Last updated: June 12, 2026·🔄 Guide reviewed and refreshed ahead of Halloween 2026.· By Seckin Peker

Halloween Costume Guide

Borat Halloween Costume Guide

A Kazakh TV reporter sent to America to learn about culture, who instead spends the trip chasing Pamela Anderson across the country.
Sacha Baron Cohen 2000s British Curly Hair Comedy Kazakh Meme Moustache Suit Watch
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Quick Answer: The Borat Halloween costume comes in three versions: the gray suit, the green mankini, and the Borat 2 facemask mankini.
  • Green Thong Mankini (essential)
  • Classic Fit 2 Pieces Grey Suit (essential)
  • Short Curly Wig
  • Fake Mustache
  • Borat Face Mask
  • Aviator Sunglasses

Borat is a fictional Kazakh television reporter whose documentary trip across America keeps getting hijacked by his own obsessions, most famously a cross-country drive to propose to Pamela Anderson. The single item that defines this costume is the green mankini, it’s one of the most recognized images from 2000s comedy and works as a costume even for people who have never seen the film. Recognition is about as broad as costumes get, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Wikipedia) was a genuine cultural event in 2006, and lines like “Very nice” are still used as memes nearly twenty years later.

Items Total27 Items
DifficultyEasy
Vibe2000s Mockumentary Reporter
Cost$40-$300

Classic Borat Halloween Costume Items

Classic Borat Halloween costume infographic showing gray suit, tie, watch, and Kazakhstan pins

Classic Borat Suit Items

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Borat Sacha Baron Cohen Kazakhstan 2000s
  • 1 Classic Fit 2 Pieces Grey Suit (essential)This is the look most people picture when someone says “Borat in a suit,” a boxy gray two-piece that looks slightly too small everywhere. Go a size down from your usual fit rather than up, the slightly cramped, awkward fit is the point. A suit that fits you properly just reads as “guy in a suit,” not Borat.
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  • 2 Casio Men’s W800H-1AV WatchA basic black digital watch. If you already own something like this, you’re done.
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  • 3 Grey NecktiePlain gray. A slight mismatch with the suit is fine. Check your closet.
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  • 4 Non Iron Classic Fit ShirtA plain light shirt under the jacket. It doesn’t need to look new.
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  • 5 Borat Face MaskA latex mask covering the lower face and mustache area. This does the most work if you don’t want to deal with a fake mustache, since it gets the distinctive Borat features in one piece.
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  • 6 Kazakhstan and American Friendship PinA small lapel pin. Nobody sees it from across the room, but it’s a cheap nod to the character’s “ambassador” framing.
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  • 7 Kazakhstan Flag PinAnother small lapel pin, this one with the Kazakh flag. Pair it with the friendship pin or just pick one.
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  • 8 4″ x 6″ US FlagA small handheld flag. Borat carries American flags throughout the film as part of his over-the-top “I love USA” bit, so holding one signals the joke without saying anything.
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Borat Green Mankini Halloween Costume Items

Borat green mankini Halloween costume infographic with wig, mustache, and dress shoes

Borat Green Mankini Items

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Borat Mankini 2006 Iconic
  • 9 Green Thong Mankini (essential)This is the costume. The bright lime green one-piece from the swimsuit scene is one of the most recognized images in 2000s comedy, and it works on its own even if someone hasn’t seen the film. Sizing matters more here than with almost anything else on this list, too loose and it looks like a regular swimsuit, too tight and it stops being funny and starts being uncomfortable for everyone.
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  • 10 Short Curly WigA short, dark, curly wig is the hair half of the look. Combined with the mustache, it does most of the recognition work once the mankini is the only clothing.
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  • 11 Fake MustacheA thick, dark mustache. The adhesive that comes with cheap mustaches often isn’t strong enough for a few hours of sweating, so pick up spirit gum or a stronger glue separately.
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  • 12 Silver RingA plain silver ring. Most people won’t notice it.
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  • 13 Lion RingA bigger statement ring. Skip it if you’re already wearing the silver ring and don’t want to manage two.
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  • 14 Aviator SunglassesClassic aviators for photos. Easy to lose at a crowded party, keep them on a strap or in a pocket between shots.
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  • 15 Black WatchAny plain black watch works. Check your closet first.
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  • 16 Gray Dress SocksWorn with the oxford shoes below, the mankini-and-dress-shoes combination is itself part of the joke.
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  • 17 Brown Oxford ShoesBrown dress shoes with the mankini are the visual punchline of this whole look. Don’t swap these for sneakers, the formality against the mankini is what sells it.
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Borat 2 Facemask Mankini Halloween Costume Items

Borat 2 blue mankini Halloween costume infographic with face masks and necklace

Borat 2 Mankini Items

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Borat 2 Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Facemask 2020
  • 18 Blue Thong MankiniThe blue version from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020). In the film, this whole “swimsuit” is actually made from face masks during the COVID-era plot, so pairing this blue mankini with the disposable mask items below gets you the reference without sewing anything.
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  • 19 Curly Human Hair WigA similar curly look to the first mankini costume. Real hair holds up better in heat and through a long night than a synthetic wig.
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  • 20 Light Brown MustacheA lighter shade than the mustache in the first mankini costume. If you’re doing the Borat 2 look specifically, matching this lighter color is a small detail that separates the two.
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  • 21 Black WatchSame idea as the first mankini costume, check your closet.
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  • 22 Vintage Biker RingA different statement ring from the lion ring in the first mankini look. If you’re building both costumes, distinct rings help tell the photos apart later.
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  • 23 Compass Pendant NecklaceA small pendant on the cord below. Most people won’t register it, but it’s there for the extra detail.
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  • 24 Necklace CordPairs with the compass pendant above. Some pendants come with their own cord, check before buying both.
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  • 25 Disposable Face MaskThis is the joke for this specific costume. In Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Borat wears face masks as a swimsuit and another on his forehead. Wear one on your forehead or tucked into the mankini for the reference, and they’re genuinely useful to have around at a crowded event anyway.
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  • 26 Brown Dress SocksSame idea as the gray socks in the first mankini look, dress socks with the mankini.
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  • 27 Brown Oxford ShoesBrown dress shoes again. If you already bought a pair for the first mankini costume, you don’t need a second.
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Borat in the green mankini standing with two women on a beach

How to Style the Borat Halloween Costume

If you’re doing the mankini, the dress shoes and socks are what turn it from “guy in a swimsuit” into the actual joke, skip them and you’ve just got a green swimsuit. The suit version lives or dies on fit, a properly tailored gray suit just looks like business casual, while one that’s a size too small and slightly wrong everywhere gets the Borat read. A mustache that’s visibly fake or sliding by the second hour pulls attention away from everything else, no matter which version you’re wearing. At a party, the mankini is the version with the most exposed surface area for a costume malfunction, so there’s nowhere for it to hide.

Borat greets total strangers on a New York subway with hugs and kisses, treating it as completely normal, and seems genuinely confused when people recoil. He once tried to convince a group of drunk frat guys that his “wife” was actually Pamela Anderson by showing them a tape, which did not go the way he expected.

Think about the bathroom before you commit to the mankini

A mankini is a single piece of fabric, which makes every bathroom trip a bigger production than usual, especially over a few hours with drinks involved. If your event runs long, the suit version is the easier choice logistically, even if the mankini gets more reactions.

The suit version works better for office costume contests

If you need something for a workplace party where the mankini isn’t an option, the gray suit with the face mask and flag pins gets most of the recognition without anyone needing to involve HR. It’s a different costume, not a backup version, so don’t expect the same reaction.

Borat Group Halloween Costume Ideas

Couples Idea

Borat & Tutar (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)

Might work, but calling a father and daughter pairing a “couples idea” is part of the joke, and that joke only lands with people who’ve seen Borat Subsequent Moviefilm specifically, not just the original. Tutar has no costume guide here, so whoever takes that role is building from photos and memory. If your group has seen the sequel, this works. If not, it just reads as two people in mismatched outfits standing near each other.

Borat Tutar

Duo Idea

Borat & Azamat Bagatov (Borat)

Strong if your duo partner is willing to commit to looking nothing like Borat. Azamat is Borat’s producer and best friend for most of the film, most recognizable from the naked hotel-room wrestling scene, so the costume itself can be minimal as long as the dynamic between the two of you sells it. People who’ve seen the film get it instantly. People who haven’t just see two guys who clearly know each other.

Borat Azamat Bagatov

Group Idea: Sacha Baron Cohen Characters

Borat, Ali G, Dr. Nira Cain, Bruno, Admiral General Aladeen

Might work, but this group only makes sense to people who’ve followed Sacha Baron Cohen’s career across two decades, since Ali G’s tracksuit, Bruno’s high-fashion looks, Dr. Nira Cain’s academic styling, and Admiral General Aladeen’s military uniform don’t share a visual thread. Bruno and Aladeen have no guides here, so two of the five costumes are built entirely from reference photos. The payoff is real for the right crowd, but it needs that crowd.

Borat Ali G Dr. Nira Cain Bruno Admiral General Aladeen

Group Idea: Iconic Mustache and Retro Outfit Characters

Borat, Freddie Mercury, Ron Burgundy

Strong as a straightforward “big mustache, big personality” group, and it works even for people who don’t connect any of these to Sacha Baron Cohen at all. Freddie Mercury and Ron Burgundy are both instantly recognizable on their own, and Borat’s mustache fits right into the theme without the rest of his outfit needing to match anything. This is one of the easier group ideas on this page to actually pull off.

Borat Freddie Mercury Ron Burgundy
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm poster showing Borat in the facemask mankini

Borat Halloween Costume DIY Tips

Building the Look

Most of the supporting pieces here are cheap or things you already own. The mankini and the mustache adhesive are the two things worth ordering ahead of time.

  • Suit: thrift stores often have ill-fitting gray suits, look for one a size down.
  • Mankini: buy this one, there’s no real substitute.
  • Wig and mustache: cheap versions work, but budget for stronger adhesive for the mustache.
  • Face mask: order ahead, these sometimes ship slower than other items.
  • Pins and flags: dollar stores often carry small flags and lapel pins.
  • Shoes: brown dress shoes you already own work for either mankini look.
  • Skip the second pair of oxfords if you already have one from the first mankini costume.

Playing Borat at the Party

Borat’s whole bit is treating wildly inappropriate behavior as completely normal, said with total sincerity.

  • Greeting: hug and kiss people on both cheeks like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
  • Line to use: “Very nice!” said with genuine enthusiasm about literally anything.
  • If someone asks about your “wife,” deadpan something absurd and move on.
  • Some of Borat’s in-character lines are deliberately offensive and don’t land well outside the movie, read the room before going there.
  • Don’t actually attempt the naked wrestling bit. Obviously.

Borat Halloween Costume: FAQ

Pick one of three versions. The gray suit with a tie, flag pins, and the Borat face mask works for offices and family events. The green mankini with a curly wig, mustache, and dress shoes is the most recognized look. The Borat 2 version swaps in a blue mankini and disposable face masks for the facemask joke from the sequel. All three lean on the wig and mustache to read as Borat.

Recognition is still broad, the green mankini reads as a costume even to people who’ve never seen the film, and lines like “Very nice” and “Wawaweewa” still circulate as memes nearly twenty years later. The bigger question for 2026 isn’t recognition, it’s which version to pick, the visual gags travel fine on their own, but leaning into the character’s in-universe dialogue can land very differently depending on the room.

Three lines sum him up. “Very nice!” is his all-purpose reaction to literally anything. “Wa wa wee wa!” is his go-to expression of excitement. And his opening line in the film, “I come a-from Kazakhstan. Can I say a-first, we support your War of Terror,” sets up his broken-English, mixed-up-phrase style in one sentence.

Sacha Baron Cohen plays Borat, and he co-wrote and produced both Borat films alongside acting in them.

The official title is Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, released in 2020. It’s the movie where the facemask version of the mankini comes from.

No. That scene was scripted and performed by both actors, unlike a lot of the film’s interactions with real, unscripted bystanders.

No, pick one based on your event. The suit works for office parties, the mankini is the one most people will recognize on sight, and the Borat 2 version is mostly worth it if you specifically want the facemask joke.

What color is the mankini from the original 2006 Borat film?

What is the official title of the 2020 Borat sequel?

Who plays Borat in both films?