Halloween is right around the corner, and you’re still trying to throw together a costume, aren’t you? Instead of conforming to being a pirate, or God forbid…a fairy, here’s a list you should consider. Why not take a cue straight out from the wacky world of Hollywood and the game changers in pop culture this year?

Over 13 million in album sales, multiple Grammy awards, media saturation unheard of since Britney Spears’ heyday, and Taylor Swift still wants us to see her as the proverbial girl up the block. “We got bills to pay / we got nothing figured out,” Ms. Swift laments on first single “Mine,” and if there’s a few of us in the audience rolling their eyes, who am I to blame them? That’s always been the first step in accepting Swift as a legitimate artist and not a prefabricated Top 40 icon, that realization that, for all this girl’s justified success and eye-popping numbers, it’s just this down-to-earth, eerily relatable quality that makes Taylor Swift, well, Taylor Swift. Lady Gaga may have stolen the pop crown by doing everything in her power to mask herself under a veneer of shock fashion and shock statements, but Speak Now has Swift doing just what she does best: being herself, and Swift has come far enough as her own artist to make Speak Now the best pop record of the year.

Sarah Burton has taken over Alexander McQueen’s label for Spring 2011, and I honestly have to say that she kept the feeling of the collection authentic, while smoothing just enough of the edges of the late designer, in order to provide a cleaner silhouette. She keeps not only the wow factor and the perfect tailoring, but also enhances the show with a rather graceful memento of colours that do not scream at us, but allow the garment’s composure to be the center of attention.

Staying true to yourself and breaking into the music biz might just be two of the toughest things one can attempt to do. Try to add both together simultaneously, and you’ve got one heck of a lethal combination. Cue Sid Sriram, this Bay Area native will catch your attention with his smooth vocals, catchy pop hooks and overall ‘easy’ vibe. Sid’s EP, ever-so appropriately titled, “Be Easy: The Acoustic Sessions,” drops on October 5th and he’s talking with THE POP FIX about how he is carving out his niche in the music world.