Avoiding the store bought, skanky cstumes this Halloween

With Halloween but a week away, I thought it would be a good time to discuss last-minute costume ideas and shopping. Halloween is my favorite time of year; I find it incredibly important that you not only dress up, but also have a variety of costumes to choose from so that you are not seen in the same one twice!

You likely could have bought or rented a costume if this was September 24; it’s actually October 24, though, and stores are already picked over. Don’t give up on your Halloween dreams yet! You just saved yourself time and money in not trying to find the last Bad Cop costume in the Valley! Now you have the option of making your own, unique costume. What good is buying something you’re only going to wear once, that likely doesn’t cover all of you, anyways? You can avoid the frustration and embarrassment of showing up as Tweety Bird (“It was the last costume the store had in my size”) by letting your creativity flow.

Two years ago, I made a Tinkerbell outfit by attaching fake leaves to green fabric and then hot gluing the fabric around my body in a strapless dress shape. After I added body glitter, ballet slippers and fairy wings, ta-da! I had myself a one-of-a-kind costume! You don’t need to go to a fabric store to make it original; you can build a costume out of household objects as well. Cardboard boxes, sheets, saran wrap, aluminum foil and duct tape are all useful materials for moving to a new apartment AND designing a creative costume. Why not wrap yourself in tinfoil or saran wrap and go as Leftovers? The possibilities are endless!

Another option, besides creating a costume from what you find in your pantry or roommate’s closet, is to go to Goodwill. You can get incredibly lucky looking for a costume at Goodwill, Savers or any other discount store, but you have to be willing to hold your nose and dive in. Being thrifty is the next best option after making your own costume; the pieces are already assembled, just waiting for you to add your flair. With a pair of scissors and some fabric glue, you could turn any old, poofy prom dress into a Disney Princess of your choice. Anything hot pink, made of spandex or patent leather, could morph you into Barbie or an 80’s pop star. Think outside the box and go this weekend (there’s a student discount for showing your SunCard on Saturdays)!

If I wasn’t already planning on making my Cleopatra costume this weekend from gold lamé fabric and Goodwill finds, I would be a Bunch of Grapes. Get a bag of red, purple or green balloons and blow them up. Put on a combination of monochromatic tights and a t-shirt, then have a friend tape or staple the balloons to your clothes! I don’t know how you would fit in cars, through doors or in elevators, so you may want to create this on-site. The real joy comes from seeing the surprise in your friends’ faces when they see that you didn’t dress up as a sexy cat, devil or nurse like the rest of them!

— Hayley Umphrey