The days of draping your mom’s white bed sheet with strategically placed holes over yourself have long since past. But most recently, so have the days of dull, lackluster, uninspired and most importantly, unoriginal costumes.
Today, college students are putting more thought into their Halloween attire and not dropping $70 at a Halloween store for a costume that’s far less than one in a million.
This year, originality seems to be the goal. Sales associates at Ben Franklin Crafts on 154 S. Main St., have witnessed that originality first hand.
“Everyone’s really creative, people are coming in for just bits and pieces and putting their own costume together,” Cami Foster, a sales associate at Ben Franklin said.
One BGSU student has that same idea year after year. “Creative costumes are always a plus,” Scott Martin, senior, said. “Store bought costumes are a cop-out, homemade costumes are always funnier than pre-made ones.”
To many students, a little thought goes a long way in the costume world. A lamp shade over the head of a person dressed in all brown: a one night stand.
Someone dressed in all blue with tacked on clouds and a spray bottle: partly cloudy with a chance of showers.
However, be warned, the need for too much explanation makes for one lousy outfit.
“If you have to explain what exactly your costume is, it blows,” Martin said.
Of those who do head to the local costume shop for theirs, many are looking to the box office for ideas.
“I’m going as Lady Gladriel from Lord of the Rings,” Marybeth Rumbarger, senior said.
“The Matrix,” “Austin Powers,” ” X-Men,” “Chicago” and “The Wizard of Oz” are big sellers at many local costume shops, including Kostumes Inc in Perrysburg.
“We’ve had a lot of people in looking for “The Wizard of Oz” characters,” John Oster, sales associate at Kostumes Inc. said. “We’ve also had a lot of 1920s costumes, like flapper’s dresses for girls and pin-striped gangster suits for guys.”
As for costume couples, expect ketchup and mustard, nurse and doctor, devil and angel and the timeless, Raggedy Ann and Andy. Whether homemade, Goodwill purchased or brand new, Halloween is a time for the ingenious to stand out and the uninspired to get lost in a sea of naughty school girls.
