Emporiums Scare Up a Range of Costumes for Halloween

It’s that time of year when you peer into the ghostly gloom at the back of your closet and mutter a hopeful incantation for the Unseen Forces to materialize an acceptable Halloween costume.

But let’s face it: Some Octobers, even the powers of the unknown can’t come up with a home-brew outfit that’s appropriately Halloweenish.

So if the spooks among the coat hangers let you down, you may want to turn to an earthly, commercially motivated source, such as one of Southern California’s many costume shops. The staffs at these companies just might be able to make you the monster of your dreams.

And there’s no law that says you’ve got to be double ugly every Oct. 31. How about becoming a sexy Prince Charming or Cinderella? Elvis or Marilyn? Superman or Wonder Woman?

A key to successful costuming stressed by many shops is to select and reserve your outfit as early as possible before Halloween (or any other holiday or celebration for which costumes are popular).

Most costume stores concentrate on rentals, but you may purchase at some, especially children’s costumes that are generally offered for sale and not rent.

You might not want to rent or buy an entire outfit. If you have the primary makings of a costume at home, you can get accessories or makeup at many of the businesses.

Rental prices range from $25 to $150, with an average price of about $35 for a rental of one to three days.

All stores require a security deposit of $25 to $100 to ensure that the costume will be returned in reasonably good condition.

Here’s a sampler of Southland costume stores that will help you have an enchanting evening as you party or go trick-or-treating.

Cabaret Costume, 1302 Kingsdale Ave., Redondo Beach, (213) 370-0098. Owner Christine Massler, who has an extensive background in fashion design, says the firm designs and makes 90% of its rental costumes. “When we create a costume, we are building a fantasy, and there is always someone who wants it,” she says.

In addition to fairy-tale, saloon-girl, witch, pirate and gangster costumes, you can find genuine evening gowns from the early 1900s and authentic Indian headdresses. Or perhaps you would rather be a lobster, a hamburger or King Kong’s hand or go with your date in a couples costume, such as King Neptune and a mermaid.

Sorry, but their one-of-a-kind black widow costume (a sexy creation that is guaranteed to attract comments and other things) has been reserved since last June.

Cabaret Costumes also supplies drama productions and corporate, theme and murder-mystery parties.

Costumes by Magic World, 900 S. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, (818) 848-8100; 10122 Topanga Blvd., Chatsworth, (818) 700-8100; 2010 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, (619) 574-6201. Owner Phil Sherman says that in addition to costumes for adults, he sells thousands of children’s costumes, the most popular being princesses, cartoon characters and ninja. The firm also can provide elaborate balloon sculptures for events such as conventions, and it specializes in theme parties.

Sherman says this year, everyone wants to be the evil Freddy Krueger of “Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Another shop that can turn you into the stalking killer from the hit horror film and its sequels is Magic Emporium, 19641 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, (818) 344-2525. Owner Paula Kincheloe says that other hot costumes this year include super heroes, ‘50s-style characters and Mardi gras revelers. Magic Emporium specializes in masks of television personalities and Presidents, including half-masks that enable the wearer to eat and drink.

The Costume Closet, 2161 Via Olivera Drive (Margate Intermediate School), Palos Verdes Estates, (213) 541-2213. This nonprofit rental shop generates thousands of dollars for the three Palos Verdes Peninsula high schools and their PTAs.

“The Costume Closet was started by a dedicated group of volunteer mothers,” said director Judy Lacer. “They saw that costumes for drama productions were often used and then stored carelessly and often forgotten about. So they had an idea to store all the costumes from the Peninsula schools in a central place, with all these schools and the public having access to the inventory.”

The Costume Closet now has nearly 4,000 costumes available for rent by the public. It has complete sets of costumes from plays such as “Cabaret,” as well as period clothing and garb for flappers, harem girls, gangsters and animals. It also has boas, wigs, hats and other accessories.

“Last year the Costume Closet was able to give $17,000 to the local schools and school district,” said Lacer.

The Costume Closet, which is staffed by volunteer parents, is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during the school year.

Costume Rentals and Sales, 28850 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills, (818) 706-2559. “Agoura is a family community, so we carry a good variety of quality children’s costumes,” said owner Diki Wackenstedt. “We sell our children’s costumes, and we have a new line of padded ones that include dinosaurs, pumpkins, spiders and unicorns. And, of course, the little boys love to be Superman, and the little girls all want to be Snow Whites, brides and princesses.”

Wackenstedt adds, “If a parent has several children to outfit, it can be less expensive to put together a costume from things at home and then add inexpensive accessories like fake noses, masks, wigs, jewelry and hats. With accessories, a parent can make a wonderful costume for a child for less than $10.”

Some of the choice costumes for adults include a Hershey’s kiss and couples’ outfits, such as Campbell’s tomato soup and crackers and Coors light and regular. The Agoura business also has animals, fruits and the complete Wizard of Oz cast, as well as the traditional costumes.

And if you need some unusual party decorations, how about a blinking skull with lights, a beating heart or a moving hand? And for that extra touch of horror, you can rent a coffin or a mechanical cobra that rises from a basket when someone walks by.

The Costume Shoppe, 324 N. Orange St., Glendale, (818) 244-1161. Associated with the Glendale Center Theater for 40 years, the Costume Shoppe opened to the public four years ago. The shop has about 10,000 costumes and provides many outfits for theme parties and television game shows, owner Sandy Dietlein said.

One of her most unusual transactions was when a young man rented a suit of armor so he could be a dashing knight when he proposed to his girlfriend, she said.

The most popular characters are Zorro, pirates, ancient Grecians and Romans, nursery-rhyme characters and saloon girls. The shop also carries many military uniforms. Oliver North is a popular figure among costume renters this year.

Hudson-Southwest Costume Co., 11889 Valley View St., Suite A, Garden Grove, (714) 894-3771. “We are the second-largest costume shop west of the Rockies,” says store manager Leslie Bliss. “We have about 75,000 costumes for adults and children, and we design and make 95% of them right here in our shop.”

Some of the special costumes are a two-person pink dragon and a suit of samurai armor which, Bliss said, was selected best authentic reproduction at the National Costumers Assn. convention.

Hudson-Southwest also does specialty balloon arrangements and has a formal-wear shop.

International Costumes and Uniforms, 1269 Sartori Ave., Torrance, (213) 320-6392. “The nice thing about a costume party,” says owner Esther Wells, “is that it puts everyone on the same level. For example, if a corporation has a Halloween costume party, the executives and the clerks have something in common--the costumes--and it’s easy for everyone to mingle and have fun.”

Costumes can be selected by viewing them on a television monitor or by looking through catalogues.

If you’ve ever had a burning desire to be a shark, a bunch of grapes or a banana, this is the place for you. The firm also carries military uniforms, Easter bunny costumes and outfits for cartoon characters, Elvis Presley look-alikes, witches, devils, nuns and brides of Frankenstein.

“The way a costume becomes more than just clothes is by using accessories,” says Wells. Monster neck bolts, fake braids, giant baby pacifiers, Mr. Spock ears, Pinocchio noses, blue eyelashes, snake armbands and feathery boas are some of the thousands of accessories available.

Theatrical Showcase, 1598 Monrovia Ave., Newport Beach, (714) 548-5951. “We have about 5,000 costumes for adults,” says store manager Rita Johnson. “We don’t rent children’s costumes, but we do sell kits and accessories that are appropriate for children.”

Theatrical Showcase specializes in period costumes. “We are also busy year-round with murder-mystery parties,” Johnson says.

Some popular couples costumes are Mae West and W. C. Fields and Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. “People also love to dress as well-known personalities, such as Marilyn Monroe or Jean Harlow,” says Johnson. Other favorites include a 6-foot dragon costume, pumpkins, space costumes, Civil War uniforms and vampires.

Western Costume Co., 5335 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, (213) 469-1451. This Hollywood landmark, celebrating its 75th anniversary, is considered the largest costuming organization in the world, providing costumes for numerous movie and television productions, including “Around the World in 80 Days,” “The King and I,” Parts I, II and III in the “Star Trek” movie series, “Roots” and “The Winds of War.”

Western maintains an inventory of more than 1 million pieces of men’s and women’s clothing representing all countries and periods of history. The firm carries a vast selection of accessories, hats, props, medals and decorations, leatherwear and fantasy costumes. Western’s tailors and dressmakers use the research library on costuming, which contains more than 12,000 volumes in many languages, to reproduce completely authentic costumes from any period in history.

Would You Believe?, 1118 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena, (818) 799-3828. If you are striving for the offbeat, how about dressing up as the South Pasadena chicken? Would You Believe? can dress you as a red-feathered fowl, a can of beer or a slice of pizza. You and a friend can masquerade as Elvis Presley and a hound dog.

“One of the most unusual costume rentals we had was for a wedding,” says store manager Bonnie Hughart. “The bridal couple dressed up as his-and-her gorillas.”

Other popular costumes at Would You Believe? are pink elephants, “Ghostbusters,” astronauts, Trojans, warriors, male and female buccaneers, Elvira-style vamps, cave women and Daisy Maes.

The firm also sells children’s costumes and has spooky party accessories, such as spider webs, flies, snakes and fake blood. Some of the popular costume accessories are fangs, insect antennaes, makeup, jewelry and a variety of noses, eyes and ears.