Add Glam To Your Halloween Party

Colin Cowie Offers Sophisticated Ideas

(CBS)  Instead of going ghoulish for Halloween this year, why not go for glamour?

Event party planner Colin Cowie says people are saturated with parties decorated with pumpkins and ghosts, but an unexpected idea is to use a sophisticated Halloween-themed décor. Throw in a little "camp" to makes it even more fun.

To present the food, Cowie suggests on The Early Show using black head forms, the kind you see used to display wigs and hats. Each form will be wearing a mask decorated with feathers.

For the hors d'oeuvres, his idea is to offer them on toothpicks sticking out of the heads. The selection may be cubes of cheese, shrimp kabobs, or zucchini with cheese inside. The illusion is that you are using the food as "hair."

He also suggests serving food right out of the head form. All you need to do is cut out a hole on top of the head, and put a glass bowl with dip there. Then decorate the neckline with chips. You may have another head form with a different dip and veggies around the neckline.

As for the centerpiece, use a big urn filled with dry ice, colored water and suspended brown and red orchids. Use red for the water to add a little Halloween vibe. Drape the table in black fabric. To go all out, use a black chandelier with flickering lights.

Click here for Cowie's special cocktail recipes. His tip: put plastic ants in the ice cubes.