Last updated: July 17, 2026· By Seckin Peker

Halloween Costume Guide

Serena Joy Halloween Costume Guide

Yes I do. I helped write it.
Yvonne Strahovski Dystopia Blonde Women
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Quick Answer: Serena Joy’s costume is a full teal outfit, dress, cloak, cardigan, and gloves all in the same shade.
  • Handmaid’s Tale Wife Cloak (essential)
  • Teal Maxi Dress (essential)
  • Teal Cardigan Sweater
  • Teal Long Gloves

Serena Joy Waterford is one of Gilead’s Wives, the highest class of women in The Handmaid’s Tale, married to a Commander and dressed entirely in teal to mark her rank. She helped write the laws that built Gilead, then found herself trapped under the same system, which is the contradiction the whole character runs on. Serena Joy is played by Yvonne Strahovski (IMDb), and the teal-on-teal outfit is one of the most recognizable looks on the show.

Items Total5 Items
DifficultyMedium
VibeGilead Wife
Cost$100-$240

Serena Joy Halloween Costume Items

Serena Joy Waterford from The Handmaid's Tale Halloween costume showing teal maxi dress, matching cloak, cardigan, kitten heels, and long gloves

Serena Joy Costume Items

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Serena Joy Handmaid’s Tale
  • 1Teal Maxi Dress (essential)Long sleeve, high collar, floor-length. The dress is severe and modest on purpose, nothing about the cut should read as casual or relaxed.
    See on Amazon
  • 2Handmaid’s Tale Wife Cloak (essential)A full-length hooded cloak worn over the dress in the exact same teal shade. This is the piece that makes the costume instantly readable as Gilead rather than just “woman in a blue dress.”
    See on Amazon
  • 3Teal Cardigan SweaterWorn under the cloak or in place of it for indoor scenes. Matches the rest of the outfit exactly.
    See on Amazon
  • 4Teal Kitten Heel ShoesModest low heels in the matching color. Comfort matters more than height for a night of standing around.
    See on Amazon
  • 5Teal Long GlovesElbow-length, worn for the more formal scenes. Optional if you’re not chasing exact screen accuracy.
    See on Amazon
Serena Joy Waterford styling reference showing the full teal Wife outfit from The Handmaid's Tale

How to Style the Serena Joy Halloween Costume

Every piece has to match in the same teal, a lighter or bluer shade breaks the effect immediately. The cloak is the item that reads first, without it this is just a woman in a nice dress rather than a Gilead Wife specifically. If the shades clash even slightly under party lighting, the costume loses the uniform look that makes it recognizable in the first place.

Serena Joy helped write the laws that stripped women of their rights in Gilead, then watched those same laws strip away her own voice once her husband took power. She still tries to hold onto control in small ways, correcting people, running rooms, acting like she’s still the one in charge, even after Gilead makes clear she isn’t anymore.

Order the cloak and dress from the same batch if you can

Teal varies a lot between manufacturers and even between production runs of the same listing. Buying both from one seller cuts down the chance of an obvious color mismatch showing up in photos.

A full hooded cloak is warm indoors for a full party

If the venue is warm or crowded, plan on taking the hood down or removing the cloak for stretches of the night. It looks great in photos but isn’t built for hours of dancing.

Serena Joy Group Halloween Costume Ideas

Duo Idea

Serena Joy & June Osborne

Excellent duo and the central relationship of the entire show. The color contrast between Serena’s teal and June’s red reads instantly to anyone who’s watched even one episode.

Serena Joy June Osborne

Group Idea: Women of Gilead

Serena Joy, June Osborne & a Martha or Aunt

Might work, but this only reads clearly if all three color roles are correct, teal for the Wife, red for the Handmaid, and either green or brown for a Martha or Aunt. Get one color wrong and the whole caste system the joke depends on stops making sense.

Serena Joy June Osborne Martha or Aunt

Couples Idea

Serena Joy & Commander Fred Waterford

Strong pairing since they’re married throughout the show, and their relationship, controlling, complicated, occasionally violent, is one of the central dynamics of the series. Fred doesn’t have a dedicated guide here yet, so his look would need to be built from reference photos.

Serena Joy Commander Fred Waterford

Group Idea: The Gilead Household

Serena Joy, Commander Waterford & Rita

Might work, but this only reads clearly if all three color roles are correct, teal for the Wife, a suit for the Commander, and green for a Martha like Rita. Get one color wrong and the caste system the joke depends on stops making sense to anyone who isn’t already familiar with the show.

Serena Joy Commander Waterford Rita
Serena Joy Waterford standing alone in the full teal cloak and dress from The Handmaid's Tale

Serena Joy Halloween Costume DIY Tips

Building the Look

The cloak is worth buying to get the color and length right. The rest can come from your own closet if you already own something teal.

  • Cloak: buy this, a bedsheet cape won’t hold the same structured shape.
  • Dress: check your closet first, any long-sleeve teal midi or maxi works.
  • Cardigan: also worth checking your own wardrobe before buying new.
  • Heels: any modest teal or navy heel is close enough.
  • Gloves: skip these if you’re not chasing exact screen accuracy, they add little on their own.

Playing Serena Joy at the Party

She’s composed, controlling, and never lets anyone forget she used to run things.

  • Correct people’s grammar or manners lightly. She notices details others miss.
  • Hold a teacup or a small notebook, she’s rarely shown without something to manage.
  • Don’t play her as purely cold. The show gives her real moments of guilt and grief, and leaning only into the icy parts flattens the character.

Serena Joy Halloween Costume: FAQ

Wear a teal midi dress under a matching teal cloak, add a teal cardigan, kitten heels, and long teal gloves. The color is the whole point, everything in the outfit needs to be the same shade of blue-green.

Yes. The Handmaid’s Tale has run for multiple seasons and the teal Wife costume is one of the most recognizable outfits from the show, instantly readable even to people who’ve only seen a few episodes.

“Yes I do. I helped write it” is her most quoted line, an admission that she helped author the laws of Gilead that now trap her too. It’s the moment that defines her whole contradiction.

Serena Joy Waterford is played by Yvonne Strahovski across the show’s run on Hulu.

Teal is the color assigned to Wives, the highest-ranking class of women in Gilead who are married to Commanders. The color system in the show sorts women by role, red for Handmaids, teal for Wives, and each one is meant to be recognized at a glance.

What color does Serena Joy wear as a Wife in Gilead?

Who plays Serena Joy Waterford in The Handmaid’s Tale?