Have you picked out your Halloween costume? Whether it’s hanging in your closet or you are still fiddling with ideas, here is a sneak peak at choices St. Albert revellers are making this year.
Not surprisingly, thanks to Suicide Squad, the most talked about film of the summer grossing over $300 million at the box office, the dangerously insane clown princess of crime, Harley Quinn, and her sadistic lover, the Joker, are hands-down grabbing top spot.
Without a doubt social media, television and movies continue to influence costume choices. Almost parallel to Harley and Joker are requests for superheroes, pirates and warriors from popular TV series such as Game of Thrones and Vikings.
This year traditional celebrities and sexy costumes are out as women and girls gravitate toward the more kick-butt Supergirl and Wonder Woman.
“Lots of dads are coming in with their daughters for the Supergirl. And lots of girls are looking for Rey from Star Wars,” said Calyn Anderson, buyer for Karries Kostumes.
Following the record-breaking run of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its cosplay successes, sci-fi fans are snapping up both Rey and Finn costumes.
Despite criticisms of cultural appropriation in certain Latin-speaking quarters of the United States, Day of the Dead dresses for both girls and women have spiked in popularity at St. Albert stores.
“It’s the sugar skulls. They are skeletons, but they are not typical skeletons. And they are so colourful,” said Sarah Anatolin, Value Village costume co-ordinator.
Boys and men naturally lean towards comic book crime fighters as well as rough-hewn guys such as Batman, Spiderman, Deadshot, policemen, ninjas, zombies.
The Pokémon Go fad is winning its fair share of groupies while the buffoonery from the American elections set an unprecedented run on Donald and Hillary rubber masks here and down south.
Jessica Kliparchuk, makeup artist at Karries, notes that “this year makeup is huge.”
In addition to selling and renting costumes, Karries has developed a sound reputation for complementing costumes with an extensive, high-quality line of theatrical and special effects makeup.
Teenage girls stop by the counter for gross-out zombie do-overs, Little Red Riding Hood makeup with scratches down her face and animal styles.
She explains that since Snapchat debuted its face-altering filters in the fall of 2015, it’s become a role-playing staple for teens.
“They post it on Pintrest. It’s all over social media.”
Boys and men, on the other hand, prefer purchasing prosthetics to create a blood-curdling appearance.
“They like Frankenstein bolts they attach to the face or a prosthetic that’s peeled layer by layer. They also like creams that make them look dead.”
One of the more in-demand products is Rigid Collodion, a clear solution that puckers the skin while drying to create a scarred effect.
Over at Value Village, the thrift shop has a limited makeup rack. However, there are both gently used costume racks and new costumes with complete accessories.
“Families on a budget go first to the used costume rack and then if they can’t find what they want, they go to the new ones,” said Anatolin.
If visitors can’t find a costume in their size, Anatolin provides a personal service scouring the store and pulling odd pieces together to create an approximation.
After a little girl was unable to find a policewoman outfit, Anatolin found a blue jean dress in the child’s size and accessorized it with a police hat and a holster stuffed with a lollipop instead of a gun.
Another client, an older man, planned to celebrate Halloween as a mobster. Anatolin leafed through racks for suspenders, a 1980s-styled vest, necktie and a fake cigar.
“This is a service I really enjoy. I like to use my imagination.”
Anderson added that whether the budget is tight or limitless, shoppers have the same end goal.
“People just want to look good and feel good or they want to be something unique they haven’t been before. People just want to have fun and it’s an escape from reality.”
