Arts
^ flappershangouta
the broyhi fountain, beads and
glitter the order ofthe day
flower girl
feds the vkeas bright getsthegW with jazz
rainbow dots makea w aitsandWyshltsat
▼ mattbarandgrii
statement 7
alloween lets us live out
our fantasies, which
usually border more on
humor than horror.
The holiday brings
with it not only yummy /
treats and a wild time,
but a night where peo
ple can be anyone or
anything they want to
be just by visiting a local
costume store.
Today’s costumes
rock in comparison to those we had when we
were kids. Check out the aisles at Super-K and
Walmart.
Gone are the days of plastic masks that were
torture for a suffocating kid. Accessories, wigs and
face paint make today's costumes more realistic
than those of the past
Ironically, it is the past that fuels the ideas for
the majority of Halloween costumes today.
If creativity is running low, many turn to past
eras and iconic images of previous decades for
costume ideas.
“Nostalgia is big,” said Will Cover from Ralston
Costumes in Omaha.
Jennifer Johnson, owner of Ruby Begonias,
1321P St, said Americans tend to look to the past
“We are a very nostalgic nation, and since we
are a young country, people
look to our own history for
costume ideas,” Johnson said.
The fetish with dressing
up for Halloween can be
either an intense process
requiring months of prepara
tion or some last minute thrift
store shopping.
Ericka Flanders from Ruby
Begonias said they rent cos
tumes throughout the year
and prepare months before
Halloween. "But people wait
until the last minute and
things get crazy around here,”
she said.
Ruby Begonias has been
open for eight years and offers
a chance for shoppers to do
some major time traveling. A
variety of wigs, hats and cos
tumes are available for rent or
sale. The costumes are conve
niently separated by eras and
then into groups of men's and
women’s one-of-a-kind cloth
ing.
“Retro is popular in fash
ion today, and I think people
dress up in eras because they
are easy to identify,” Johnson
said. "People want other peo
ple to know what they are
dressing up as.”
Cover said the 1920s
attracts many costume
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rockerietsthe
crowd know he is the
center of attention with
brightly dyed hair
oldtvner^
hisoountty in the baggy
unform-styleoftheera
hunters.
"The most popular era is
definitely the ’20s,” he said. “Both guys and girls get a chance to feel real
ly sexy and playful in the '20s suits.”
Flanders said females especially enjoy the flapper-era costumes.
“Many girls love to dress up as a flapper and like the idea of fringe,
boas and cigarette holders,” Flanders said. “They can get really done up
and still look cute- God forbid they look scary on Halloween.”
Guys going for a noir look opt for gangster costumes, including three
piece pin-stripped suits, fake Tommy Guns and cigars.
Fringe and Tassel, 735 O St., is celebrating its 15^ anniversary and
said the first two costumes rented for Halloween were both replicas of
Marilyn Monroe.
“We were surprised that the white dress and wig were so popular,”
said Nikki Wittwer, a Fringe and Tassel employee.
Icons and accessories from the ’50s are popular during Halloween.
People dressed as Monroe and Elvis, as well as people wearing poodle
skirts and leather jackets, are easy to find, Wittwer said.
This year, people are also wearing spacey futuristic costumes reflec
tive of the ’50s B-movies, Wittwer said.
Costumes from the '60s and 70s are comfortable and always popu
lar, Flanders said.
"You can just wear bell-bottoms and a shirt, so that look is easy to pull
off,” she said.
Fringe and Tassel’s new addition for the 70s is an elaborate Gene
Simmons costume, complete with KISS’ trademark tongues and face
paint.
Surprisingly, costumes from much older time periods have been in
demand so far this year.
“The Renaissance is extremely popular this year,” Wittwer said. “I
have noticed that there are many patterns out now for Renaissance cos
tumes, and I think it has something to do with the popularity with
Renaissance fairs and an idea of fantasy,” said Phyllis Spahn, owner of
Fringe and Tassel.
Movies that represent a certain time period also set the trend of what
is going to be hot each Halloween, Cover said.
“A few years ago, a lot of women wanted to wear long evening gowns
to be Rose from ‘Titanic,’” he said. “Today people want that groovy look
from ‘Austin Powers.”'
story by emilypyeatt
photos by mike warren
costumes byfiingeand tassel