FFE ana SLYIE

 

CTer Mz

By Stephanie Trembath,
Life & Style Editor

and McDonalds prevail, it’s often

cheaper to purchase pre-packaged
goods rather than prepare your own.
The same can be said for clothes and
other household supplies, and even
though your Ikea-clad apartment or
H&M outfit may lack in originality,
companies mass produce items that
are equally fashionable and functional.
As a result of large corporations
distributing and selling bulk goods
all over North America, domestic
skills such as cooking and sewing are
majorly undervalued in our society
today. While I don’t get a huge thrill
from baking a pie or darning socks, my
disadvantages in these areas become
more apparent around this time of year,
especially during the force-fed-holiday:
Halloween.

Unlike Christmas, even if you
don’t “believe” in Halloween it is
impossible to escape the pagan holiday:
try telling your employer that you don’t
want to participate at work. Two such
friends of mine, who partake only in
12

I: a society where KD Easy Mac

the consumption of chocolaty goods,
tried to escape parading themselves

as super heroines or Disney damsels,
and were told to buy a pair of animal
ears and paint on a black nose—or
find another job. I, on the other hand,
love dressing up for Halloween, but

I am stuck with the same dilemma
every year (well at least since I moved
out and can’t persuade my mom to
sew an outfit for me). Since I cannot
sew —again lacking domestic skills—I

my own Halloween costume by any
means necessary. To aid my fellow arts
students, who like myself need some
sort of creative outlet in order to enjoy
the holiday, but have become lazy and
have no clue how to even hem a pair
of pants, I have developed a list of
favourable places to suit your costume
creating needs. It may take some
planning, and a lot of time, but at least
you won’t be wearing the same thing as
anyone else.

“The best place to start foraging for pieces to your outfit is any thrift

am left with two options: 1) purchase

a pre-packaged costume that I will see
at least five other girls wearing or 2)
assemble my own creation from bits
and pieces I track down from various
locations which takes multiple trips and
tries to complete.

Last Halloween I wore the same
sailor outfit from the previous year,
and since my unique addition of
electric blue heels and striped knee
socks wasn’t enough for my ego, this
year my goal is to completely design

store, Value Village, Salvation Army, or consignment store in your area.”

The best place to start foraging
for pieces to your outfit is any thrift
store, Value Village, Salvation Army,
or consignment store in your area.
East Colombia right in New West is a
great place to start, but make sure you
have an idea or picture in mind to help
along the way. My last outing I found
a gauzy piece of red material about the
size of a sheet and gold bangles, both
found at the Value Village off Clark
Road in Burnaby. Once you have found
some basic items or materials to build

 

your outfit, asking friends or family to
dig through their closets for pieces is
a good option too. American Apparel
and Urban Outfitters usually stock up
on Halloween paraphernalia, but it
costs more than the student budget can
usually afford.

The Party Bazaar, located in
Langley and Vancouver, has a wide
variety of Halloween costumes and
paraphernalia for affordable prices.
Likewise, local dollar stores carry
Halloween costume pieces that are
perfect for finishing off your outfit. If
you are able to build, staple, glue, or
perhaps sew a bit, stopping at a craft
store such as Michaels is a good place
for inspiration. With my purchase of
gold spray paint and fake bamboo, I
finished off my costume for this year—
and it cost me less than $30.

My advice for Halloween, start
early and create your own costume.
Make sure to give yourself enough
time so you don’t end up spending
unnecessary amounts of money, and
to ensure your artistic outfit comes
together exactly the way you want it too!