Some of the examples mentioned in this segment were pretty original (and some predictable, which doesn't mean they aren't funny). I have one of my own, concocted over brunch with a few friends in Park Slope several weekends back (I live in Philadelphia, not Brooklyn; I was just visiting).

My costume is an Icelandic stockbroker reverting to viking marauding and pillaging, now that this whole krona thing didn't work out so hot. (Grey three-piece suit, blue shirt, wide, red tie--note, flag colors of Iceland--, viking helmet, and long, unkempt hair hanging down under it. I opted not to deal with any weapons, since extra props are always a drag at parties.)

The other standout example was a college friend's younger brother's, a concept mentioned in passing in the piece: the bailout package. His plan was monochromatic clothing, a belt and bandoleer of wide, shiny ribbon with a big bow at the waist, and dollar bills poking out of the sleeves and collar.