ideas)

Winry Rockbell from FMA. She’s an awesome character and really easy to do. Photo by Tolyn. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Fullmetal Alchemist is such a great series with emotional and engaging characters. It’s why I have more than 1 character from FMA on this lovely list!

While Edward and Alphonse get all the attention, we cannot forget about Winry Rockbell; the sassy sidekick for these two! Winry wears a tank top with green pants. She’s got that tomboy look that’s easy to pull off for most. Carry a wrench with you and you’ll exactly have the look of Winry Rockbell.

What you need

  • Red headband
  • Black tanktop
  • Purple trouser pants
  • Wrench as a prop
  • Blonde wig

Alternatives to Winry Rockbell

Izumi Curtis is a great alternative option in replacement for Winry She is the teacher of Al and Ed, and she’s pretty easy to cosplay. All you need is a white button-down tunic, black leggings or pants, sandals and a braided black wig.

I mean, you can also cosplay casual Alphonse: white t-shirt and blue jeans. But that’s probably too easy for you. 😉

9. Misty from Pokemon

Misty from Pokemon. She's not that important in the game, but prominent in the Anime! Photo taken bykxz Chen [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)].
Misty from Pokemon. She’s not that important in the game, but prominent in the Anime! Photo by kxz Chen. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

While Misty is just a forgettable gym leader in Pokémon Red/Blue, she’s basically a main character in the Anime for the first couple of seasons. Misty is a great closet cosplay ideas choice.

What you need

  • Yellow tank top
  • Blue jean shorts
  • Orange wig
  • Togepi plushie to carry around

Alternatives to Misty

The beautiful thing about the Pokémon Anime is that most characters wear normal clothing, making them easy to cosplay. If you rather not be Misty, there are other female companions of Ash that you can cosplay, such as Dawn (Gen 4) or Serena (Gen 6). Or if you’re feeling devious, you can cosplay Jesse from Team Rocket (although her long hair/wig will be pretty difficult to pull off correctly). Be sure to bring a James with you if you decide to do Team Rocket!

If you’re looking for more Pokemon cosplay ideas, check out my post about it here!

10. Katara from Avatar (first choice for an easy cosplay ideas for girls)

Katara Avatar cosplay
Cosplayer: totlamadi. Photo taken by jenxnoir.

Who is Katara: The waterbending master heroine, Katara is an iconic character from the series. She’s known for being a bit stubborn yet strong at the same time. Katara is like a mother to many of the other characters in Avatar; she is known to take care of the people around her!

Alternatives: There are a lot of female characters in Avatar, such as the polarizing Azula. Or you could go for more protagonists such as Asami or Korra!

What you’ll need to cosplay Katara:

  • Tunic – Katara’s tunic design is simple enough to make from scratch. Buy about 1.5y of blue fabric and 0.5y of white fabric and trace a comfortable t-shirt to make a pattern. Topstitch the white patterns. 
  • Pants – If you don’t have navy leggings sitting in your closet, you can easily make your own pants with about a yard of fabric and some elastic for the waist band. It should take you about an hour.
  • Socks and Gloves – A trip to your local Dollar store and you should find something that matches the picture here.

11. Decim from Death Parade

I enjoyed cosplaying as Decim! Photo by bigtofuphotography.

“Everybody, put your hands up!”

I feel like not a lot of people know about Death Parade. After all, it’s only about 12 episodes and came out more than 5 years ago. But I truly enjoyed this series. It was short and sweet!

One of the main characters of Death Parade is Decim, the guy who is the host of all those games. I have cosplayed as Decim and found him super easy to cosplay as! You just need a white wig of course, a white dress shirt, black pants, a black vest and a nice red bowtie!

12. Lola Bunny from Space Jam

Cosplayer: gaby_cosplay. Photo taken by edgarddaherphoto.

Space Jam 2 finally came out, there are mixed reviews but I absolutely loved the movie. What better way to celebrate than to cosplay Lola Bunny? She’s a cute character to dress up as, and she’s perfect for summer weather. All you really need to cosplay Lola Bunny is her blonde wig, lashes, white gloves and the basketball outfit.

13. Kirisu from Steins;Gate

Kirisu Cosplay
Photo by kxz Chen. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

This is from an older series but still one of those great easy cosplay ideas. Kirisu Makise is a good choice if you want someone simple to cosplay.

What you’ll need:

  • Black boots
  • Stockings
  • Black leather shorts with a white belt and gold buckle
  • Red tie
  • White dress shirt
  • White lab coat
  • Long brunette wig

14. Misa from Deathnote

Misa from Death Note. A popular character from an older series, and a good choice for an easy cosplay!
Misa from Death Note. A popular character from an older series, and a good choice for an easy cosplay! Photo by kxz Chen. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The most memorable girl from Death Note. She’s your typical airhead support character who is bubbly and obnoxious! Sporting a goth-like appearance, Misa is popular for many beginner cosplays while also being easy to pull off.

What you need

  • Black dress (preferably shiny or glossy)
  • Black lace sleeves
  • Shoulder-length blonde wig
  • Black lace stockings
  • Cross necklace
  • Black Long boots

Alternative characters to Misa

Nah not really, Misa is really the only prominent female character in Deathnote. If you don’t mind a completely different character however, you can opt for L or Light.

15. Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family

Cosplayer: susamiii.

The Addams Family is an older series but lately has been getting a lot of hype. I say it’s cause we watched the show when we were young. And now we want to cosplay when we’re all grown up! The most popular character of course is Wednesday Addams and the good news is that she is a closet cosplay.

With the new Netflix series that came out late last year, Wednesday has seen a huge surge in popularity! So if you want to cosplay someone who is popular and easy to do casually, then Wednesday Addams is your girl!

What you need

  • Long black wig that’s braided on the ends
  • Black Mini dress
  • White dress shirt underneath with collar sticking out
  • Black eyelashes and lipstick
  • Black stockings or thigh high socks
  • Skull or poison bottle to carry around!

Alternative characters to Wednesday Addams

Morticia and Gomez are alternative cosplay options if you want to do a character that’s older and more mature than Wednesday.

16. Mavis Dracula from Hotel Transylvania (Disney closet cosplay)

Cosplayer: freitasvick_.

Remember that movie, Hotel Transylvania? Who can forget the awesome Mavy Wavy, the vampire who is kind and gentle but wants to experience life outside of the hotel? Mavis is a great choice for a closet cosplay!

What you need

  • Medium length black wig
  • Black Mini dress
  • Red and black pattern stockings
  • Red colored high top shoes

Alternatives to Mavis

Although Mavis is the most recognizable character from Hotel Transylvania, there are other characters you can cosplay. Dracula, Eunice and Winnie are some alternative options.

17. Nasa Starfire

Cosplayer: khay_cosplay. Photo taken by ikaphotography_.

Starfire is one of the most popular superheroes! And one of the easier editions of her costume is the NASA edition!

What you need

  • Long orange wig
  • White t shirt with NASA logo
  • Purple-colored forearm sleeves
  • Dark brown shorts

Alternatives

I mean, you could just do the regular Starfire outfit. But that takes much more work. Stick with NASA 🙂

18. Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

The sassy Haruhi Suzumiya, one of our easy cosplay ideas for girls. Considered one of the most memorable characters in the 2000s! Photo taken by kxz Chen [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)].
The sassy Haruhi Suzumiya. Considered one of the most memorable characters in the 2000s! Photo by kxz Chen. Licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Considered one of the best Anime series of the 2000s, Haruhi is a very recognizable character and people will love that you’re showing appreciation for one of the most loved characters of all time. And she’s pretty easy to cosplay as well.

Who is Haruhi Suzumiya: She is an eccentric and lively person who is very interested in aliens and extraterrestrial life. At her high school, Haruhi forms the SOS Brigade out of boredom. Little does she know that she possesses God-like powers that can alter the universe and the world. She is incredibly talented but hardheaded, making her a polarizing character. Cosplay wise, her outfit is very easy to do! All it is a modified high school uniform.

Alternatives: Another outfit from Haruhi Suzumiya is the bunny suit that they wear. Try it out if you feel like cosplaying something more playful.

What you’ll need to cosplay Haruhi Suzumiya:

  • Brown wig – Find any generic brown wig and trim the bangs so that they sit just below your eyebrows. Feather the edges by pointing your scissors upwards to make the ends seem more natural and remove some of the bulk. The headband is a must! You can make one yourself by painting a headband the correct colour and gluing two ribbons to the side.
  • Sailor outfit – Haruhi’s sailor outfit is commonly found enough that you may want to just purchase it instead of making it – maybe about $50 or so. However, you can make your own for about the same in materials. You’ll need 1y white, 1.5y blue, and 1/2y red fabric and it will take about 6-8 hours from start to finish.
  • Shoes – Brown schoolgirl shoes are a cosplay closet staple. If you grab a pair of brown or black loafers, you’ll be able to use them for so many costumes down the line. I always see loafers for sale at Wal-Mart, Brown’s, and other shoe stores.

19. Company logo/mascot (creative closet cosplay)

Jif peanut butter (closet cosplay)
Creamy and delicious! Cosplayer: layvendercos.

Who says you have to cosplay from an Anime or video game? You can cosplay your coffee brand, peanut butter, food, drink, mascot and all sorts of stuff! Take for example, this Jiffy peanut butter cosplay! All you really need is some clothing and a wig that matches the color of the brand, and the actual logo of the company.

20. Lucy from Fairy Tail

Lucy from Fairy Tail. A favourite for many cosplayers, Lucy is very easy to pull off!
Lucy from Fairy Tail. A favourite for many cosplayers, Lucy is very easy to pull off! Photo by 玄史生.

Lucy Heartfilia is a girl with a ton of confidence and sex appeal, while also being someone that’s kind and caring. She’s easily recognizable from the show Fairy Tail, and you don’t have to do much in order to cosplay as her! She’s definitely one of the easy cosplay characters.

Who is Lucy Heartfilia: One of the main characters of the show, Lucy is part of Team Natsu, which is why she happens to be a popular character and a good choice for a female cosplayer! She’s somewhat similar to Naruto with her stubbornness and never wanting to give up.

Alternatives: Erza Scarlet is another character you can cosplay that’s slightly more difficult to pull off, but very popular!

What you’ll need to cosplay Lucy Heartfelia:

  • Blonde wig – Lucy has a little side ponytail that you can easily style on a regular blonde wig instead if you don’t want to buy one with a clip-on ponytail. Gather the hair and tease with a comb to increase the volume.
  • White vest – You can find a white zip-up and add the details yourself by topstitching or hand stitching the blue details one. I personally recommend using Wondertape or HeatnBond (with an iron) to ensure the pieces don’t move while you’re stitching.
  • Blue skirt – The blue pleated skirt is probably going to be the easiest part of this costume. While my favourite “fashion” brand for pleated skirts is American Apparel, you can easily find pleated skirts online in a myriad of colours and lengths.
  • Brown boots – This buy can range depending on the quality of leather or faux leather you want. Don’t worry so much about the heel being completely accurate or the exact height – go for what you feel good in and the style that you like.
  • Accessories – You can use a thick twill, canvas, leather, or pleather to make Lucy’s belt and pocket. However, it may be easier to purchase a generic brown belt and make only the pocket. Add little belt loops to the pocket so that you can easily slide it on.

21. Casual Kaeya from Genshin Impact

Kaeya is one of my favorite closet cosplays!

If you don’t know, Kaeya is one of the characters from Genshin Impact. He is cool, mysterious and cunning. He is definitely one of the Husbandos of the game for sure.

What you need

  • Long dark blue hair wig
  • Black pants
  • Brown belt
  • White dress shirt

22. Haru from Beastars

Haru Beastars Cosplay
Cosplayer: _starrysoul_.

Who is Haru: Haru is from Beastars, an intriguing series where humanoid carnivore and herbivore animals go to school together in a tense and complex setting. While Legoshi is a timid wolf, Haru is quite the aggressive hare. It should be the other way around! Beastars is an interesting series, and Haru is an easy Anime cosplay you can definitely pull off!

What you’ll need to cosplay Haru:

  • White wig and bunny ears – Haru is a character that might not be as common, so you don’t need to find a specific wig style. Since Haru technically doesn’t have any hair, you can be as creative as you want with the length and the ears.
  • White dress – You can find a white dress you like and add the sailor collar yourself! There are tons of tutorials online on how to make a sailor collar, and this ensures that you will get more wear out of your costume. Pin the collar on your dress so you can remove it when the conVention is over.

23. Casual Futaba from Persona 5

Futaba from Persona 5. Cosplayer: resident.ginger.

Persona 5 is a very popular series, and Futaba is one of the main characters in the game. Futaba looks great as a cosplay! Most of the things you need to cosplay her involve regular clothing. And her big glasses make her look all the more cool! She’s really easy to cosplay.

What you need

  • Long orange wig (or use your own hair if you’re a natural redhead)
  • White t-shirt
  • Blank tanktop underneath the white t-shirt
  • Knee-high stockings
  • Black boots
  • Big eyeglasses! (take out the lens before wearing, unless the eyeglasses are specifically prescribed for your eyes)
  • Headphones
  • Dark green jacket (optional)

24. Timmy and Tommy from Animal Crossing

Cosplayers: jestina_keys and caram3llo_cosplay. Photo by futurephotographybym3.

The cute assistants of Tom Nook’s shop, Timmy and Tommy is another good choice if you want to cosplay with a friend. All you need is an apron, ears and a spot on your nose to look like the little tanuki. Add a little dot on your nose to make you look even cuter!

25. Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist

Colonel Mustang!

I’ve cosplayed Roy many times. Not only is he easy to cosplay, but he looks great as well! Don’t you think? 🙂

Summary

To summarize, here are the 20 closet cosplay ideas I’ve discussed in this post:

  1. Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist
  2. Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service
  3. L from Death Note
  4. Sebastian from Black Butler
  5. Chloe Price from Life is Strange
  6. Platelet from Cells At Work
  7. Rei Ryugazaki from Free! Iwatobi Swim Club
  8. Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist
  9. Misty from Pokemon
  10. Katara from Avatar
  11. Decim from Death Parade
  12. Lola Bunny from Space Jam
  13. Kirisu from Steins;Gate
  14. Misa from Deathnote
  15. Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family
  16. Mavis Dracula from Hotel Transylvania
  17. Nasa Starfire
  18. Haruhu Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
  19. Company logo/mascot
  20. Lucy from Fairy Tail
  21. Casual Kaeya from Genshin Impact
  22. Haru from Beastars
  23. Casual Futaba from Persona 5
  24. Timmy and Tommy from Animal Crossing
  25. Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist

And there you have it – 25 closet cosplays that are not only easy to do, but will you save TONS of money!

Which closest cosplays would you want to do? Were there any that I missed? Let me know in the comments below!

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