Last updated: May 6, 2026· By Seckin Peker

Costume Guide

Mei Lee Halloween Costume Guide

Turning Red  ·  School Casual Look  ·  Animated

Orange cardigan, Peter Pan collar, round glasses, a Tamagotchi, and the absolute certainty that being thirteen is a lot to handle.

Cartoon Turning Red Animated Casual Family Glasses Short Hair Teenage
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Quick Answer: The Mei Lee Halloween costume is twelve pieces.
  • Orange button-down knit cardigan (essential)
  • Silver round glasses (essential)
  • Short straight wig with green hair clips
  • Peter Pan collar pink polo shirt
  • Slate blue skater skirt and burgundy leggings
  • Gothic lace choker, Tamagotchi, star stud earrings
  • Pink ankle socks and white sneakers

Meilin Lee is the thirteen-year-old star of Pixar’s 2022 film Turning Red, an overachieving Toronto student who turns into a giant red panda whenever her feelings get too big. Her everyday school look is layered, colourful, and unmistakable: orange cardigan, pink collar, a blue skirt over burgundy leggings, and those round silver glasses that do half the work, honestly. It’s a Halloween costume that’s genuinely comfortable to wear all night, which puts it ahead of most options at this price point.

Items Total12 Items
DifficultyEasy
VibeCasual
Cost$40-$90

Mei Lee Costume Items

Mei Lee Halloween costume infographic from Turning Red showing all twelve items: orange cardigan, Peter Pan collar pink polo shirt, short straight wig, green hair clips, burgundy leggings, slate blue skater skirt, gothic lace choker, Tamagotchi, silver round glasses, pink ankle socks, white sneakers, and star stud earrings

Mei Lee Costume Items

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Mei Lee Turning Red Halloween Pixar
  • 1 Orange Button Down Knit CardiganThe anchor piece. The orange cardigan is the single most character-specific item in the Mei Lee costume, the one that makes the whole look click. Don’t skip this one.
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  • 2 Peter Pan Collar Pink Polo ShirtThe base layer worn under the cardigan. The Peter Pan collar peeks above the neckline and is a key detail that separates this from a generic school-uniform look. Subtle but worth getting right.
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  • 3 Short Straight WigMei’s hair is short and dark. The wig gets the silhouette right immediately. Pair with the green clips below.
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  • 4 Green Hair ClipsA small detail that earns its place. Mei’s green hair clips are visible in almost every scene. Clip them into the front of the wig and they read instantly to anyone who’s seen the film.
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  • 5 Burgundy LeggingsWorn under the skirt. The burgundy colour is specific to Mei’s design and keeps the legs from reading as generic. Comfortable for a full Halloween night, which is always worth noting.
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  • 6 Slate Blue Skater SkirtThe skirt worn over the leggings. The slate blue shade against the burgundy underneath is a colour combination that’s very specifically Mei. The skater silhouette matches her animated design closely.
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  • 7 Gothic Lace ChokerMei wears a choker as part of her everyday style. It’s a small personality detail that signals her taste beyond the school uniform aesthetic. Worth two seconds to put on.
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  • 8 Tamagotchi Digital PetThe best prop in the build. Nobody notices it until you pull it out, and then everyone notices it. Clip it to a bag strap or carry it in a cardigan pocket. Gets more reactions than anything else on this list.
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  • 9 Silver Round GlassesThe glasses do half the work. Round silver frames are immediately associated with Mei’s look and the detail that identifies the costume at a distance. Don’t swap these for a different style.
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  • 10 Pink Ankle SocksA small detail, but it completes the look when paired with the sneakers. Skip this if you’re tight on budget and nobody will care. Include it if you’re going for the full picture.
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  • 11 Skechers Women’s Summits SneakerWhite sneakers match Mei’s footwear and, more practically, keep this costume comfortable. Any white sneaker from existing wardrobe substitutes fine.
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  • 12 Star Stud EarringsSmall star studs add the final accessory layer without overcomplicating the look. Check your own jewellery box first. You might already have something close enough.
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Mei Lee from Pixar's Turning Red wearing her signature Halloween costume look: orange knit cardigan, Peter Pan collar pink polo shirt, slate blue skater skirt, burgundy leggings, round silver glasses, and green hair clips, the complete Meilin Lee costume reference

How to Style the Mei Lee Costume

Start with the burgundy leggings, then the slate blue skater skirt over the top. Layer the pink polo shirt, then the orange cardigan buttoned partway. Pink ankle socks, then the white sneakers. Fasten the lace choker and put in the star stud earrings. Clip the Tamagotchi somewhere accessible, because you’ll want to pull it out during the night. Slide on the silver round glasses last.

For the wig: put it on, centre it, clip the green hair clips into the front section. Smooth it flat at the sides. Mei’s hair is neat but not precious about it. The whole look should feel like a real thirteen-year-old got dressed in the morning, not like someone assembled a costume. That’s the point.

The Glasses: Non-Negotiable

The round silver glasses are the detail that makes the Mei Lee Halloween costume recognisable from across a room. Everything else is layered casualwear. The glasses are the character. If you already own round frames in any colour close to silver, use them. If you wear prescription glasses, check if your frames are close enough before buying dedicated costume ones. The shape matters more than the colour. Avoid angular or oversized styles, which read as different characters entirely. Round, silver, and positioned properly on the face. That’s it.

In-Character Delivery for Halloween

Mei Lee’s two most quotable lines are “I’m thirteen! Deal with it!” and “It was all me!” Deliver both with complete sincerity and a slightly raised voice, as if explaining something obvious to adults who don’t get it. Mei’s register is earnest, a little panicked, and totally convinced she’s right. The Tamagotchi is your main prop: check it regularly, look concerned when it beeps, and explain to anyone who asks that it’s a very important responsibility. One unexpected character note: Mei has genuinely good grades and is proud of them. Mentioning this unprompted is very in-character.

Mei Lee Group Halloween Costume Ideas

The Turning Red Friend Group

Mei Lee, Abby Park, Miriam Mendelsohn and Priya Mangal

The four main friends from Turning Red are the obvious group choice and one of the most cohesive animated ensemble costumes available right now. Each character has a distinct look and personality, so there’s no awkward doubling up. They read immediately together and individually. Great for a group that wants something recognisable without going for an overcrowded franchise.

Mei Lee Abby Park Miriam Mendelsohn Priya Mangal

Animated Redheads and Orange Hair

Mei Lee, Starfire, Kim Possible, Candace Flynn, Blossom and Daphne

A loose, cross-franchise group united by warm hair tones and the fact that every single one of these characters is immediately recognisable. The colour palette holds the group together visually even though the aesthetics range from superhero to spy to mystery. A solid pick for a large group that doesn’t want to commit to a single universe.

Mei Lee Starfire Kim Possible Candace Flynn Blossom Daphne

Animated Teen Girls

Mei Lee, Star Butterfly, Eliza Thornberry, Lucy Van Pelt and Dee Dee

Five animated teenage girls, five completely different aesthetics, and zero confusion about who’s who. This group works because each character is visually distinct and carries their own nostalgia or cultural moment. Mei’s school-casual orange-and-blue sits comfortably alongside the magical, adventurous, and chaotic energy of the rest of the lineup.

Mei Lee Star Butterfly Eliza Thornberry Lucy Van Pelt Dee Dee

Pixar Protagonists

Mei Lee, Merida and Violet Parr

Three Pixar heroines, three wildly different worlds. Mei’s city-casual school look, Merida’s medieval archery gear, and Violet’s superhero suit are about as visually varied as three costumes can be while still sharing a studio. This is a small group that punches well above its size for instant recognition. Works especially well if the three of you already have different vibes anyway.

Mei Lee Merida Violet Parr
Mei Lee cosplay reference image from Turning Red showing the full Meilin Lee costume with orange cardigan, round silver glasses, short dark hair with green clips, and layered school outfit, ideal reference for a Turning Red Halloween costume

Mei Lee Costume DIY Tips

What You Actually Need to Buy

Most of this costume is ordinary casualwear. Check your wardrobe before ordering anything. Got burgundy leggings? Done. Own a knit cardigan in orange or close to it? You’re halfway there. The items worth buying specifically are the silver round glasses (shape matters, substitutes don’t work as well), the green hair clips (too specific to improvise), and the short wig if your natural hair isn’t already close to Mei’s silhouette. Everything else, including the sneakers, skirt, polo, choker, and socks, can be sourced from what you already own or found at any thrift store for a few dollars. The Tamagotchi is optional but genuinely the most fun prop in the build. Nobody expects it and everybody reacts to it.

  • Silver round glasses = buy these, shape is too specific to improvise
  • Green hair clips = buy these, colour and style are character-specific
  • Short wig = buy if your hair isn’t already similar
  • Orange cardigan = buy if you don’t own one, it’s the anchor item
  • Burgundy leggings, blue skirt, pink polo = check your wardrobe first
  • White sneakers = any pair you already own works fine
  • Tamagotchi = optional, but worth it for the reactions

Getting the Colour Palette Right

The Mei Lee costume lives and dies by its colour palette. Orange cardigan, pink shirt, slate blue skirt, burgundy leggings: these four colours read as a unit. If any one of them drifts too far in shade, the look stops reading as Mei and starts reading as a generic school outfit. The orange cardigan is the most important. A yellow-orange won’t do it. A rust or terracotta shade is too dark. You want a clear, warm orange. The slate blue skirt can go a shade lighter or darker without much consequence. The burgundy leggings are specific enough that a plain black substitution works in a pinch, but burgundy is noticeably more accurate. If you’re making this from thrift store finds, start with the cardigan and build the rest around it.

  • Orange is the most important colour to get right in the whole build
  • Slate blue can flex a shade either direction
  • Burgundy leggings are better than black, but black works if needed
  • The pink polo should be soft pink, not hot pink or dusty rose

Mei Lee Halloween Costume: Frequently Asked Questions

For Halloween 2026, the Mei Lee Halloween costume from Turning Red is twelve pieces: orange cardigan, Peter Pan collar pink polo, short wig with green clips, burgundy leggings, slate blue skater skirt, lace choker, Tamagotchi, silver round glasses, pink ankle socks, white sneakers, and star stud earrings. The cardigan and glasses are the two essential purchases. Everything else can be thrifted or pulled from your wardrobe.

“I’m thirteen! Deal with it!” and “It was all me!” Deliver both at full volume with complete conviction. Mei doesn’t do half-measures.

Meilin Lee is the lead character of Pixar’s 2022 animated film Turning Red, a confident, overachieving thirteen-year-old in Toronto who discovers she transforms into a giant red panda when she gets emotional. The film follows her navigating friendships, family pressure, and adolescence, all while trying to keep the panda under control. It’s a genuinely good film and the costume is one of the more comfortable Halloween options available.

Very. Most of it is casualwear. The orange cardigan and round glasses are the only dedicated purchases that can’t be easily substituted. Everything else is thriftable or already in your wardrobe. Budget-wise, you can put together a solid Mei Lee Halloween costume for under $60 if you already own the basics.

Mei Lee’s signature look is an orange knit cardigan over a Peter Pan collar pink polo shirt, a slate blue skater skirt, burgundy leggings, white sneakers, and pink ankle socks. She wears silver round glasses, green hair clips, a gothic lace choker, and carries a Tamagotchi. It’s a very specific colour combination that reads immediately once you see the film.

Yes. This guide works equally well as a Mei Lee cosplay guide or a Halloween costume guide. The item list is identical for both. For cosplay events, prioritise the glasses and Tamagotchi: they’re the most character-specific details and get recognised fastest in any crowd.