Dressing up for Halloween is a fun tradition for children of all ages, even college students. But looking for an affordable last-minute costume can sometimes be a little strenuous.
A full ensemble can be pricey. The Spirit Halloween superstore located on Sheridan Drive in the TJ Max plaza is focused on Halloween accessories, but an entire costume can range from $35 to over $100.
"Don't spend all your money on a costume because it's only for one night," said Vannah Gourdet, a freshman undecided major.
Most people don't want to pay such high prices for an outfit that might only make one appearance.
"Just make your own costume and be sexy," said Moji Awosanya, a freshman pharmacy major.
The Spirit Halloween superstore also sells many items that make it possible to create the best self-made costumes.
Starting from the lowest price range of $3 to $8 are some useful items to jazz up a Halloween creation. The most inexpensive items are hair products, including temporary hairspray color as well as spray-on glitter.
Fake facial hair is also a cheap accessory for a pirate or Spartan ensemble. Next are shoe clips and boot cuffs for costumes geared towards cute nurses, witches and police officers.
For those with a larger budget, approximately $9 to $20, there are a variety of possibilities. Some token accessories that stores offer are hats ideal for a pimp (one should consider buying the complementary cane and gold chalice) and Viking, gladiator, Rastafarian or clown costumes.
There are also various masks, glasses and wigs. If one is seeking to create a scarier costume, there are chainsaws and Freddy Krueger gloves, well within the given price range.
There are also a lot of options that can help accent a costume, predominately for females. There are sets of wings in different colors and sizes, including extremely large black wings for a grim reaper costume.
Another affordable costume idea is to purchase a set of ears and a tail and dress as a cat or bunny. Students can easily create a costume with their own clothing, especially since animal-print leggings are sold in nearly every mall. Any white article of clothing could be a great base for a bunny costume.
"Scope out different stores and shop around," said Narmeen Ammar, a freshman psychology major. "Don't just buy everything in one place."
Another local costume shop is Party City, located on Niagara Falls Boulevard. Although it does not match the Spirit Halloween superstore in terms of abundant accessories, Party City's costume packages are much cheaper.
The least expensive ensembles start at $12.99. At this price level, students can find an array of pirate, angel, devil and witch outfits.
There are plenty more costumes for $19.99, such as Marilyn Monroe, nun, nurse, convict, caveman/woman, Michael Myers, pirate and ninja outfits.
For the big spenders on campus, Party City also offers a huge variety of costumes for $5 to $10 more.
The best approach to creating your own costume or jazzing up an inexpensive one is creativity. One could easily make his or her outfit unique and distinct by making a few inexpensive additions.
Dressing up should be fun, not stressful; so visit one or two of these locations, browse around and get some last-minute inspiration to make Halloween full of spooky fun.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
