Halloween Costume Guide
Pussycat spends her one major scene directing Cliff Booth to Spahn Ranch, then screaming after him as he drives away unconvinced. The rainbow halter crop top is the item that does most of the recognition work, since the color and cut are specific enough to place the character even out of context. Margaret Qualley plays the role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), directed by Quentin Tarantino, and her performance drew attention at the film’s Cannes premiere (Wikipedia). She is a secondary character, so this costume relies more on the overall 1960s look than on name recognition.
Affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The crop top is what people read first, and it needs to look slightly mismatched with the shorts rather than coordinated, since the character’s whole presentation is “thrown together” rather than put-together. The bracelets and earrings should be layered on without much thought to matching, which is more accurate than a carefully arranged set. Bare feet or simple sandals are doing more work than people expect: clean white sneakers or anything obviously modern will pull the entire look out of 1969 faster than any other single choice.
Pussycat directs Cliff Booth to Spahn Ranch, introduces him to the cult members there, and watches as he insists on checking that George Spahn is okay despite being told he is napping. When Cliff leaves unconvinced, she yells after him, “George isn’t blind! YOU’RE THE BLIND ONE!” It is one of the few moments in the film where a Manson Family member raises their voice, and it lands because everything before it has been so quiet.
Don’t iron anything
This is one of the few costumes where wrinkled clothing genuinely helps. A crisp crop top and pressed shorts read as a costume bought specifically for the night, while the same items pulled straight from a drawer look like something someone has actually been wearing all day. If you only do one thing to make this costume look more accurate, skip the iron entirely.
Practice the line, but only use it once
“George isn’t blind! YOU’RE THE BLIND ONE!” is funny because it is a sudden burst of volume after a long quiet scene. Yelling it repeatedly throughout the night loses that effect fast and starts to feel like a bit you are doing rather than a moment you are referencing. Save it for one specific moment, ideally when someone genuinely disagrees with you about something small.
Couples Idea
Strong pairing built around the film’s most direct interaction between the two characters. Pussycat is the one who makes eye contact with Cliff early in the film and later leads him to Spahn Ranch, so the connection is established on screen even though their dynamic is mostly tense rather than warm. The visual contrast between Cliff’s denim and aviators and Pussycat’s rainbow crop top and bare feet gives the pair a clear read, and anyone who has seen the film will recognize the scene the pairing comes from.
Duo Idea
Might work, but the connection between these two characters is thin. Both are women in the film’s 1960s Los Angeles setting, and both costumes lean into the period’s style, but they do not share scenes or any direct relationship in the story. The pairing reads as “two women from the same film” rather than anything more specific, which is fine for a casual duo but will not prompt much recognition beyond people who know the film well.
Group Idea: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Core Trio
Excellent group for anyone who has seen the film, since these four characters cover the main relationships and visual styles of the movie. Rick Dalton and Sharon Tate both have dedicated CostumeRealm pages, and Cliff Booth appears here as plain text since his URL is already used in the couples card above. The range of looks, from Pussycat’s rainbow crop top to Rick’s western costuming to Cliff’s denim and sunglasses to Sharon’s bright 1960s casualwear, gives the group real visual variety, and the film’s popularity means most people at a movie-literate party will recognize at least one of the four.
Group Idea: Free-Spirited Women
Strong group built on a loose but workable theme: women whose personal style became as recognizable as their music or roles. Stevie Nicks, Gwen Stefani, and Joan Jett all have dedicated CostumeRealm pages and strong individual recognition on their own, while Penny Lane from Almost Famous has no page here and is a build-from-scratch costume. Pussycat’s rainbow crop top fits comfortably alongside this group’s range of bohemian, glam, and punk looks, and the group reads well even to people who do not know Once Upon a Time in Hollywood specifically.
This is one of the cheapest and easiest builds on the site. Five items, none of which require special sourcing, and the overall look benefits from things looking a little worn rather than new.
Pussycat is mostly quiet and watchful for most of her screen time, which makes her one outburst land harder. The character at a party is someone relaxed and a little detached, until something specific sets them off.
The rainbow striped halter crop top and short shorts are the core of the look. Add the tribal beaded earrings and bracelet set, sling the suede fringe messenger bag across your body, and finish with brown fisherman sandals. The whole outfit should look thrown together, not coordinated.
Niche, but the look does a lot of the work on its own. Pussycat is a secondary character, so most people will not place her by name. The rainbow crop top, fringe bag, and bare feet read as a general late-1960s free spirit look even without the recognition, which gives the costume a backup.
“George isn’t blind! YOU’RE THE BLIND ONE!” She yells it at Cliff Booth as he leaves Spahn Ranch, after he has just visited George Spahn and walked away unconvinced by everything the cult members told him. It is the moment the scene’s tension finally breaks into the open.
Margaret Qualley plays Pussycat in the 2019 film, directed by Quentin Tarantino (IMDb). Her performance was widely praised on the film’s release at the Cannes Film Festival.
Loosely, and the film does not confirm it directly. Her name may reference Kathryn Lutesinger, nicknamed “Kitty Kat,” a young Manson Family member whose information to investigators reportedly helped connect the group to the Tate murder case. Qualley has said researching the history for the role gave her nightmares, but the character itself stays fictional and unnamed in the film.
She makes eye contact with Cliff Booth early in the film while dumpster diving with other Manson Family members, then later directs him to Spahn Ranch, where the group is staying. When Cliff insists on checking on his friend George Spahn and leaves unconvinced by the group’s story, Pussycat is the one who shouts after him as he drives away.
The bag adds a nice detail but is easy to skip if you want to simplify. The sandals matter more, since Pussycat is often seen barefoot or in simple sandals in the film, and clean modern shoes will pull the look out of the late 1960s faster than almost anything else.
Who plays Pussycat in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?
Where does Pussycat lead Cliff Booth in the film?
What does Pussycat yell at Cliff Booth as he leaves the ranch?