Halloween Costume Guide
The man who turns “it’s complicated” into a business model
Saul Goodman defends criminals, bends every rule he can find, and dresses like he is trying to win an argument with his own wardrobe. He is the alter ego of Jimmy McGill, a small-time Albuquerque attorney who slides into full-time criminal enablement across six seasons of AMC’s Better Call Saul, played by Bob Odenkirk, who received six Primetime Emmy nominations for the role (Wikipedia). The costume is easy to pull off. It is also easy to do slightly wrong, and “slightly wrong” here means “plaid blazer with jeans,” which is a different costume entirely.
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The plaid pattern is what people clock first, and it needs to be visible from across the room. A subtle windowpane check reads as a normal suit with an interesting fabric choice. The purple shirt underneath is the second signal: together they tell people this is Saul and not just a lawyer in a loud jacket. Where it falls apart is a plaid blazer over jeans, which reads as “is that a costume?” and then you have to explain it.
In Season 6, Saul is fully committed to the persona in a way he was not earlier in the series. By the finale, during his own trial, he stands up mid-hearing and starts confessing, not because he has to but because he decides to. He names Walter White, names himself, names the things he did, and ends it by saying Walter White could not have done any of it without him. He says it like it is the truest thing he has ever said in a courtroom. That is the character. Someone who knows exactly what he is and has, for once, decided not to perform the alternative.
Carry a prop business card
Saul hands out his business cards constantly throughout the series. Print a few with “Saul Goodman, Attorney at Law” and his Albuquerque office number before the party. Handing one over when someone asks who you are is a better answer than explaining the show. It also gives you something to do with your hands, which matters more than people expect at a party.
The tie knot should be tight and centered
A loose or crooked tie on this costume reads as “person in a costume” rather than “person who wears suits every day.” Saul Goodman is always put together in his own specific way. The tie is not an afterthought for him. A Windsor knot, tied firmly, keeps the professional-criminal-lawyer read intact for the whole night without any adjustment.
Group Idea: Albuquerque Legal and Illegal Experts
Excellent group for people who actually watched Better Call Saul. The contrast between Saul’s flashy suit and Lalo’s cartel-smooth style is visually immediate. Mike and Nacho pull the group toward the criminal side of the show. Anyone who watched the series will recognize the group without explanation, and they will have opinions about the group dynamic, which makes for better conversation than a more generic option.
Group Idea: Defense Attorneys at Law
Strong group if everyone commits to the suits. Three characters who are lawyers, all with flexible ethics. The visual contrast is interesting: Saul in plaid, Matt Murdock in his Daredevil red, Jeff Winger in his Community-era casual professional look. Anyone who knows at least one of the three source materials will get it, and fans of all three will have a lot to say.
Group Idea: The Saul Syndicate
Might work, but only at a party where people will appreciate the joke. Four characters named Saul from completely different genres: a criminal lawyer, a stoner dealer from Pineapple Express, a CIA director from Homeland, and a military officer from Battlestar Galactica. The connection is entirely the name. The humor relies on people recognizing all four, which is a large ask at a general Halloween party.
Group Idea: Undercover Fast Food Personnel
Might work, but the connection needs explaining. Saul ends Season 6 hiding as a manager at a Cinnabon in Omaha, Steve and Robin work Scoops Ahoy, and the Los Pollos Hermanos employee is the Breaking Bad universe link. The thematic thread is “character forced into a fast food job.” It only lands if your group is prepared to explain that to everyone they meet, and if they are actually prepared to do that, it is genuinely funny.
Most of this build is sourcing, not crafting. The challenge is finding a plaid suit pattern that reads as Saul and not as a fashion statement. Thrift stores are worth checking first. Loud plaid suits exist in secondhand shops because they are not easy to wear to actual events.
Saul Goodman is always selling something. At any given moment he is either pitching himself, negotiating terms, or finding the angle in a situation. That is the character mode at a party.
The plaid suit is the whole costume. Pair it with a purple or lilac French cuff dress shirt, a loud patterned tie, and brown leather dress shoes. Add a gold watch and gold ring to complete the flashy lawyer look. A short brown wig helps if your hair is not already dark brown.
Yes, and for a specific reason: Better Call Saul is on Netflix and still getting new viewers. The plaid suit plus purple shirt combination is distinctive enough that most people at a general party will get it, especially Breaking Bad fans, and there are a lot of those.
Three quotes stand out. The origin of the name: “S’all good, man.” His pitch to clients: “Lawyers, we’re like health insurance. You hope you never need it.” And his Season 6 courtroom confession: “Fact is, Walter White couldn’t have done it without me.”
Bob Odenkirk plays Jimmy McGill, who becomes Saul Goodman. Odenkirk received six Primetime Emmy nominations for the role. The show ran six seasons on AMC from 2015 to 2022.
Only if your hair is not already short and dark brown. The wig matters less than the suit. If you have to choose between spending money on a wig and upgrading the suit, upgrade the suit.
Jimmy McGill wears more modest suits in muted colors. Saul Goodman wears loud plaid, purple shirts, and gold jewelry. The flashier the suit, the more clearly you are Saul rather than Jimmy. Season 6 Saul is full Saul.