Cool New Halloween Costumes for Whole Family
There are 16 crafting days left until Halloween. What are you wearing this year?
If you're having some trouble coming up with a fun idea, consider "Early Show" Style Contributor Katrina Szish's ideas for every member of your haunted house.
So what can we expect this year?
Szish said, "This year is going to be bigger than last year. The National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend a mind-boggling $5.8 billion dollars (up 18 percent from last year.) Decorating your home for the holiday is second only to Christmas. These decorations from Grandin Road are perfect examples of what they make for Halloween."
Szish added that this year should be called the "year of the costume." According to a survey conducted by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation more people plan to dress up for the holiday than ever before - 40 percent to be exact (compared with 33 percent last year and the highest percentage since the group started tracking Halloween trends in 2003)."
And since Halloween is on a Sunday this year, Szish said many people will be going to multiple parties over the weekend, so they'll need more than one look.
Check out Szish's array of fun ideas:
THEME - TRENDY / HOT COSTUME
COSTUMES - "Jersey Shore"'s Snooki & Jersey Shore's Mike "The Situation"
Two of the hottest pop-culture costumes this year, inspired by MTV's smash reality hit - "The Jersey Shore." In fact, "Snooki" is the most searched reality star Halloween costume on Yahoo! For Snooki, the leopard print dress and the hair bump are essential. The wonderful hair team from Samy style gave Snooki and the rest of our group today their looks. And of course, "The Situation" is all about the abs. Our models abs are courtesy of Spirit Halloween and the special edition t-shirt is available at thesituationshirt.com.
Shopping Info - Snooki
Voom leopard tube top, $178, www.edressme.com
LaROK dress www.zappos.com
Snooki wig - Jersey Shore, $23, www.costumekingdom.com
Pelle Moda West shoes, $153, www.zappos.com
Shopping Info - The Situation
The Situation shirt, $39, www.thesituationshirt.com
"Jersey Shore" - The Situation adult costume, $25, www.spirithalloween.com
Carrera sunglasses, $124, www.zappos.com
Reebok ZIGPULSE II sneakers, $100, www.zappos.com
Big star pioneer jeans, $150, www.zappos.com
THEME - D-I-Y KIDS COSTUMES
COSTUMES - Buttered cinnamon toast & Gnome
Just a reminder that cute kids costumes can be made at home! On our buttered cinnamon toast -- we just cut out the toast shape from a foam mattress topper and decorated it using spray paint and glitter. For our gnome, we cut up t-shirts and found the accessories at a local costume shop.
In a downturn economy, many consumers would rather get creative and piece together their own costumes. That's also a way of making your costume more unique.
Shopping Info - Buttered Cinnamon Toast - DIY
Costume created with mattress foam from any home goods store cut into toast shape. The edges were spray painted brown and glitter and sparkles were used for the cinnamon & sugar.
Shopping Info - Garden Gnome - DIY
www.newyorkcostumes.com
American Apparel
THEME - ONE OF THE HOTTEST COSTUMES OF ALL TIME
COSTUMES: Meat Lady Gaga & Regular Lady Gaga
It's the first time in memory that the hottest holiday costume isn't one for the kid market - but for adults. As a personality, Lady Gaga is one of the single most popular costumes of all time. One company (Rubie's Costume Co. that has the license to make Lady Gaga costumes and accessories) expects to sell at least one million Lady Gaga items by Halloween! And...Ricky's NYC sells no less than seven different full Lady Gaga costumes.
Lady Gaga tops this year's most-popular costume list. First, we've recreated the infamous meat dress from this year's Music Video Awards, simply by printing out pictures of steak on t-shirt transfer paper and ironing them onto t-shirts. Red tie-dye spandex makes up the rest of the DIY dress, and we even covered a pair of platform shoes with spandex and kitchen string. There might be a zillion Gaga costumes on the market, but no one has the meat version yet!
Shopping Info - Lady Gaga meat dress
Dress - Spandex red tie dyed fabric, $10/yd, www.spandexworld.com
Meat attachments - t-shirt transfers from any office supply store
Long blonde wig with bang, $20, www.spirithalloween.com
Diamond necklace, $7, www.spirithalloween.com
Diamond bracelet, $5, www.spirithalloween.com
If you're not feeling crafty, there are zillions of available costumes out there -- everything from dresses to bodysuits to wigs to accessories. The amazing make-up on Gaga and all our trick-or-treaters is from the artists at MAC.
Shopping Info - Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga Silver Sequin Dress Adult Costume, $50, www.spirithalloween.com
Steve Madden Chelseey boots, $100, www.zappos.com
Rockstar long blonde wig, $20, www.spirithalloween.com
Glitter microphone, $4, www.spirithalloween.com
THEME - PARENTS & KID COMBOS
COSTUMES: Bed bug victim and baby bed bug
Jessie (from "Toy Story") and baby Woody
Current event-themed costumes are always apropos. Bedbugs are sweeping the nation, and here we have Mom in a sleepshirt covered with plastic bugs that we glued on and we completed the theme with fake make-up bug bites. With her is the adorable baby bedbug, whose costume we crafted out of a cotton onesie and velour legs.
Shopping Info - Bed bug victim - DIY
Natori Essence sleepshirt, $114, www.zappos.com
Patricia Green Shagilicious slippers, $43, www.zappos.com
Shopping Info - Baby Bed Bug - DIY
Brown onesie. Arms and legs made with velour fabric from local fabric store.
Toy Story continues to be a Halloween favorite, and here we have Lisa as Jessie and Grayson as Woody, both in costumes from Spirit Halloween.
Shopping Info - Jessie - Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 Jessie accessory kit, $30, www.spirithalloween.com
True Religion stretch poplin western shirt, $123, www.zappos.com
Ariat Western Heritage boots, $163, www.zappos.com
THEME - COUPLE'S COSTUME
COSTUMES: Katy Perry & Elmo
Couples costumes are always a hit, and here, one of the most unlikely couples of the year, Katy Perry and Elmo. Remember the Katy Perry/Elmo video that some parents deemed too hot for "Sesame Street"? Well, we're playing on the controversy. Katy's California Girls video-inspired outfit is from Zappos.com, and we found the adult Elmo costume at Yandy Costumes.
Shopping Info - Katy Perry
Disguise Candyland sassy deluxe outfit, $56, www.zappos.com
Glamour blue wig, $10, www.spirithalloween.com
Steve Madden Carrysag shoe in Glitter Multi, $130, www.zappos.com
Dylan's candy bar, large lollipop, $9, www.dylanscandybar.com
Shopping Info - Elmo
Elmo costume, $70, Yandy Costumes, www.yandy.com
THEME - HOT COSTUMES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
COSTUMES: Vampire & "Avatar" and Facebook
Finally, a few more of the season's hottest costumes. Vampires are still trendy, kids are loving "Avatar," and we love the idea of dressing up as your very own Facebook page app on a larger-than-life iPhone.
Shopping Info - Vampire
Vampire Halloween costume, $32, Yandy Costumes, www.yandy.com
Type Z Harlow shoes, $100, www.zappos.com
Tiny Dracula Fangs, $16, Yandy Costumes, www.yandy.com
Shopping Info - Avatar - kid
Avatar Neytiri child wig, $15, www.spirithalloween.com
Avatar Jake Sully deluxe child costume, $35, www.spirithalloween.com
Timberland boots, $70, www.zappos.com
Shopping Info - Facebook - DIY
Custom created image printed and mounted 1/4 foam board.
HAIR BY "SAMY"
Samy and team
Samy: http://samysalon.com/index.html
MAC Makeup Team
Luc Bouchard (MAC artist)
Joey Camcasta (MAC artist)
Moani Lee (MAC artist)
Keri Blair (Lead MAC artist)
Fall & Halloween Props from Gradin Road:
36" Faux Hay Bales - www.grandinroad.com
40" Faux Hay Bales - www.grandinroad.com
Pumpkin Beverage Tub - www.grandinroad.com
Spider Web Chair Wrap - www.grandinroad.com
Fall Leaf Garland - www.grandinroad.com
Fall Leaf Wreath - www.grandinroad.com