Pirates, witches and Marilyn Monroe will take to the Buffalo streets on Wednesday night for a chance to trick-or-treat and party on Halloween.
But for many students, creative costumes come with a pretty scary price tag. Before dropping $40 on a costume they'll only wear once, students should look into putting together creative and fun costumes themselves, dramatically lowering the cost of finding the perfect look for Halloween.
Many students have found their own ways to salvage stuff they have around the house and put it together to make one unique costume.
Tiffany Vinette, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, is being resourceful by finding things she already has around the house and revamping them for this Halloween.
"I'm going to be Tinkerbell," Vinette said. "I bought fabric from A.C. Moore, (which) was actually left over from my costume last year. I'm going to get hairspray that turns your hair colors and wear my prom shoes."
Brittney Echols, a freshman accounting major, is also looking to save a few bucks by assembling her own costume rather than buying one. Echols is putting together a nerd costume for Hallows Eve.
"It's cheap. Costumes are expensive," Echols said. "(I'll) wear suspenders and tape on the glasses," Echols said. She also plans on getting some of the finishing touches for her costume at the mall.
Oftentimes, when searching for the perfect Halloween getup, students don't have to look any further for supplies than their closets.
"What I've seen people do in the past is to take combinations of old clothing they don't wear anymore and put them together in an original, funky way," said Jacob Vogelman, a sophomore technical theater and civil mechanical engineering major. "You could always go to a thrift story like the Salvation Army and pick something up there that's really cheap."
Many stores can also be a great spot for students to supplement old clothing and everyday items for their costumes.
Joann Fabrics, a craft and fabric store, provides a variety of Halloween do-it-yourself kits and ideas. Most fabric costs about $3.99 per yard, and can be used to create many costume components like capes, gowns and togas.
Also, don't forget to check the Target "Dollar Spot," which features items like animal masks, crowns and Halloween make-up for only a dollar. Other stores, including Wal-Mart and Walgreen's, have many of the supplies students will need for cheap.
"I'm going to Wal-Mart and buying a costume," said Ashley Williams, a junior psychology and health and human services major. "I'm going to be a bumblebee with a stinger and put some leggings on."
Wal-Mart offers relatively inexpensive costumes (usually costing around $15) compared to many of the costumes students will find at Party City or Halloween specialty stores.
Masks and wigs can also be used as basic costumes that won't cost an arm and a leg. Most can be found for under $10 at local Halloween stores.
When thinking of a new and unique idea this year instead of being another run-of-the-mill ghost or goblin, think outside of the box. Derive inspiration from items saved from other events or activities. Savoya Spirro, a freshman business law major, demonstrated her creativity by inventing a painter getup.
"All you need is an old-school jumper. Find a cheap empty paint can and a dollar paintbrush," Spirro said.
As a last-ditch effort, students can always take their academic major into consideration as a source of costume genius. Adam Lukowski, a junior chemistry major, found his costume inspiration from his field of study. This year he's dressing as a mad scientist.
"I was going to have a white lab coat and a flask with smoke coming out of it," Lukowski said. "I've got to get myself some white crazy hair."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
