Costumes! Costumes! Costumes!

Thrift stores 

The Cheap…um…er…Creative Way Out 

I can’t afford to buy or rent a Halloween costume this year.  I’ve looked in my closet, garage and basement and don’t have anything that I can convert to a Halloween costume.  What do I do?  What do I do?

When I was active in the costume industry, it was routine to haunt the second hand stores or thrift stores for something useable, convertible and nicely priced. 

The local ‘Salvation Army’ or ‘Goodwill Industries’ might have a store near you that might help you solve your problem.  There, too, are a scattering up upscale thrift stores near the more affluent areas.   Since you never know what will be in any one store at a given time, visiting several might be a good idea.

A double breasted suit can be easily converted to a ‘gangster suit’ with a black shirt and white tie.  Add a plastic machine gun and a fedora and you are ‘Al Capone’. A business suit and a beret or tam and you can be “Al’s’ gun moll.

A prom dress?  Bwala!  A princess!    And you never know what you might be able to build out of a few accessories.

 Thrift stores are a goldmine of Halloween costumes ideas.