30 DIY Halloween Costumes For Empowered Ladies

Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) in Orphan Black, Promotional image courtesy of Temple Street Productions/BBC

Sarah Manning – Orphan Black

Why She’s Awesome: Orphan Black has SO many amazing costumes to choose from – y’know, because of all the clones – but Sarah is the protagonist and probably the easiest to replicate. Initially, she comes off like the complete badass that she is. But the more embroiled she becomes with the Clone Club, the more we see different sides of her. Her intelligence and competence comes through when she investigates to find out more about the clones. Her heart comes through when she’s with her daughter, Kira. And her compassion for her friends comes through any time she interacts with Felix or the other clones. She has her faults, like anybody else, but despite the sci-fi plot, Sarah herself is about as realistic as they come.

Cosima (Tatiana Maslany) in Orphan Black, Screenshot via BBC/Temple Street Productions

What You’ll Need: Sarah prefers dark colors to everything else and tends toward a punk vibe, especially in the early seasons. Opt for either jeans or a black skirt with fishnets, and a plain dark tank top. Feel free to incorporate some color with a flannel or hoodie on top of that. Be sure to include her signature leather jacket, as well as black combat boots for the full look. And finally, don’t forget the bright green phone case for your “clone phone”!

Next Level Move: Be all the clones! So, you have your Sarah look down. Since the clones have the same face, why not be all of them? Cut up some poster board so that it’s slightly larger than your face. Then, cut a face hole out, so you can stick your head in there at appropriate times. Around the face hole, draw the hair and distinguishing characteristics of one of the other clones, and repeat until you have Allison, Cosima, and Helena. If you really want to impress, practice each of their accents beforehand. It’s as close to the brilliance of Tatiana Maslany as any of us will ever get!