If you’ve put off choosing a Halloween costume, the good news is that you still have time to shop for options in a variety of price ranges.
Gussie & Gertie’s Costume Rentals in Arlington boasts a deluxe selection of options, most of which cost about $50.
“We’ve outfitted a lot of flappers, saloon girls and even burlesque performers this year,” said Becky “Gussie” Walsh, who attributed these costumes’ appeal to a number of “murder mystery” and other themed parties, which have run from September through October. “Every time Halloween is on a weekend, the celebrations are a bit bigger, but we’ve been renting costumes for the past two months.”
Walsh and her sister, Laurie “Gertie” Faaberg, have run their business out of their home for a decade.
While it’s too late for them to create custom costumes for Halloween, since those pieces typically take a month, they’re often able to do same-day alterations on existing costumes.
In Marysville, the Goodwill and Value Village stores have set up Halloween costume departments, with store employees serving as costume consultants, for more frugal shoppers.
However, the managers of both stores touted the relatively cheap prices of even their non-costume clothes, which allow customers to mix new and used items to create their own outfits.
“If you’re looking for robes or capes, you can check out our linens and drapes,” said Desiree Orrantia, retail sales manager of the Marysville Value Village. Her “Wizard of Oz” Cowardly Lion costume consisted of a brown sweater and matching pants, animal makeup, a cat-ears hairband and a handmade “Courage” badge, all for about $10.
Fellow employee Jacqueline Wharton added, “You can make a grandma costume out of one of our costume wigs, plus old pajamas, hair rollers and fuzzy slippers from the rest of the store.”
Kelly Turner, store manager of the Marysville Goodwill, has assembled packages of new and used items, such as a plain white shirt, faded jeans, fake blood and rotting corpse makeup. That zombie outfit, inspired by The Walking Dead, costs $15.
Among the popular themes this year are Game of Thrones, Duck Dynasty, Elsa from Frozen for little girls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for little boys, superheroes including Batman and Iron Man, and the standard assortment of zombies, pirates, vampires, witches, cops and gangsters.
“The actor who plays Hodor is going to be throwing a ‘Rave of Thrones’ in Seattle this December, so we have folks saying, ‘Oh, yeah, I want to be able to wear my costume for that, too,'” Wharton said.
Orrantia reported that Mexican Day of the Dead-themed outfits are popular, and she’s seen a slight uptick in raccoon costumes, thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy.
If you’re still undecided on a costume, all the costumers agreed that it helps to know what sort of events you’ll be attending, and to be flexible even if you have something in mind.
“Will they be outdoors or indoors? Will they be kid-friendly, or more adult horror? If you’re buying for a whole bunch of kids, you might want to consider items that can be worn as regular clothes, when they’re not part of a costume,” Orrantia said.
While Walsh recommended checking out the Internet for ideas, she also warned shoppers not to expect something that will look exactly like an outfit they might see online.
“Don’t be so tied into one thing that you miss out on other good options,” Walsh said.
Gussie & Gertie’s Costume Rentals is at 3811 177th Pl. NE in Arlington.
The Marysville Value Village is at 1334 State Ave.
The Marysville Goodwill is at 9315 State Ave.
