STYLE FRIGHT WEAR : Anything You Want : All ambitions are approved for Halloween. But those that cost less are best.

Some things really do change overnight.

You awaken one morning, stand in front of the bathroom mirror and notice five gray hairs that definitely weren’t there when you went to bed.

Or you step onto the bathroom scale and jump in horror at the realization that five new pounds have settled somewhere between your neck and hips--all since you ate breakfast the day before.

You liberally smear your face with the cream you’ve been using for years, only to discover that as you slept, you developed an allergy to it.

But those things seemed like nothing compared to what happened to me the other day.

I was standing at the stove stirring scrambled eggs when my son--my sweet-tempered, cries-when-I-kill-spiders, barely-out-of-kindergarten son--asked me if I knew what he wanted to be.

Now, I’ve read a psychology book or two. I know what the experts say.

Not every child is cut out to be a doctor. The world can do without another lawyer. Instead of creating expectations your child may not live up to, the important thing is to support his dreams.

“Sweetheart, you can be anything you want to be,” I said, giving him my best self-esteem-building smile.

“Cool,” he said, turning on his heels and dashing up the stairs.

A few minutes later, my third-grade son entered the room. “Mom, is it true we can be anything we want?” he asked.

I was pleased with myself. My kids clearly had developed a healthy sense of self-esteem in just a few minutes in my kitchen.

“Of course you can,” I answered. “All you have to do is put your mind to it.”

My youngest son bent his knees in a half-crouch and sprayed the kitchen with imaginary bullets.

“I wanna be a soldier! With a machine gun! And I want all that greasy stuff all over my face so no one can see me!” he said.

Then, my oldest son poured kerosene on my internal flame. “I want to be a Terminator,” he chirped in. “You know, one of those guys who goes around kill--”

This was more than I could take.

What had gone wrong? Had they learned nothing about becoming good people? Obviously they were watching too much television. I told them their viewing privileges were revoked until further notice.

“But Mom,” they said in unison, “it’s for Halloween.”

This, I thought, was a different matter. Even the psychologists would have agreed with that. So I drove them over to Halloween Adventure in Simi Valley, where the entire store was lined with masks and costumes.

Some were more horrible--and more popular--than others.

“All the Presidents’ masks are selling good this year,” said Sharon Quitazol, the store’s assistant manager. “A lot of people are buying the Reagan mask, probably because the Reagan library is opening soon. Also, Nixon is surprisingly popular. I thought he went out.”

For some unknown reason, Quitazol said there is one President who hasn’t moved off the wall.

“Bush is not a big seller,” she said. “Neither is Barbara.”

Part of the reason, I thought, might have been the prices. The latex masks averaged about $50.

One, a bull in which the face is a devil, sells for $199. A dragon’s head, which Quitazol said is a big seller, is $159. The Terminator mask, desired by my son, was $39.

I left the store empty-handed.

At Bonnie’s in Ventura, I scanned the aisles for a happy medium.

There were scores of Ninja Turtle costumes. There was a two-person camel costume. There was a Pee-wee Herman suit.

“Funny, but no kids seem to want it,” said salesclerk Erica Thompson. “For some reason, they’re buying Richard Nixon masks.”

Given these choices, I thought again what the psychologists had said.

“OK guys, you’ve got your choice,” I said to my kids when I got home. “You can be whatever you want to be--and pay for it yourselves--or I can turn you into ghosts.”

They considered this for a moment. Finally, like most kids faced with having to fork over their own hard-earned money, they opted for the ghosts.

Some things never change.

* THE PREMISE

Ventura County is teeming with the fashionable and not so fashionable. There are trend-makers and trend-breakers. There are those with style--personal and off the rack--and those making fashion statements better left unsaid. Twice a month, we’ll be taking a look at fashion in Ventura County--trends, styles and ideas--and asking you what you think. If you have a fashion problem, sighting or suggestion; if you know a fashion success or a fashion victim, let us know. We want to hear from you.