Last updated: May 19, 2026·🔄 Product links checked and unavailable products replaced with current alternatives for 2026.· By Serdar

Halloween Costume Guide

Art Donaldson Halloween Costume Guide

Blonde Wig  ·  Layered Tennis Look  ·  Challengers (2024)

Nine items built around one specific layering detail. Art is the quieter half of the Challengers love triangle, but the costume is surprisingly clean to pull off if you get the hair right.

Challengers Mike Faist Blonde Men Sports Tennis
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Quick Answer: The Art Donaldson Halloween costume is nine pieces built around one key detail.
  • Blonde short cut wig (essential)
  • Grey tee layered over black long-sleeve (essential)
  • Light blue tennis shorts
  • White athletic socks and white sneakers
  • Sport wristwatch and lanyard

Art Donaldson is a professional tennis player in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers (2024), played by Mike Faist. He spends most of the film performing competence while quietly falling apart. The costume’s identifier is the grey-over-black layered tee look paired with the blond hair. People who saw the film will place it. People who didn’t will see tennis clothes and a wig, which is fine as a fallback.

Items Total9 Items
DifficultyEasy
VibeTennis Core Tension
Cost$30–$90

Art Donaldson Halloween Costume Items

Art Donaldson Halloween costume infographic showing all nine items including blonde wig, layered grey and black tees, light blue tennis shorts, white sneakers, and sport watch

Art Donaldson Costume Items

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Art Donaldson Challengers Mike Faist Tennis
  • 1 Blonde Short Cut WigThis is the essential item. Art’s blond hair with that specific short, slightly textured cut is the first thing that makes the costume readable. Without it, the athletic clothes could belong to anyone. Get this right and the rest follows. Secure it before you leave the house. It will shift during the night if you don’t.
    See on Amazon
  • 2 Grey Cotton T-ShirtThe outer layer. Plain grey, crew neck, short sleeve. This goes over the black long-sleeve tee. The grey-over-black is Art’s specific layering signature throughout the film. A grey shirt on its own is just a grey shirt. The layering is what makes it a costume.
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  • 3 Woven Boxer ShortsAthletic underlayer for the shorts. Worn under the tennis shorts for the full sport look.
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  • 4 Black Cotton Blend Long-Sleeve TeeThe base layer. Goes under the grey tee with the sleeves pushed up to just below the elbow. The visible black sleeves below the grey shirt are the specific detail that signals Art’s look. A fitted cut works better here than a baggy one.
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  • 5 Lacoste Sport Tennis ShortLight blue tennis shorts. The Lacoste style matches the preppy athletic character of Art’s wardrobe throughout the film. Get the right length: mid-thigh, not long. Anything that hits the knee starts reading as basketball, not tennis.
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  • 6 Light Blue T-ShirtAn alternate top option if you want to reference a different scene from the film. Art rotates through light blue and grey athletic tops throughout Challengers. Check your closet first.
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  • 7 White Athletic SocksPull them up. Not ankle socks, not folded down. The tall white sock is part of the tennis player silhouette and it shows. Anything lower than mid-calf changes the read.
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  • 8 Art SneakerWhite court sneakers. Clean, flat-soled, low-profile. The shoe matches the court context of the film and keeps the whole look consistent. Something chunky or running-specific will knock the silhouette off.
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  • 9 Sport Wrist WatchA simple sport watch. Art wears one throughout the film. Small detail, but it reads correctly on the wrist when you’re holding drinks or gesturing and someone is trying to place who you are.
    See on Amazon
Art Donaldson from Challengers standing on a tennis court wearing a grey t-shirt over black long sleeves, light blue shorts, tall white socks, and white sneakers, holding a red water bottle with a black tennis bag beside him

How to Style the Art Donaldson Halloween Costume

The layering is what people read first on this costume, and it has to be right before you leave. The grey tee sits over the black long-sleeve with those sleeves pushed up to the elbow. If the black sleeves are tucked inside the grey tee or bunched around the wrist, the whole thing collapses into generic athletic wear. A person in grey clothes at a Halloween party is not a costume. A person with blond hair, a grey tee over visible black sleeves, and tall white socks is Art Donaldson.

Art is controlled in the film right up until he isn’t, and that reads well at a party. He doesn’t perform. He’s the guy in the corner who is paying more attention than anyone realizes. If your group has a Patrick, let him do the talking. Art listens, watches, and then says the one thing that lands. You already know what that feels like. It’s quieter than most costumes but it’s more specific, and specific is more fun after midnight.

The Wig Shape Matters

Pin the wig at the crown before you put anything else on. Art’s blond hair has a specific short, slightly textured shape with some volume at the top. If the wig sits flat or slides forward, the whole read goes with it. Five minutes of adjusting and pinning before you leave saves you checking a bathroom mirror every hour.

The Layering Problem at a Warm Venue

Two shirts in a crowded party gets hot fast. If you’re at a venue that runs warm, the black long-sleeve is the one you can remove. Keep the grey tee as the minimum. It’s less specific without the layering, but it holds better than sweating through both layers by 10pm and looking like you’ve just played a match.

Art Donaldson Group Halloween Costume Ideas

The Center Court Triangle

Art Donaldson, Tashi Duncan, Patrick Zweig, Lily Donaldson

This is the strongest option for people who actually saw the film. The three-way dynamic between Art, Tashi, and Patrick is the whole point of Challengers, and it plays out naturally at a party without needing explanation. Adding Lily rounds it out for a four-person group. The one condition: everyone needs to have seen the film or the group concept is invisible to bystanders.

Art Donaldson Tashi Duncan Patrick Zweig Lily Donaldson

Cinematic Sports Stars

Art Donaldson, Rocky Balboa, Dottie Hinson, Johnny Lawrence

This works better for a mixed crowd because each character stands on their own without the others. Rocky and Johnny Lawrence are widely known. Dottie Hinson is recognized by people who grew up with A League of Their Own. Art is the least immediately obvious of the four, which is fine because the group doesn’t rely on him for recognition.

Art Donaldson Rocky Balboa Dottie Hinson Johnny Lawrence

The Faist Faces: Same Actor

Art Donaldson, Riff, Connor Murphy, Dodge Mason

Niche. This only works at a party where people are serious about film and theater, and even then Dodge Mason from Panic is a long shot for most crowds. Riff from West Side Story and Connor Murphy from Dear Evan Hansen are the two that might land. The concept requires explanation for anyone who isn’t already a Mike Faist fan, which is a small group.

Art Donaldson Riff Connor Murphy Dodge Mason

The Art of the Name: Same Name

Art Donaldson, Art the Clown, Arthur Fleck, Arthur Morgan

The name theme is a conversation starter, and that’s most of what it has going for it. Art the Clown and Arthur Fleck are widely recognized. Arthur Morgan has a dedicated fan base. The concept is fun to explain once, but it is a loose connection and it reads as “we found a theme” rather than “we planned this.” Works if the group is in on the joke.

Art Donaldson Art the Clown Arthur Fleck Arthur Morgan

Country Club Core: Niche

Art Donaldson, Richie Tenenbaum, Carlton Banks, Gomez Addams (Golf Outfit)

Weak as a group concept for strangers, but genuinely fun if your group has the right taste in films. Richie Tenenbaum requires a built audience. Carlton Banks is broadly known. Gomez in a golf outfit is a stretch that only works if someone commits to the mustache and the mannerisms. This group will delight the people who get it and confuse everyone else.

Art Donaldson Richie Tenenbaum Carlton Banks Gomez Addams
Art Donaldson from Challengers sitting cross-legged on a hotel room floor with messy blond hair and a grey t-shirt with patterned shorts, listening intently with his hand near his mouth

Art Donaldson Halloween Costume DIY Tips

What You Need to Buy vs. What You May Already Own

Most of this costume can be assembled from clothes you already have. The wig is the one non-negotiable purchase. Everything else is standard athletic wear that tends to already be in a drawer somewhere.

  • Blonde short cut wig: buy it, this is the whole costume
  • Grey t-shirt: check your closet, almost everyone has one
  • Black long-sleeve tee: check your closet first
  • Light blue tennis shorts: buy or borrow, the color and cut matter
  • White athletic socks: check your closet, pull them up
  • White court sneakers: any clean white low-top works
  • Sport watch: any simple digital or analog sport watch
  • Lanyard: optional, but adds detail if you have one sitting around

Playing the Character

Art is the kind of person who listens more than he talks and then says one thing that changes the room. You don’t have to be loud to play him well at a party. You have to be specific.

  • Hold a water bottle. Art is always carrying something on the court. It gives you something to do with your hands.
  • If someone quotes the film at you, pause before you answer. Art is never in a rush.
  • The half-lidded expression in the film is not boredom, it is calculation. There is a difference. The eyes are still watching.
  • If your group has a Patrick, let him take up space. Art’s whole dynamic is that he doesn’t need to.
  • You do not need to explain the film to anyone. If they know it, they’ll find you. If they don’t, you’re a guy in a wig who seems oddly calm, which is also fine.

Art Donaldson Halloween Costume: FAQ

Nine items: blonde short cut wig, grey cotton t-shirt over a black long-sleeve tee with the sleeves pushed up, woven boxer shorts under light blue tennis shorts, white athletic socks pulled up, white court sneakers, and a sport wristwatch. The wig and the layered tee look are the two pieces that make the costume work. Without both, it’s just athletic wear.

Art does not have a single defining quote the way some film characters do. His most memorable line is: “You were never in love with me. You were in love with the idea of me.” The tension in Challengers is mostly in what Art doesn’t say, which is part of why Mike Faist’s performance works. If you want to say something in character, say it quietly and once.

Challengers came out in April 2024 and got significant attention, mostly around Zendaya and the film’s style. Art is recognizable to people who saw it, but he’s not the first character someone thinks of when they think of that film. People who know it will get the costume immediately. People who don’t will see a blond guy in tennis clothes, which is a fine fallback.

Yes, unless your hair is already short and blond. The hair is the visual anchor of the character. Without it, the athletic layers read as generic sportswear and you will spend the night explaining who you are. I’d skip it only if the natural match is close.

Art wears a grey t-shirt over a black long-sleeve tee with the sleeves pushed up throughout the film. It’s a specific visual detail that becomes part of his look across multiple scenes. Getting the layer wrong turns the costume into generic athletic wear. The black sleeves have to be visible below the grey tee’s sleeves.

Easily. The grey tee, black long-sleeve, and white socks are things most people already own. The tennis shorts can be found cheap at any sport retailer. The wig is the main cost, usually under $20. Skip the sneakers and watch if budget is tight. The wig and the layering are what do the work.

Art Donaldson is a professional tennis player in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers (2024), played by Mike Faist. He is in a long marriage with former tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan, played by Zendaya, and reconnects with his old best friend and rival Patrick Zweig at a low-level challenger tournament. The film moves between timelines to show how all three ended up where they are, and Art’s controlled exterior is slowly shown to be a lot more complicated than it first looks.