Every Halloween you can always count on Janelle Monáe to deliver one of the year’s most epic and memorable costumes. (Last year she dressed up as an unforgettable E.T.) The star has loved the spooky holiday since childhood. “Halloween has always been a spiritual and sacred time for me,” Monáe tells Vogue. “I remember going trick-or-treating with my sister and cousins, running to Party City or Spencer’s to pick out costumes, and feeling that shared excitement and creativity. That sense of imagination and play has stayed with me.”
This year Monáe was as excited as ever to play dress-up—and, as per usual, fully commit to the art of transformation. In past years, she has turned herself into everything from The Fifth Element’s Diva Plavalaguna to a headless bride. “Halloween is my creative playground,” says Monáe. “As a storyteller and artist, I get to keep discovering new levels of my imagination and transformation. I went into this Halloween feeling like a whimsical and seasoned maestro.” So, without further ado, Monáe’s 2025 costume is…the Cat in the Hat.
Her campy, childlike Halloween costume choice ties back to her personal style. “As a black-and-white uniform wearer, it was always in the cards to step into the role of the Cat,” says Monáe. (It’s true: She does a black-and-white outfit like no other.) “Of all the Dr. Seuss characters, we have the most in common—the black and white, with the pop of red! The mischief! The tuxedos! The handsomeness! The whiskers! We are twins!”
To bring her theatrical vision to life, Monáe started brainstorming a few years back. “The Cat jumped right out the book and scratched me in 2023,” says Monáe. “I am usually two to three years ahead with costume ideas.” Given she is a bona fide pro at Halloween dressing, the star worked with a few people to create the one-of-a-kind look, including her stylist, Alexandra Mandelkorn. “We worked with several incredibly talented artists,” says Monáe, “including Alex Navarro on the costume, Cat + Nico on the SFX, Becca Vandervort on hair, Miles Robinson and Iggy Soliven on props, and Sarah Sokol on the hat.”
As always, it was the intricate details that made Monáe’s elaborate costume stand out—right down to the floating stack of Dr. Seuss books surrounding her and the fish (named Carlos K. Krinklebein) swimming in the nearby bowl. “I love the surreality of my props,” says Monáe. Artist John Criswell even created a mechanical tail that has a life of its own. “I am obsessed with it,” says Monáe. “It moves cutely.”
Where will she be sporting her epic Halloween costume this year? At her very own party in Los Angeles. “Every year I host a big Halloween party called Wondaween through our Wondaland creative community, the Wondaland Arts Society,” says Monáe. “It started as a small Halloween house gathering in Atlanta and grew into a bigger experience over the years. This year we launched The Wondaween Arts Festival!”
The 2025 bash will include everything from movie screenings to games and live music performances. “These are shared experiences that create lasting memories and real community,” says Monae. “That’s what Halloween has always been at its best—a communal celebration where we break down barriers and connect over our shared love of the strange and spectacular.”
For an extra Halloween treat, you can expect more costumes from Monáe on Friday night. “I have one look that’s more of a reveal, and then it evolves into another for my Wondaween party,” Monáe teases. “The costume shifts with the energy of the evening and the space it’s in. It’s not just a photo moment—it’s full performance art. [I’ll be] in character till the sun comes up.”
