Classic or Outrageous?

I am sure most of you took part in this year’s Halloween festivities. With Austin being such a big enthusiast about this holiday, it is impossible not to participate in the craziness. And dressing up for any type of event concerning the spooky holiday is an absolute must.

The different and outrageous costumes is what makes Halloween fun and enjoyable. Every year at Sixth Street a wide variety of costumes can be seen, from a classic pirate costume to an original and creative creature.

This year it was no different, the popular street was taken over by pirates, fairies, Cleopatras, skimpy policewomen and firewomen, scary masks, among other classics. Like every year, new characters or public figures that were popular during the year are seen as somebody’s costume. This Halloween there were plenty of Lady Gagas as well as “Snookies” from the popular show “The Jersey Shore”.  Characters from movies were also popular such as “Avatar” and “Alan” from “The Hangover”.   

I did notice that this year, people opted for more creative, original and funny costumes. Girls usually wear either something “cute” or they take the special day as an opportunity to dress in skimpy and tight outfits, but this year, many took a different route.

I saw girls dressed as men, some wore a big animal outfit, and others including me decided to be a funny character. I dressed up as Marge Simpson from the well-known animated show “The Simpson”. I love funny costumes, so I thought this was the perfect fit for me with the outrageous big blue wig.

Not only our locals in Austin wanted to be funnier and more creative in their outfit choices, but it also seems to be the trend in the celebrity and fashion world.

“Making the Most of a Pagan Holiday”, a recent article in The New York Times, gave a rundown of Visionaire Magazine’s Halloween party at MoMA P.S.1 in Long Island City, Queens. Unlike Austin’s Sixth Street, the event was filled with original costumes that were anything but pop culture. Which makes sense because when it comes to Halloween dress-up, nobody over thinks their costumes as much as fashion designers and artists do.

As you would expect from an artist, guests who attended the event wore very creative pieces.

The designer Richard Chai opted for a dramatic look, sporting a spray-painted muscle T-shirt and motorbike gloves, with a black raven lodged in his shattered visor. He described it as “a motocross rider who got too ambitious.”

Designer Richard Chai
Courtesy of The New York Times 

Cecilia Dean, a founder of Visionaire, was not a big supporter of outrageous costumes. She opted for a ballerina-esque outfit that was assembled largely from her own wardrobe, including a Gigi Burris feather headpiece and vintage Giorgio di Sant’Angelo black feather bodice. “There’s already a lot of dressing up in the fashion world,” said Ms. Dean in the article. “People act weird and dress really slutty.”

The article stated that the most clever art reference might have been made by Faris Al-Shathir, an architect who wore Keith Haring-like eyeglasses and whose entire body was painted black and white like one of the artist’s drawings. 

Whether you decide to wear an original outrageous costume or a classic one, make sure you dress up as something every year, if you don’t want to feel like an oddball. Now that the festivities are over and that we have seen an array of different costumes, we can start getting costume ideas for next year’s Halloween. It is never too early to start planning the perfect costume for the crazy celebration.