It looks like the King of Pop will make his comeback thrilling trick-or-treaters this Halloween.
While Michael Jackson will presumably be mimicked in many costumes, vampires, pirates, athletes and witches are among the top adult Halloween costumes, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. The survey found some pop culture costumes of last year, including political figures and Batman, fell in popularity.
Jill Sherman, co-owner of Halloween Express on Picardy Avenue, said Michael Jackson and vampire accessories are popular this year.
“Sales [on vampire costumes] have been up because of the big movies and shows on television right now,” Sherman said. “We’re running out of certain vampire fangs and the makeup that goes along with making them white.”
Sherman said her store sold out of Jackson costumes early and had to order more, but it sold out of The King of Pop’s signature sequin gloves.
Christian Coleman, chemical engineering freshman, said dressing up like the late superstar is a respectful tribute to his memory if he’s portrayed in the right way and no lines are crossed.
Sherman said the sexier costumes are the most popular with women.
“We always sell cats, bumble bees, lady bugs [and] sexy firewoman [outfits],” she said. “With men, it’s the funnier costumes.”
Immigrant advocacy groups, offended by the “illegal alien” costume, urged retailers, like Target, to pull the adult costume from shelves in mid-October.
Ashlea Walker, Spirit Halloween store manager, said her store initially carried an “illegal alien” costume but pulled it off the shelf.
Sherman said Halloween Express also carried the costume. She said when news about it hit, people rushed to the store to buy it. She said she did not restock the costume when it sold out.
Chris Williams, history and French junior, said he noticed Target pulled the “illegal alien” costume but said he didn’t find it offensive.
Consumers are expected to spend an average of $56.31 this year compared to last year’s $66.54, according to the NRF survey. National spending on Halloween is expected to reach $4.75 billion — a decrease from last year’s $5.77 billion.
“Retail sales, in general, are down,” said Doug Weimer, economics professor. “You see Halloween sales reflect what’s going on in general. There’s also a projection that it won’t be as strong a Christmas season.”
Weimer said people are more likely to recycle costumes to spend less money.
Sherman said Halloween Express has not had any problems with sales.
“We’re about even where we were last year,” she said. “I expect to be up slightly, but not by a large margin.”
Sherman said this is Halloween Express’ second year in business in Baton Rouge. She said the store is doing better with sales this year because more people know about it, and the store has more costumes and accessories stocked.
Spirit Halloween declined to comment about sales.
Mollye Ashmore, apparel design junior, said the reason Halloween sales are up locally is probably because “people in Louisiana celebrate everything more.”
Sherman said the costumes at Halloween Express range from $19.99 to more than $100, but the average costume costs between $50 and $60.
The average 18 to 24 year old will spend $68.56 on costumes, according to the survey, but some University students have a lower number in mind.
Kayli Robichaux, fashion merchandising sophomore, said she and her roommates are dressing as Barbie dolls.
“I didn’t want to spend that much money,” Robichaux said. “I just needed a wig and a microphone. I already have the outfit.”
Robichaux plans to borrow her friends’ clothes for her Rockstar Barbie costume, but she went to Halloween Express for the accessories.
This article is from www.lsureveille.com
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Contact Mary Walker Baus at mwbaus@lsureveille.com
Showing posts with label Halloween Costume Ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween Costume Ideas. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Halloween Costume Ideas
BY ANDY COMER
A year ago, I wrote a column about creating cheap Halloween costumes in light of the poor economy.
One year later, the economy still stinks, and I’m still unwilling to spend more than $10 on a costume I’m only going to wear for a couple of hours.
Fortunately for you, dear reader, I have a few costume ideas that will be a hit at your next Halloween party, but won’t break your piggy bank, either. Using stuff from around your home, you can easily whip up an award-winning or hilarious costume with a dash of creativity and little to no expense. If you have trouble coming up with ideas, look no further than your local newspaper (hint, hint); current events are an excellent source of inspiration for costumes, and if nothing else, you can turn your copy of the paper into a hat to complete a pirate costume.
Andy’s Halloween costume ideas for 2009:
>> Find a tall cardboard box, cut out holes for your arms, legs and head, then paint the box black. Stencil the word "Bentsen Tower" in white letters onto one side, and prepare to impress your friends with your civic knowledge when you show up to the party as — you guessed it — McAllen’s very own Bentsen Tower, one of the few tall buildings in the city.
>> Get a few free balloons from H-E-B, tie them to yourself, and voila — you can gain instant attention just like the family of 6-year-old Falcon Heene of Colorado, aka the "Balloon Boy," who captivated the world last week as authorities raced to save him from falling to an early death from his father’s amateur weather balloon. The ordeal has since turned out to be an alleged hoax, but there’s no reason you can’t milk it for a Halloween costume.
>> Wrap yourself in a ribbon and bow and attach a card with "To women, from God" written on it. Presto! You’re God’s gift to women. This was actually my costume from 2008, and it cost about $3 to put together. Of course, it would be just as easy to create a "God’s gift to men" costume.
>> Dye your hair gray, wear a name tag showing that you live in some local RV park and pull your socks up to your knees to become a Winter Texan. You get bonus points if you can pull off a northern accent.
>> Dallas Cowboys fans could don a sport coat along with a shirt and tie, then find a fedora at a thrift store to become Mission native and legendary Dallas coach Tom Landry. The fedora itself could probably tackle better than the current Cowboys defense.
Andy Comer is the slot editor and a columnist for The Monitor. Contact him at acomer@themonitor.com.
This article is from www.brownsvilleherald.com
A year ago, I wrote a column about creating cheap Halloween costumes in light of the poor economy.
One year later, the economy still stinks, and I’m still unwilling to spend more than $10 on a costume I’m only going to wear for a couple of hours.
Fortunately for you, dear reader, I have a few costume ideas that will be a hit at your next Halloween party, but won’t break your piggy bank, either. Using stuff from around your home, you can easily whip up an award-winning or hilarious costume with a dash of creativity and little to no expense. If you have trouble coming up with ideas, look no further than your local newspaper (hint, hint); current events are an excellent source of inspiration for costumes, and if nothing else, you can turn your copy of the paper into a hat to complete a pirate costume.
Andy’s Halloween costume ideas for 2009:
>> Find a tall cardboard box, cut out holes for your arms, legs and head, then paint the box black. Stencil the word "Bentsen Tower" in white letters onto one side, and prepare to impress your friends with your civic knowledge when you show up to the party as — you guessed it — McAllen’s very own Bentsen Tower, one of the few tall buildings in the city.
>> Get a few free balloons from H-E-B, tie them to yourself, and voila — you can gain instant attention just like the family of 6-year-old Falcon Heene of Colorado, aka the "Balloon Boy," who captivated the world last week as authorities raced to save him from falling to an early death from his father’s amateur weather balloon. The ordeal has since turned out to be an alleged hoax, but there’s no reason you can’t milk it for a Halloween costume.
>> Wrap yourself in a ribbon and bow and attach a card with "To women, from God" written on it. Presto! You’re God’s gift to women. This was actually my costume from 2008, and it cost about $3 to put together. Of course, it would be just as easy to create a "God’s gift to men" costume.
>> Dye your hair gray, wear a name tag showing that you live in some local RV park and pull your socks up to your knees to become a Winter Texan. You get bonus points if you can pull off a northern accent.
>> Dallas Cowboys fans could don a sport coat along with a shirt and tie, then find a fedora at a thrift store to become Mission native and legendary Dallas coach Tom Landry. The fedora itself could probably tackle better than the current Cowboys defense.
Andy Comer is the slot editor and a columnist for The Monitor. Contact him at acomer@themonitor.com.
This article is from www.brownsvilleherald.com
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