Zombie Obama—photographed at New Orleans Party and Costume
Finding that clever outfit for Halloween
Halloween is a big holiday for this city; like Mardi Gras without as many tourists and lots more costumes. Let your imagination run wild and use humor to help you decide how to standout in a room full of costumes. Last year, there were a lot of Super Mario Brothers for the guys. Lady Gaga was the rage for women wanting to dress in the diva’s outrageous fashions. Let’s look at what you may see this year.
With the resurgence in monster culture, zombies and vampires are sure to roam the streets in droves. There will be many generic monsters, but also look for characters from True Blood, The Walking Dead, and even Twilight. I also saw a zombie hunter costume.
Other fantasy flicks that released this year will be big for costumes like Harry Potter characters, since the final film in the series was released this summer. Pirates of the Caribbean had its fourth installment come out, but without their previous main couple William and Elizabeth. Jack Sparrow and other pirate costumes are sure to rule in this historical pirate haunt. Superhero movies were a box-office draw, so whip out the spandex pants and plastic weapons to become the heroes Captain America, Thor, and The Green Lantern. Sexy Transformers costumes for women don’t actually turn into amazing cars, but they’re still cool.
Tim Burton is a master of macabre films and costumes resembling those worn by his most famous characters are up for grabs. Jack Skellington, Sexy Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands and Sexy Edward, Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, and Sweeny Todd from their namesake films will be making appearances off-screen. Other cult classics are growing in popularity too. Masks are available of all of the clowns from the campy 1988 movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The lovable blue Smurfs’ movie may not have made a huge splash in theaters, but that won’t stop people from dressing up like the characters they knew from the television show. There’s Papa Smurf, Smurfette, and their nemesis Gargamel. The Smurfs would be fun as a group theme.
Celebrities, living and passed, are always a hot topic for costumes. From scripted television come the Glee-inspired outfits like teacher Sue and a Cheerio cheerleading outfit. Mad Men may look like regular gangsters, so learn some lines from the show to identify the costume. Beavis and Butthead are back in style because their show airs again on MTV this month. Masks of their likeness and Metallica and AC/DC shirts will fly off the shelves. It’s fun for guys to dress up as Family Guy’s patriarch Peter Griffin or Stewie the Baby, but now the ladies can be a female Brian the Dog with the Sassy Brian outfit. From the “reality” realm comes Snooki as well as Pauly D and the Situation from the ever-sophisticated Jersey Shore with bumped-up hair, buff body suits and tank tops attached. Recently deceased celebrities are also seen walking around on All Hallow’s Eve. Amy Winehouse will come back for the night, along with the standards; Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson.
With an economy in crisis, political figures will be the butt of many jokes. Masks of our nation’s leaders come in many styles; true to life, caricature, wild, and even monstrous. One mask portrays Barack Obama as a zombie and another as a classic vampire called Barackula. Sarah Palin also has a zombified mask, as well as Bill Clinton. Older politicians are not forgotten: Count Nixon and Reaganstein. With the high-profile death of the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden will probably be a zombie too.
Brands are helping to commercialize Halloween and advertise their wares by making costumes of their goods. Heinz has Ketchup and Mustard bottles costumes with full detail. If you prefer an entrée, there is a can of Spam suit. On the sweet side, a couple can wear the Sugar Babies dress and Sugar Daddy suit or the M&Ms mascot’s suits. Other brands include a Trojan Magnum wrapper and Crayola Crayon dresses in a wide array of colors.
Some costumes are truly in a category of their own. iPad enthusiasts love the game “Angry Birds,” and now they can dress up as their favorite character, Red, Yellow, Black and King Pig, in one of the masks or costumes available. One of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits has been made into two costumes; a fat body suit costume that resemble Chris Farley’s character in the Chippendale’s
Try-out Skit and a suit of his more muscular competition that was played by Patrick Swayze. The perk of these costumes is that you get to dance to Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend” all night long.
There are always the naughty costumes for adult-oriented parties. Men can put on the flasher pants that are well-endowed to surprise everyone. The Droopers suit resembles a Hooters outfit, but worn by an old woman with her breasts hanging well below the shirt. Bar Boobs is a functional accessory; a pair of breasts that dispense your favorite beverage when you squeeze the nipple. A regionally important costume still in style is the green jumpsuit covered in black stains with the words “BP - Bad Planning” printed on the lapel.
You
can scour costumes stores for your favorite fantasy, but the longer you
wait, the more crowded it gets! Party City has a good selection as well
as pop-up Halloween stores like Spirit Halloween with locations in
Harahan on Jefferson Highway and Gretna. However, costumes can be
pricey, but there are costume rental shops that would love to help you
pick the perfect costume that will keep your budget in check. It’s also
extremely fun trying them on. Uptown Costume and Dancewear on Magazine
Street, New Orleans Party and Costume on Camp, and Broadway Bound
Costumes on Canal Street all have large selections of costumes,
footwear, and masks to fit every taste. Halloween is all about fun, so
indulge in the decadence.
___________________________________________
Local Costume Shops
Broadway Bound Costumes 237 Canal St., 70053
Gretna Costume 2040 Belle Chase Hwy #1, Gretna, 70053
Halloween Shop by Accent Annex 100 N. Labarre R.
New Orleans Party and Costume 705 Camp St., 70130
Southern Costume Co. 951 Lafayette St., 70113
Uptown Costume and Dancewear 4326 Magazine St., 70115
Vieux Carre Hair Shop 8224 Maple St., 70118
Jersey Shore costumes are a “shore” thing this Halloween.
