Last updated: May 1, 2026· By Seckin Peker

Costume Guide

Nellie LaRoy Halloween Costume Guide

Babylon (2022)  ·  Margot Robbie  ·  1920s Hollywood Glamour

Deep red maxi dress, ankle strap heels, and a fake cigarette held with the absolute certainty that every camera in the room is pointed at you.

Babylon (2022) Margot Robbie 1920s 1930s Blonde Women Cigarette Classy Sexy Vintage
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Quick Answer: The Nellie LaRoy Halloween costume is four pieces.
  • Deep V neck sleeveless maxi dress (essential)
  • Fake cigarettes (essential)
  • Open toe ankle strap high heels
  • Lace hi-leg briefs

Nellie LaRoy is the explosive silent film actress played by Margot Robbie in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon (2022), a brash, self-made star from New Jersey who claws her way to the top of 1920s Hollywood before sound film changes everything. Her Nellie LaRoy red dress look is one of the most striking and most searched costume ideas from the film. The character is widely understood to be inspired by the real silent film star Clara Bow, whose story of working-class Hollywood ambition closely mirrors Nellie’s own arc in Babylon.

Items Total4 Items
DifficultyEasy
Vibe1920s Glamour
Cost$40-$70

Nellie LaRoy Costume Items

Nellie LaRoy Halloween costume infographic from Babylon 2022, showing all four items: deep V neck sleeveless maxi dress, lace hi-leg briefs, fake cigarettes, and open toe ankle strap high heels

Nellie LaRoy Costume Items

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Nellie LaRoy Babylon 2022 Halloween 1920s
  • 1 Sexy Deep V Neck Sleeveless Maxi DressThe Nellie LaRoy red dress is the most searched and most essential item in this build. The plunging V neckline and floor-length silhouette capture the 1920s Hollywood glamour that defines her look in Babylon.
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  • 2 Lace Kiss Hi Leg BriefVisible beneath the maxi dress and consistent with Nellie’s unapologetically bold and uninhibited personal style throughout Babylon (2022).
    See on Amazon
  • 3 Fake CigarettesThe single most in-character prop in the build. Nellie holds a cigarette in almost every scene of Babylon and it is the detail that most immediately communicates her character at a Halloween event. Hold it at all times.
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  • 4 Open Toe Ankle Strap High HeelsPeriod-appropriate open toe heels complete the Nellie LaRoy costume from the ground up. The ankle strap silhouette references 1920s footwear and keeps the full look era-consistent.
    See on Amazon
Still from Babylon 2022 showing a magazine article about Nellie LaRoy and Lady Fay Zhu, illustrating the Hollywood star dynamic at the heart of the film and the costume inspiration behind the Nellie LaRoy Halloween look

How to Style the Nellie LaRoy Costume

Pull on the lace briefs, then step into the deep V neck maxi dress and adjust the neckline. Fasten the ankle strap heels. For hair, Nellie LaRoy’s real-life inspiration Clara Bow wore finger waves and soft curls, so style in loose waves or a simple finger-wave set to anchor the look in the 1920s. For makeup, go theatrical: strong defined brows, a bold cupid bow lip in red, and heavily kohled eyes. Nellie’s makeup is performed, not refined.

In character, everything is loud and immediate. Nellie does not wait for permission and does not lower her voice. React before you think. Treat every room like a film set. Hold the fake cigarette between the index and middle fingers at all times, because Nellie LaRoy is always performing even when she thinks no one is watching.

Hair: Finger Waves for the 1920s Look

The hair is the fastest way to anchor the Nellie LaRoy costume in its era. Apply a strong-hold mousse to damp hair and use a fine-tooth comb to press S-shaped waves flat along the sides of the head. Clip each wave in place and allow to dry before removing clips. If finger waves are not practical, loose side-swept curls pinned at one ear are the next most era-appropriate option.

Makeup: Bold, Theatrical, and Unpolished

Nellie’s makeup in Babylon is deliberately excessive, consistent with a performer playing to a silent camera at distance. Draw strong arched brows with a dark pencil, line the eyes heavily with black kohl, and apply a bold red lip with a pronounced cupid bow. Do not over-blend. Nellie’s slightly undone finish is part of what makes the costume feel character-specific rather than generic 1920s glamour.

Nellie LaRoy Group Halloween Costume Ideas

Babylon Cast

Nellie LaRoy, Jack Conrad and Manny Torres

The core trio from Babylon (2022) makes an immediately recognisable Halloween group for fans of the film. Jack Conrad’s black tie and Manny Torres’s period suit contrast sharply with Nellie’s red dress energy, and the three characters together represent the three social trajectories at the heart of Babylon.

Nellie LaRoy Jack Conrad Manny Torres

Margot Robbie Characters

Nellie LaRoy, Harley Quinn and Barbie

Three of Margot Robbie’s most iconic and most costumed on-screen characters in one Halloween group. Nellie’s 1920s red dress, Harley Quinn’s chaotic DC villain look, and Barbie’s plastic pink perfection create a group that spans Hollywood history, comic book cinema, and pop culture with exceptional visual range and immediate recognition for any Margot Robbie fan.

Nellie LaRoy Harley Quinn Barbie

More Margot Robbie Characters

Nellie LaRoy, Sharon Tate and Barbenheimer

A second Margot Robbie character group for a larger ensemble. Sharon Tate’s late 1960s hippie glamour and the Barbenheimer crossover look sit alongside Nellie’s silent era 1920s Hollywood energy to create a group that traces Margot Robbie’s filmography across three completely different decades and aesthetics. A film-buff Halloween group with strong visual contrast between all three looks.

Nellie LaRoy Sharon Tate Barbenheimer

1920s Hollywood Icons

Nellie LaRoy, Clara Bow and a Silent Film Director

A historically themed 1920s Hollywood group built around the real-life inspiration behind Nellie LaRoy. Pairing the costume with a Clara Bow look and a period silent film director, complete with a megaphone prop and flat cap, creates a group that tells the whole story of the silent era in three costumes.

Nellie LaRoy Clara Bow Silent Film Director
Side-by-side comparison showing Nellie LaRoy from Babylon 2022 alongside real silent film star Clara Bow, illustrating who Nellie LaRoy is based on in real life and the historical inspiration behind the Nellie LaRoy Halloween costume

Nellie LaRoy Costume DIY Tips

What to Buy vs What to Already Own

The Nellie LaRoy costume has one essential dedicated purchase: the deep V neck sleeveless maxi dress. The fake cigarettes are inexpensive and widely available. Ankle strap heels in any colour are a common wardrobe item that substitutes well. Lace briefs are a low-cost addition. A complete Nellie LaRoy Halloween costume can be assembled for under $60 if ankle strap heels are already owned.

  • Deep V neck maxi dress = essential, the Nellie LaRoy red dress is the whole look
  • Fake cigarettes = inexpensive, the most important in-character prop
  • Ankle strap heels = any open toe heel substitutes from existing wardrobe
  • Lace briefs = low cost, check existing wardrobe first
  • Red lipstick and kohl eyeliner = available at any drugstore, essential for the look

The Cigarette Is the Costume

More than any other single prop in this guide, the fake cigarette is what makes the Nellie LaRoy Halloween costume legible to anyone who has seen Babylon. Hold it constantly. Use it to gesture. Rest it between two fingers while you talk. The prop costs almost nothing and adds more character specificity than any accessory in this build. Combined with the red dress and bold 1920s makeup, it is the detail that closes the gap between a red maxi dress and a recognised Nellie LaRoy real-life-inspired Halloween look.

  • Hold the cigarette in the right hand at all times, between index and middle finger
  • Use it to gesture and point during conversation for maximum in-character effect
  • Combined with the red dress, it makes the costume immediately recognisable

Nellie LaRoy Halloween Costume: Frequently Asked Questions

For Halloween 2026, the Nellie LaRoy costume from Babylon is four pieces: a deep V neck sleeveless maxi dress, lace hi-leg briefs, open toe ankle strap high heels, and fake cigarettes as an in-character prop. The red maxi dress and the fake cigarette are the two non-negotiable items. Add finger-wave hair and a bold red lip to complete the 1920s Hollywood look.

Nellie LaRoy’s most famous line from Babylon is “I’m not gonna be a star. I am a star.” For Halloween in-character delivery, speak first and think later, react loudly to everything, and treat every conversation like a performance. Nellie’s register is unfiltered, impulsive, and completely certain of her own star power at all times.

Nellie LaRoy is widely understood to be inspired by Clara Bow, the real silent film star known as the “It Girl” of 1920s Hollywood. Clara Bow was a working-class actress who became one of the biggest stars of the silent era before struggling with the arrival of sound. The Nellie LaRoy real-life parallels to Clara Bow’s story are central to Babylon (2022).

The Nellie LaRoy red dress is a deep red sleeveless maxi dress with a plunging V neckline. It is the most searched and most costumed element of her look in Babylon and the item that makes the Halloween costume instantly recognisable. Paired with ankle strap heels and a fake cigarette, the red dress is the complete Nellie LaRoy Halloween look.

Yes. The Nellie LaRoy costume is four pieces with one essential purchase: the deep V neck sleeveless maxi dress. Fake cigarettes, ankle strap heels, and lace briefs are all inexpensive or potentially already owned. A complete build can be assembled for under $70, making this one of the most budget-friendly film costume ideas from a recent release.

Nellie LaRoy is a fictional silent film actress played by Margot Robbie in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon (2022). She is a brash, self-made star from New Jersey who crashes a Hollywood party and becomes one of silent cinema’s biggest names before the arrival of sound film upends everything. She is inspired by the real actress Clara Bow, the original “It Girl” of 1920s Hollywood.