“Approximately 20 percent of all people planning to dress up for Halloween will wait until the last minute to choose their costume,” reports Value Village, with results from their proprietary in-house Halloween Shopping Survey. This is serious! 1,068 people were polled nationally. So it’s likely you haven’t really figured out what you’re going as yet.
Lucky for you, Value Village has a Halloween-oriented special forces unit they deploy at this time of year. If you stop into a store, you can visit with a “certified” Costume Consultant, and browse through new costumes starting at $9.99, wigs starting at $5.99, and accessories from $1.99. Thursdays at 3 p.m., all Value Villages have a costume fashion show.
Goodwill does not, that I can tell, have a “Costume Catwalk.” But as the video above illustrates, if your costume idea calls for sequins, it’s the place to go. Or, perhaps not, if you see the guy featured leaving the store, as there will be none left. UPDATE: An alert reader also suggests the St. Vincent de Paul store on Aurora, which has “several racks” of costumes.
If you are stuck for ideas, the Value Villagers have provided some jumping-off points. I have deleted the ones I found too easy (the Charlie Sheen) or which made me feel old because I didn’t know who that was (Nicki Minaj). Here are the cream of the crop:
- “Walking Dead” Zombies – One of the best and easiest costumes to create and personalize, just choose any combination of secondhand clothes that can be ripped – for men, a white dress shirt, slacks and a blazer; for women, a dress or skirt and blouse. You can also go with a theme – cheerleader, mailman, or even bride! Then just add blood and makeup to finish the un-dead look. For a Zombie makeup tutorial, visit www.valuevillage.com.
- 80’s Movie Nostalgia – Get the Halloween party conversation started with a costume throwback to the 1980s. For a “Top Gun Maverick” costume, embellish a vintage leather bomber jacket with homemade “patches,” printed from your computer on cardstock. Pair the jacket with a white t-shirt, aviators and dog tags, and you’ll be partying in the “danger zone.” Or, transform into “Teen Wolf” by layering a brown faux fur jacket underneath a yellow basketball jersey or tank top. Then complete the classic costume with werewolf “gloves,” brown makeup and prosthetic ears and nose.
- Bridesmaids – This year’s blockbuster comedy is also a perfect group Halloween costume. Choose one secondhand wedding dress and a variety of gaudy secondhand bridesmaid dresses for your group of friends. Make simple bouquets out of silk flowers to carry along, and be sure to sing Wilson Philips’ “Hold On” throughout your Halloween festivities!
