 |
Top 10 Halloween Costumes
By Elissa Christiansen
Staff Writer, Connected Now, Inc.
 I
am on a mission. Our publisher told me that I must find
a comprehensive, more or less authoritative list of
the top ten Halloween costumes for the upcoming season.
I have become, if you will, the designated guru of ghouls.
Now let me say that when I first heard about this assignment
I thought to myself, "How cool is this? I get to research
Halloween costumes. Trick or treat, baby!" Then I considered
the sheer quantity of crazy costume ideas, and the thought
of narrowing the number down to ten made me want to
curl into a ball and eat candy corn in a dark corner.
Upon consideration, I realized that this might not be
the most professional thing to do. So, instead of collecting
spider webs in the dark and ruining my teeth with sugar,
I pushed up my sleeves, took a deep breath, and started
down my path towards costume enlightenment.
 Now
really, no matter how old we are, we all wonder the
same thing at this time of year. October rolls around
and the air is suddenly filled with falling leaves,
the street with black cats, and our minds with that
one question that has haunted us all ever since our
first Halloween sugar high: what is the one amazing
costume that'll make the cool kids on the block step
back and say "I wish I thought of that." Oh, don't deny
it… I've seen you eyeing that purple wig.
In my quest for the coolest costumes I could find, I
decided to take a little trip through the annals of
costuming history to revisit some of the most phenomenal
disguises. There was Rosalind in Shakespeare's "As You
Like It" who had her honey Orlando fooled into thinking
she was a man through the whole darned play. Now that
had to be some convincing drag. Then, of course, our
very own colonial forefathers who dressed up in "Native
American" costumes to wreck havoc on the British during
the Boston Tea Party. And, of course, remember that
old Halloween Peanuts special, the one where Linus waits
around all night for The Great Pumpkin, and Charlie
Brown sticks a bed sheet over his head, goes a little
crazy with the scissors, and calls himself a ghost (poor
kid)? Well, darling as the Peanuts gang might be, the
typical Sacramento Valley reveler will most likely want
an outfit a step or two more advanced than a Swiss-cheese-style
bed sheet come October 31. If not, well have fun… but
if you do happen to wonder "Hey, what kind of costume
is really going to knock some socks off?" then Connected
Now is here for you.
As it turns out, Sacramento is bursting with unique,
fun, and amazingly stocked costuming shops. And their
staff knows their costumes. In my search for answers,
I decided to ask these knowledgeable people about the
most popular costumes worn for Halloween, what the craziest
costumes in the past have looked like, and their predictions
for this season. What was the result of my search? Read
on and find out. Suffice to say, I got a lot more than
a measly "Top 10" list!
 Perhaps
it comes as small surprise that costume trends tend
to follow whatever big blockbuster has recently hit
theaters. Last year, costume shops were swamped with
orders for pirate costumes after the release of "Pirates
of the Carribean." Saloon girls and can-can dancers
populated the streets after the release of "Moulin Rouge."
And just if you're wondering what the character-du-jour
will be this year, remember the box office success is
of "Troy" and "Spiderman." I have to agree with the
general consensus of Sacramento costumers: short skirts
with chest plates and red and blue spandex will very
likely make a huge statement this year. Guys, take note.
"Starsky and Hutch" and "Kill Bill" also promise to
be big draws. I heard predictions that yellow jumpsuits
in the style of Uma Thurman's distinctive get-up and
seventies-style cop clothes would be big.
Aside from trends, however, certain outfits resurface
year after year as favorites. I'm not just talking about
the traditional stand-bys such as witches, ghosts, and
vampires. Flapper costumes are hugely popular for women.
All the shops I spoke with carried Flapper dresses in
large supply. Mike Farrell at Cheap Thrills went so
far to say that flapper girls traveled in "flocks" around
Sacramento on Halloween. It made me think of gorgeous
sea-gulls with very long strands of beads. To accompany
the chic flapper chick, 20's style gangster suits are
always in demand. Iconic rock stars made up another
category of always-popular costume ideas. Such stars
as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Madonna are some of
the most popular in this group. Finally, anything retro,
especially disco-era platforms, afros, and psychedelic
colors from the 70's emerge as yearly favorites.
And now, for the most entertaining part of my search
for costume information: the most interesting, crazy,
and otherwise magnificent costumes in Sacramento, in
no particular order.
Cyber Girl. Mimi at Cheap Thrills remembers fondly the
woman she dressed as a space-aged honey in a space-age
outfit.
The Blue M&M. Mike and Michael at Cheap Thrills recalled
one man who entered the store in search of a costume
and left with a smile on his face and blue tights and
an oversized M&M shell in his hands.
Dragon. To go along with a full rubber headpiece in
the shape of a dragon's head, Larry at B-Bop Costumes
hand-sewed a gray and black dragon suit to match. This
entailed a large hoop sewn into the middle section,
and spikes down the back and onto a full length tail.
It looks cumbersome but very cool.
The Sexy Skunk! This one may take the cake as the most
hilarious, and most intriguing costume idea I came across.
A skunk that is sexy? Stranger things have happened.
And according to Larry, this was also really popular.
Playboy Bunny. Now this might sound like a standard
favorite. But keep in mind that James and John at Decades
sold this costume to a middle-aged male golfer in khakis.
And so, my friends, my tale ends and I have come to
the following conclusion: if you spend a few days running
around looking at all the costumes you can possibly
find, you may not be able to narrow them down to ten,
but you'll have an amazing time being inspired and come
away with a story or two. Just wait until you see MY
costume.
For more information, contact Elissa Christiansen at
EChristensen@ConnectedNow.com or call her at
916-449-9590.
|
|
