Costume Mania Part One--Retail Options

I asked for Halloween costume ideas, and I was given Halloween costume ideas. I've been trying to think of a way to categorize all the costume madness, and I think will start with some links to costume stores, and then will move on to more home-cooked costumes. I'm gearing this toward kid costume ideas, but I have no kids to put in Halloween garb yet (I know last year's put-the-dog-in-a-chicken-costume idea does not count, at all, and never will). So if I am horribly mistaken about anything, please berate me thoroughly and then correct me. I deserve berating, anyway! I did, after all, put my dog in a chicken costume last year.

My husband and I had an interesting conversation about Halloween costumes this weekend. His parents were very supportive of his costume ideas, and he felt that that was an important part of enjoying Halloween--that he got to be what he wanted to be. One year he wanted to be a beatnik, and his parents helped him work that out. (Besides, there's not much else you can do, I suppose, when your child says, "Mom, I'd really like to be a beatnik this year.") One year he wanted to be the grim reaper, and they figured that out, too. He worked with them to make a wonky eye out of a ping pong ball the year he wanted to be Igor Manic. He thought it was awesome that he was so involved in the costume process. Of course, there is that whole needing to be reasonable factor. Swistle has what seems to be a solid Halloween Costume Philosophy: "...kids get to choose from what's available in the house, not from what's available in the universe."

Costume compromise!

And now, because it seems important, some safety stuff! I feel that we can't escape some sort of safety disclaimer. So here we go!

I pulled this costume safety list off of rhe Walgreens website. (What? Don't you go to the Walgreens website for your holiday safety tips?)

•	Look for costumes made of fire-retardant materials.
•	Add reflective tape to costumes, or have children carry glow sticks so they can be seen by motorists.
•	Keep costumes short enough to avoid trips and falls.
•	Make sure that children wearing masks can see clearly and breathe easily.
•	Read labels on novelty makeup to avoid allergic reactions. Test a small amount on skin a few days in advance.
•	Never use fluorescent makeup near eyes.
•	Remove all makeup before bed. Use the manufacturer-recommended removal method.
•	Do not use decorative contact lenses that have not been prescribed by a licensed eye-care professional.
•	Avoid masks, props and accessories with sharp points or edges. Make them out of soft, flexible material, instead.

Thank you, Walgreens!

Now that my lame random thoughts on costumes and the requisite saftey list are all out of the way, we can move on. To the costumes! Today, I'm just going to list some online places to pick up a costume. Of course, you'll spend more buying a premade costume than on one made with things lying about the house, but it's pretty darn easy to pick out a costume, hand over your e-dollars, and wait for it to arrive. If you're not feeling "creative" or, like me, "really can't live without that dog chicken costume listed on Amazon," this option may be an excellent one for you.

A Few Obvious Places to Buy Costumes (That I Am Not Endorsing, Just Sharing)

Buycostumes.com is, as it says, a costume retailer. They have a huge selection of costumes, props, accessories, make-up, party supplies, and even (ahem) pet costumes. I bought a wig from them last year and was pleased with it. There is a clearance section, and it looks as if, depending on what you want to do, you can spend anywhere from eight dollars to over eighty.

The Children's Place has a costume selection. Old Navy has baby costumes. Good old Target has a large online collection. Prices are varied, and can go over fifty bucks. Obviously other 'regular' stores have similar collections.

And, obviously, there are tons more at Amazon.

(You know. All the obvious stuff.)

If you want something more "unique and crafty", but still in the "easy in that I don't have to make it myself" category, there are also handmade retailers online. For instance, I did a search on Etsy, and came up with some pretty darn cute things. These are all handmade, and I'm a big fan of Etsy's huge base of artisans and amazing products. It might be worth poking around, for some awesome one-of-a-kind stuff. Like this. Or pretty much any of these. Or even this. It seems Etsy is having a costume contest, and the search for the costume contest tag pulled up these results.

We all know there are many more places to buy costumes online. I only wanted to list sites I was familiar with--Google pulls up tons of costume search results, but I don't want to recommend a site without knowing if it is trustworthy, etc. So, your turn! Feel free to share with everybody any good (or bad) experiences you've had with online costume shopping. Or costume shopping in general. Or tell us about your worst costume ever. Or about how that dog-chicken costume just didn't...work out.

Tomorrow, more costume love!