In the words of Drake, “What a time to be alive.” From the insane presidential campaign in the United States and the UK’s controversial Brexit decision to the deaths of David Bowie and Prince, 2016 has been an unpredictable year. On the upside, Leonardo diCaprio finally won a much overdue Oscar, the Rio Olympics introduced the world to the incredibly talented “Final Five”, and a release date was announced for the Gilmore Girls re-boot. With Halloween around the corner, now is the perfect time to relive some of the better pop culture moments of the year.
Beyoncé from the 'Hold Up' Music Video
There were just too many savory fashion moments to count throughout Beyoncé’s incredible visual album, Lemonade. However, there is one that stands out above the rest as the most iconic look of the album, and it comes from the delightfully vengeful scenes in ‘Hold Up’ as she smashes up cars in a gorgeous Roberto Cavalli dress armed with a bat named “Hot Sauce”. A baseball bat, a bohemian yellow dress, and wild, untamed curls are all you need to complete this look.
Eleven from Stranger Things
Netflix’s original series, Stranger Things, took the world by storm when it was released in mid-July. Social media brimmed with references to the show and praise for the brilliant cinematography and plot, which paid homage to many iconic films from the 1980s, like E.T., The Goonies, and Predator. Although the character Barb had her pop culture moment in the spotlight, it was Eleven who truly stole the show. Capture her look with a navy bomber jacket, a frilly pink dress, athletic socks, and, of course, a box of Eggo Waffles.
Taylor Swift/Snek
It’s been a rough year for T-Swift. Her public splits from both Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston were completely overshadowed by her feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. In one of the biggest “gotcha” moments of 2016, Kardashian released proof that Swift had indeed given West permission to use a controversial line in his track ‘Famous’, although she had been denying it to the press. Kardashian fueled the backlash by throwing shade at Swift on Twitter, saying, “Wait it’s legit National Snake Day?!?!? They have holidays for everybody, I mean everything these days!” followed by the snake emoji, which led to the Swift/Snek meme on social media. Relive this hot-mess moment by dressing like Swift and adding a little snakeskin to your Halloween look.
Lady Gaga as Joanne
Lady Gaga is adept at changing her image, and 2016 saw one of her most surprising reinventions so far as the star traded in pop melodies for a country persona named Joanne. On SNL, she revealed her full Joanne look, which was replete with a cowboy hat, glittering cowboy boots, and a sequined two-piece trimmed with fringe. This is a fun and easy costume to adapt for Halloween – all you need are a sparkling top, hot pants, and a cowboy hat.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton is only a few weeks away from becoming the first female President of the United States, which is an unprecedented coup for women. Unfortunately, she’s been embroiled in one of the most controversial campaigns in the history of global politics for the past year. Despite all of that, Clinton has maintained her cool and even been able to make fun of herself a little along the way. If you’re #TeamHillary, show your stance this Halloween in either a solid red, white, or blue power suit.
Sia
The mysterious singer has been performing in her native Australia since the 90s, but it’s only since 2015 that she has achieved global fame. Her enormous, face-obscuring wigs, mesmerizing music videos, and powerful anthems have contributed to her swift rise to the top of the pop culture pile. Celebrate Sia’s incredible talent and new album, This Is Acting, by donning a black-and-white wig, which you can top with a fedora or an oversized bow.
Daenerys from Game of Thrones
Of all the amazing, strong female characters that are currently on television, there is no one more powerful than Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons (yes, that is her full title). Not only does she have three enormous dragons for sons, but she is also regularly in the habit of freeing slaves and making the world a better place to live for all. To embody Daenerys, you’ll need a long white-blonde wig, a flowing goddess gown, and lots of cool, sculptural jewelry.