One thing I’ve never been able to figure out is why people buy halloween costumes when with a little time and effort, you can probably make something yourself that’s better than anything you can find in Ricky’s or any other costume shops. Not to mention you’ll probably save a bunch of money as well, since costume shops charge a premium when you buy halloween costumes.

And no, making your own costume doesn’t mean just throwing a sheet on and being a ghost, or going through your parents’ closet and becoming a disco swinger (or if your parents are a little younger, a member of the Reagan youth.) Halloween is too much fun to half-ass; you’ve gotta put some effort into it the the decision to buy halloween costumes is just a way to surrender your agency and join the crowd rather than come up with something unique and uniquely you.

Of course if you take it far enough, you’ll end up asking yourself why you dress up in the first place. Well, it turns out that dressing up on Haloween is a tradition that goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, and Wikipedia expands on the subject here:

Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in America in the early 1900s, as often for adults as for children. The first mass-produced Haloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1930s when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States.

What sets Halloween costumes apart from costumes for other celebrations or days of dressing up is that they are often designed to imitate supernatural and scary beings. Costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils, or in more recent years such science fiction-inspired characters as aliens and superheroes. There are also costumes of pop culture figures like presidents, athletes, celebrities, or film, television, and cartoon characters. Another popular trend is for women (and in some cases, men) to use Halloween as an excuse to wear sexy or revealing costumes, showing off more skin than would be socially acceptable otherwise.

That should give you and your friends some ideas of what to create on your own, rather than wasting your money to buy Halloween costumes. It’s worth it in the end to take this one day out of the year to push the bounds of what’s socially acceptable and do this Halloween the way it’s meant to be done.

With fall settling in, the next holiday on the horizon is Halloween. Halloween is actually the second biggest holiday in the United States of America in terms of how much money is spent on the holiday, and it is no surprise if you ask me. Between the party favors, decorations, trick or treat candies and, of course, the costumes, Halloween costs a pretty penny. Here are some tips to help you find some really cool Halloween costumes without breaking your wallet.

The first and easiest tip to finding cool Halloween costumes is to think about the cool costumes from last year – odds are that the cool costumes last year are no longer cool at all. Case in point, dressing up as Amy Winehouse this year is a clear sign that you are not wearing a cool Halloween costume.

No, cool Halloween costumes are definitely not retreads from the year before. Truly cool Halloween costumes offer something new and unexpected, clever and fun, scary and… well, just cool. But how do you find cool Halloween costumes like that?

Well, there are a couple of tricks to finding really cool Halloween costumes. The first trick to finding cool costumes is to figure out what is and what is not cool. Keep an eye on trends in fashion and celebrities, who is wearing right, what retro movement is in. Having a sense of the times is crucial to finding cool Halloween costumes; what are people doing, liking, watching, listening to, and dressing up in, in their everyday life? This should be all the inspiration you need to find cool Halloween costumes.

So what is cool this year? For ladies, it is a sense of humor. Instead of dressing up as the “naughty” version of a costume, consider trying something that will get a laugh, rather than showing off some skin. And yes, some naughty costumes can be funny; a naughty cafeteria worker, for instance. As for men, funny always works as well, and, whatever you do, do not dress up as a pirate; unless it is a pirate-hybrid, like a robot pirate or zombie pirate.

Whatever your approach is to cool Halloween costumes, remember to bring your own unique sensibilities to it. There is nothing further from being cool than trying to be cool. Soak in the trends and signs of the times and apply it in your own unique way for a great Haloween costume.

Where would any fancy dress or costume celebration be without the usual big head and crazy celebrity costumes in the mix? There’s no lacking of people to poke fun at right now, and celebrity costume ideas should not be hard to come by this year for anyone. From politics to the plethora of ‘reality’ TV stars (are they REALLY stars?) the past 12 months should have no one in a bind to figure out a costume or celeb to impersonate for the office party.

In politics, the biggest one’s are going to be the obvious ones – Obama, Palin, Schwarzenegger and their ilk will be everywhere, but how about something a little more off the wall and not so run of the mill as the usual celebrity costume ideas? How about going as Putin, if you can make it work? Blagojevich should certainly be there if you can handle the hair, or hairpiece to look like him – or, if you have money, simply get in touch with him and for a couple of grand he’ll come to the party as himself for you – he needs the cash, apparently…….

TV is going to be where most new celebrity costume ideas will come from. There’s Octomom and her 14 kids (use dolls, please!), Jacko will of course be making many, many appearances, Heidi and Spencer, Gordon Ramsey is a cheap one to do as all your need to do is borrow a chefs jacket and scream obscenities in a British accent (even though he’s Scottish – wonder why no-one’s asked him about his lack of accent?) and so on. Let’s not forget too that pundits such as Glenn Beck who is red hot popular and Cramer (“don’t sell your stocks – there’s nothing wrong with the markets – buy Bear Stearns, its healthy!”) have certainly earned themselves a healthy heaping of attention over the past year so let’s not forget that particular little parcel of joy to indulge in.

The main thing with celebrity costume ideas is to make them topical, and something that people can readily recognize. Going as Napoleon Dynamite might appeal to you, but if everyone you work with is over fifty and have never seen the movie, why bother, as no one will know who you are?? So think about it beforehand, and make it something you can really get recognized for!

Halloween season is coming up in no time and you will have to find yourself a costume. If you are like me, this is exciting, because you love shopping for fun and unique Halloween costumes. However, maybe you are not like me, and you want to just go as what you went as last year. Instead of going for a witch or pirate AGAIN, maybe it is time for you to find a new and unique Halloween costume. Shopping for a Halloween costume can be a real pain in the neck, but I have some tips and advice for finding unique Halloween costumes.

The first idea when looking for unique Halloween costumes is to think of the costumes you see often; and avoid it. It seems obvious that the unique Halloween costume is the opposite of recent popular costumes, but it needs to be restated. This especially means that just because you found a REALLY good pimp costume, it is still just a pimp costume and not very unique at all.

The key to finding really unique Halloween costumes might be to make your own. This is one way to ensure that your Halloween costume is completely unique. Of course, this is also the most time-consuming… or is it? You would be surprised how amending certain articles of clothing you already own (or have purchased from a second-hand or vintage store) can create a fantastic Halloween costume no one else will be wearing.

Then again, you probably don’t want to do that much work. I know that I don’t. When I go to buy Halloween costumes, I try to look for things that are hard to find. This means spending a lot of time. If you are willing to spend a lot of time searching for unique Halloween costumes, then I can’t help you anymore than you’ve already looked yourself.

If you don’t want to do a lot of work, or spend a lot of time, your options for a unique Halloween costumes are much limited. But here are some tips to look for. Halloween costumes go in and out of style, it used to be that pirates were rare and cool; now they’re everywhere. Maybe look at costumes you haven’t seen in a while; fighter pilots or insects. Whatever you do, avoid the most popular costumes; they are obviously not the place to find unique Halloween costumes. Good luck, and have a happy Halloween.

Halloween is a strange holiday; it’s not quite on the same level of Christmas in terms of general prominence, but it is more expensive than other “minor” holidays like Valentine’s Day or Fourth of July. In fact, the simple fact of the price tag of Halloween costumes are enough to make you want to skip the holiday altogether and save a few bucks. But you can’t, because Halloween is too much fun (it really is the most fun of all the holidays). So what to do? Well, one option is to cut back on the Halloween costume expenditures – and look at wholesale Halloween costumes.

Of course, the difference between wholesale Halloween costumes and retail costumes are the price; but why? Wholesale is cheaper because it doesn’t have to go through the middle man, but why hasn’t it always been this way? Well, Halloween is such a specialized and time-sensitive industry that it is tough to justify some of the necessary spending and storage of a year-round enterprise for goods that are only salable during a window of a few weeks of the year. Most costumes were made to season, negating any chance of a surplus; the costumes were made and designed for retail sales.

So what is the difference now that you can get wholesale Halloween costumes? Well, simply put, it is that it is easier to buy a Halloween costume now. Once when you needed to drive around, searching for a costume shop, or ordering from a speciality catalog, you can now simply go online. These online merchants means that it is easier than ever to sell and to buy wholesale Halloween costumes.

Obviously this is better for you, the customer. You can get cheaper costumes with relative ease. The other good part of wholesale Halloween costumes is that you have more options. Think about it; part of the reason that costume choices were so limited in the past was an uncertainty whether they would sell or not. Nowadays, with the Internet and wholesale Halloween costumes, you know longer need to fill a contract at Ray’s Costume Shop – you can simply make to order.

Wholesale Halloween costumes are a great development for people who are looking to have all of the fun of Haloween without busting the bank. Increases in the Internet and e-commerce have allowed costume makers to reflect the marketplace, and offer you a fair price on a more varied number of costumes. It has never been so good and it will help make your next Halloween your best Halloween yet.