How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
We all know times are hard and money is tight. So this year in particular, many students may be reluctant to spend $40 to $200 on costumes — and that's not including accessories (or pre-parade beers).
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"It is silly to buy a costume that you can only wear once," Stern freshman Michael Sedwick said. "You should buy something funny that you can wear out regularly."
Others, like College of Nursing junior Liliana Young, prefer to create their own costumes.
"When you buy a pre-made costume, you are paying for the convenience of not having to be creative and make your own costume," Young said. "It's much more fun to find all the little pieces that go together to make the costume on your own."
At Halloween hotspots near NYU, such as Halloween Adventures (East 11th Street and Broadway) and Ricky's (East Eighth and Greene streets), the most popular costume accessories seem to be white Michael Jackson gloves, Barack Obama masks and flashy Lady Gaga accessories. But many of these accessories can be found for cheaper prices at thrift stores. The Salvation Army on East 12th Street and Fourth Avenue is a good place to look for pieces to the costume you have in mind.
"I hear a lot of people want to dress up as Lady Gaga this year, which isn't a bad cheap alternative since you can just find your tightest, flashiest clothes and some bright leggings, and maybe buy a wig," CAS sophomore Laura Skove said.
CAS sophomore Zachary Troia also recommends searching through your closet.
"Also, don't underestimate using any uniforms you've had to buy in the past," Troia said. "I'm reusing my Boy Scout uniform for a costume."
Students could try wearing old uniform skirts and blazers for the "Gossip Girl" characters or don uniforms to be a "Glee" cheerleader.
"Go through your closet," LSP sophomore Cynthia Allum said. "If you have things of matching colors, you can do a lot. For example, I think I might be a jelly bean or a crayon and just dress in solid red and paint my face."
Allum added: "I might also be an Eskimo since I just brought all my winter clothes from home. And if you already own extravagant dresses, why not be a princess?"
Skove suggests rummaging through the garbage rooms in residence halls.
"I might grab a cardboard box and paint it white — with a big Macintosh apple logo and go as a MacBook Pro," she said.
LSP sophomore Emma Tisdale said students should not spend money on costumes that could easily be handmade.
"Last year I got a hair band and made cat ears out of construction paper, and they looked just as good as the one's in the store for $12," Tisdale said. "You can easily make animal tails and ears yourself."
GLS freshman Mary Fromme reminded students: "Be cheesy, be trashy, and have fun with it. Halloween is cheesy, there is no such thing as a sophisticated costume."
