Dressing up

Don't be alarmed by the brightly colored biohazard suit and gas mask hanging on the wall of Rags T' Ritches costume shop. It's not there as a precaution against potential chemical warfare. It is just one of the numerous costumes the store has available to rent for Halloween. \nThe store is packed with numerous costumes: saloon girl, Mickey Mouse and pirate, just to name a few. \n"There's not much we don't have," said Sharon Hays, owner of Rags T' Ritches, 1809 E. 10th St.\nFor those who don't have a clue what to be for Halloween, the costume shops around Bloomington might help. But be warned: walking into any of the shops could overload the senses. \nAs far as the eye can see, there are potential accessories for the perfect costume. Wigs in every color hang on the wall. Hats of every shape are stacked on shelves. Accessories from jewelry to fishnet stockings to fangs line the walls and sit in glass cases. Costumes waiting to be rented or bought wait in side rooms and closets. \nOnce the overwhelming feeling subsides, the costume-less student can leaf through catalogues with pictures of the costumes the shops provide to get possible ideas. The student can try on the costumes and choose a favorite. \nFrom there, the process differs from store to store. At Costume Delights, 336 S. Walnut, and Rags T' Ritches, a student places a deposit on the costume, and then comes back to pick up the costume for the date it's needed. At Vintage Wearhouse, 401 E. Fourth St., the student can take the costume home the same day and keep it until Halloween. Rental prices at these three shops start at around $15. At Costume Delights, one can rent a complete suit of armor for $125. \nIf a student wants a costume that doesn't exist, all three shops have the ability to create the student's desired costume. Hays said she will make specifically requested costumes as long as she has pictures. \nErika Schmied, an employee at Vintage Wearhouse, 401 E. Fourth St., said that if a student can't find a certain costume they want, then she tries to find things the store does have to substitute. If there isn't a good substitute, then she helps the student try to find a different costume. \nAlice Fulk, owner of Costume Delights, uses the motto "If I don't have it, I can make it" on her business cards.\nAlthough she said she doesn't have the time or space to make a costume right now, she said she enjoys making costumes for people.\n"What I like best about being in business is being able to create that special costume," Fulk said. Although many students at IU still don't know what to be for Halloween, a few are planning ahead. Justin Nolan, a sophomore, said he and a friend plan on dressing up as Bluntman and Chronic, two characters created by Kevin Smith, for the Halloween parties he will attend. He said he is planning on making his costume. \nMarissa Schneider, a junior, is going the more conventional route with her costume. She said she is going to dress up as a French maid when she goes to Madison, Wis., for Halloween. \n"When packing for school, I saw the costume in my closet and said, 'That's what I'm going to be for Halloween,'" Schneider said. She bought the costume her senior year in high school to wear to work for Halloween. \nBesides Bluntman and Chronic and French maids, what else is popular with college students this year? \nIn early September, many people came into Costume Delights looking for costumes like the clothes in the movie "Moulin Rouge," Fulk said. More recently, traditional costumes like space people, Scarlett O'Hara and flappers are becoming more popular. \n"Wigs are the biggest trend I've seen, like colored wigs," said Judith Smith, an employee at Vintage Wearhouse. She said colored wigs allow people to make themselves different from the other costumes.\n"The '70s costumes are always popular," Smith said.\nSchmied said '70s costumes are always a favorite among college students because they are so comfortable and fun. Hays said she thinks it's still a little too early to tell what will be popular this Halloween, but believes there will be a trend towards patriotic costumes. \n"I think people will be leaning toward police, fireman and medical," she said. \nDespite the fact most people will want to dress up as something typical, Schmied has had some odd requests for costumes. One woman wanted to rent the famous Jacqueline Kennedy pink suit, put fake blood on it, and be Mrs. Kennedy after the assassination of her husband.\nAnother student wanted to be a pimp cow for a party and was so excited about his costume, he wore it out of the store, Schmied said. Even though many of the shops currently have costumes left, the rush for costumes is yet to come. Typically, the week before Halloween can be one of the busiest for the costume shops. \n"It's shoulder to shoulder, neck to neck," said Fulk. \nHays described the week as hectic, but has developed a system worked out to make the week run smoothly. \n"It's a lot of fun to see people dress up," she said.