sweaters and your laundry basket might not seem too exciting, but you would be surprised what you can do with lingerie or your old prom dress. You'd also be surprised at what you can do with a leisure suit. Anne Schmader, Leavenworth senior, put on a suit, did up her hair and transformed herself into Leisure Suit Barbie. "I had Barbie sunglasses, I sang 'I'm a Barbie girl.' It's a great idea," she says. "You can go as Barbie- or Ken-an anything."
For the last-minute costume maker, there is no shame in ripping off ideas from other places. Themed costumes from movies and television are always hot. Regan says Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lord of the Rings are inspiring costumes this year. The more recognizable and eccentric the character, the better the costume will be. A giant muumuu and thick blue eye shadow turned Stacy McKinney into Mimi from the Drew Carey Show. McKinney, seasonal department manager at Target, 3201 Iowa St., says the cutfit was a hit with her friends.
The Costume Idea Zone and other Internet sites also provide good ideas. A lot of the "Quick and Easy" costumes on Regan's site are based on puns and tongue-in-cheek interpretations of common phrases. "It's a little corny, but there's a suggestion on the site for writing a big 'P' on your shirt, drawing yourself a black eye and going as a blackeyed pea," Regan says. Another suggestion requires you to stick cotton balls to blue sweats and carry a squirt gun. Viola! Partly cloudy with a chance of showers.
Like sweats and cotton balls, costumes don't have to be made from specialty Halloween products. Hardware stores, gas stations, grocery stores and thrift stores all make great impromptu costume suppliers. Even if you must have
those vampire teeth or that fake blood, there are places to go where the lines won't be long and the crowds won't be as hectic. "If they have a Halloween section of any kind, they might have things you want," Anne Schmader says. "Dillons even has fake eyelashes."
Schmader gets a lot of her costume-making skills from working in the costume shop at the University Theatre. While she and other experienced costume makers can easily stitch together a dress or shirt, the task of making a costume seems daunting to those of us who don't know a needle from a haystack. What we sewing-phobic partiers forget is that costumes only have to last one night. Regan recommends using a stapler or duct tape to hold things together. No one will notice what's on the inside of your seam. If you're really desperate, Regan says, you don't even need cloth. "You'd be amazed at how many costumes you can make from a trash bag," she says.
Even with its hurdles, making a costume is often better than buying one. Schmader says homemade costumes are usually more creative and outrageous. One year, she dressed all in yellow and wore a sign that said,"Follow me." "I was a piece of the yellow brick road," she says. Making your own will also help ensure that you don't come as the same thing everyone else is. One party can only handle so many people dressed as cows. Even if you don't have time to make anything, don't resign yourself to mediocrity. One of Regan's favorite costume suggestions from her site is a combination of two store-bought outfits: a cowboy costume and a Darth Vader mask. "They call it Darth Brooks," she says.
—Maggie Koerth, Jayplay writer, can be reached at mkoerth@kansan.com.
THREE TO GET READY
The best in Halloween fun from Jayplay to you. By Maggie Koerth
1. The Couple Costume: From Off the Streets of Cleveland
Why go as Adam and Eve when you and your sweetie can dress as Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner from American Splendor? Pekar spent the last 30 years or so chronicling his life in comic book (and now, movie) form, so figuring out what you'll look like isn't that hard. Follow the tips below and go to www.americansplendor.com for more inspiration.
For Him: Wear a stained, white t-shirt over a pillow gut. Grubby jeans and sneakers and a '70s-style winter coat if you can get it. Cut holes in a store-bought bald cap and pull some of your hair through so itll look like you're balding. Spend the evening acting cranky, speaking in a hoarse voice and saying "man" a lot.
For Her: Wear overalls and converse sneakers. Buy a long, black wig with bangs and big, circular-framed glasses. Periodically patronize your date.
2. The Five-Minute Costume: All Wrapped Up
Ahh, the miracle of elastic bandages. Where would Halloween be without
them? You can cover yourself from head to foot and go as a mummy (don't forget eye and breathing holes!), or use our directions to make an even easier costume: an invisible person. H.G. Well's Invisible Man wore regular clothes and wrapped his exposed parts in bandages when he wanted to be seen. You do the same. Cut holes for your eyes, nose and mouth in the wrappings around your head. Wear dark sunglasses and a hat.
3. The Inside Joke Costume: Hey, I Know You
There's nothing quite like having an inside joke costume. Sure, you have to explain to half the party who you are, but all it takes is that one person to point at you in recognition and it's worth it. We recommend going as your favorite eccentric professor. Your classmates will love it and you're guaranteed to meet tons of people who had your prof. before. Our model is dressed as Malcolm Gibson, journalism professor and Kansan adviser. Study your own professors to know what to wear for this costume.
—Maggie Koerth, Jayplay writer, can be reached at mkoerth@kansan.com.
contributed art
If you're at a loss for for a halloween costume, go as Harvey Pekar and wear a stained, white shirt over a pillow gut, grubby jeans and sneakers and a "70s-style winter coat.
thursday, october 30, 2003
jayplay
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