So, it’s almost Halloween. Do you have a costume yet? Don’t panic: You are not yet destined for a pair of cat ears, a black sweater, and an embarrassed shrug! You can still totally nail a funny, witty, and culturally savvy costume–with shockingly low effort. Cue up one of the most popular shows in America, AMC’s The Walking Dead, for inspiration. Not familiar with the flesh-eating series? You’re likely alone: A whopping 17.3 million people tuned into the fifth season premiere, but here are the CliffsNotes: The plot centers around a group of people who have survived a zombie apocalypse and have to constantly fight against zombies, or “walkers" (and occasionally other humans, too), and lucky for us, they have a whole Rick Owens spring 2015 grunge dystopia thing going on that’s both totally on trend (think torn shirts, dirty skinny jeans, ripped sleeveless tanks, large boots, worn-out statement belts—and of course, lots of grime) and remarkably easy to replicate from your own wardrobe.

But don’t just take it from me: We rang up The Walking Dead costume designer, Eulyn Womble, for some pro tips on nailing the last survivor look. Her advice? Think footwear first. “It starts with a comfortable pair of boots," Womble said, and one character, Maggie, has a knee-high pair with a serious social media fan base. “The characters do a lot of walking and action. Also, the boots are comfortable but they can be used as a weapon.” For the rest of the look, keep it sleek and tight, Womble warns: “We don’t want a walker to grab onto a skirt or something. . . . The characters have to be stealth like ninjas, so they can’t get caught on anything.”

Other essentials needed for the quintessential post-apocalyptic outfit? “You need to have a good belt, because you can hold weapons and you can attach anything to it,” says Womble. “Even if you had to rip up a shirt and make a belt out of it, you could tie your knife onto it.” Lastly, it is important to remember even when humankind is on the brink of extinction, a boring wardrobe will always be a downer. Post-apocalyptic doesn’t have to mean de rigeur. After all, it’s the end of the world—anything goes.

Here, we show you how to get the look that will grab the attention of everyone with a pulse (and even some without)—happy Halloween!​

Walking Dead Dress the Part Photo: (clockwise from top left) Courtesy of Madewell; Courtesy of Scoop NYC; Courtesy of zappos.com; Courtesy of Madewell; Courtesy of boticca.com; Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

Barbour Ware jacket, $499; madewell.com; NSF Maeve bleach-out pocket tee, $148; scoopnyc.com; Cowboysbelt 53019 women’s belt, $75; zappos.com; Madewell Skinny Skinny jeans: Rip and Repair edition, $135; madewell.com; Atelierbits holster in black, $216; boticca.com; Diesel Hardkor steel lace-up boots, $395; saksfifthavenue.com