Halloween is one of our favorite holidays because it gives guys and girls a chance to display a more interesting, and sometimes scary, side of fashion. Like theme parties, Halloween involves putting together clothing, accessories and makeup in a way that conveys a particular character. Our column this week is going to be a summary of some of our favorite and least favorite costumes observed this Halloween.
MOST CLEVER COSTUME
The cleverest outfit we saw was an adaptation from Schoolhouse Rock. A guy was dressed as the Bill from the "I'm Just a Bill" song. He took a large piece of white egg crate foam and made a hollow cylinder big enough to cover from his waist to about a foot above his head. Then he cut out a hole for his eyes and drew on the smile and eyebrows of the cartoon character.
He accessorized with a paper plate colored in to form the "Bill" button and he kept it in place with a red scarf. With his all white ensemble he also had a leather briefcase with "D.C. or bust" written on it.
SCARIEST COSTUME
One of the scariest costumes we saw was someone dressed as Jack Skellington from "The Nightmare Before Christmas." He wore a black suit with a white button down shirt with ruffley sleeves and a mask that was exactly like the character's face.
This costume was terrifying because there were not any slots for the eyes, just little pinholes to look through. We don't know that we approve of this as a costume for a party, specifically because girls or guys may get a little creeped out by someone they can't see, but we think it's a completely appropriate trick-or-treating outfit.
CUTEST FEMALE COSTUMES
There were many cute costumes, so we knew we couldn't choose just one favorite. So, we'll tell you about several that we thought were interesting and unique.
American Indians with cute moccasins, leather headbands and beaded tops abounded. We also saw at least five Audrey Hepburns who were clad in simple black dresses, pearls and sunglasses. One girl even had a long smoking pipe for her cigarette.
A Buzz Lightyear, German girl, several football players, flappers, hippies and a devil were also choice ideas.
CUTEST MALE COSTUMES
Guys have a harder time dressing up for Halloween because "sexy" isn't the goal for them like it is for girls. There is a key balance between funny and attractive, and a few boys achieved it.
We saw a few pandas, which we thought was an adorable idea. There were also several '80s characters in brightly colored spandex and rainbow Wayfarers, a classic Halloween favorite. At one party, there was at least one priest. Several boys dressed up as Tom Cruise in "Risky Business" - an ensemble of button downs, socks and Ray Bans.
OUR LEAST FAVORITES
In general, we don't like the idea of dressing up as something actually scary, such as the Grim Reaper, especially when it involves a mask or if you're going to a party. When you're meeting new people, it's a little disconcerting when you're unable to see a person's face through a mask, particularly when the mask is inherently scary.
Pajamas also don't constitute a costume. We saw at least one person in flannel PJs and a wife beater. We don't necessarily understand what they were supposed to be - tired? A busy college student? If you have to ask, then you probably need to either add more descriptive accessories or come up with a new concept.
Some people decide not to dress up and instead just wear something they would usually wear, like workout clothes, and claim that they're sports players. We don't appreciate this because the point of Halloween is to dress up as something you're not in real life or can't wear everyday. It's also simply lazy and obvious to everybody that you didn't think about your costume.
Whether you did or didn't dress up for Halloween, next year we hope you'll look at Halloween not only as a chance for free candy, but an opportunity to portray your personal style through a unique, fun costume that shows off who you are or who you wish you could be.
You can reach these columnists at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
