Halloween Costumes: Buy or Build?
A big part of Halloween is costumes, so is it better to make or buy them? It is found that 65% of people prefer making costumes. Why is it preferred to make costumes? Buying costumes saves time and the extra effort, but homemade costumes are one of a kind. However, homemade costumes could save you money and the trouble of finding a costume that you like in your size.
So why do some people prefer to make costumes? Well, Halloween is a time of expression, and homemade costumes are one of a kind. It can even make Halloween easier. Even though it seems like a lot of work, it could be harder to find and buy a costume.
“I would like to have that personal touch that makes it a little different and have that little bit of pride and show it off,” senior Audrey Mitchell said.
There’s always a chance the store doesn’t have your size or it doesn’t fit right. When you make one, you can control all of that -how you want the costume to fit and how you want it to look.
Some people prefer to buy costumes because they can already find a design and go with it. It can save you time if you fear that you don’t have enough to make a costume. Making a costume can be a lot of work too, even though it might be easier to design one to your desire, it can also be very tedious.
“I buy costumes because I find it easier to make, and does not take as much time or effort as making a costume,” Caroline Cain said.
Some of the costumes we see on Pinterest and Instagram take a lot of work, as they may require sewing multiple buttons or stitching something. It can be especially difficult if you don’t know how. In this case buying a costume might be easier.
“I prefer buying costumes because the costumes are already pre-made for me so all I have to do is find my size and a costume I like,” freshman Janey Campbell said.
If you buy costumes, would you consider making one?
“I would consider making a costume because if me and my friends dress up as something, I think it would be more fun to make as a group and a lot easier to find a group costume to do,” Campbell said.
Would you consider buying one if you make them?
“I would when I was little because I couldn’t make anything at the time, but now that I’m older, I would like to have that personal touch that makes it a little different and have that little bit of pride and show it off,” Mitchell said.
Making a costume is unique and one of a kind, so although it can save you time and effort it may not be as fun to buy a costume.
“My favorite Halloween costume was when I was 2 or 3,” Cain said. I dressed up as an LSU cheerleader. This was my favorite costume because my cousins took part in it too, dressing up as football players and Golden Girls [LSU dance team]. Being the youngest, it was fun taking part in dressing up with them. Lowkey made me feel like a big kid.”
“When I was younger, my favorite costume was a Little Mermaid costume just because it was funny,” Campbell said.
“My favorite costume and proudest one I’ve made is my Baby Yoda one for my twin sister just because it was something me and my mom did together, and we made the whole thing and it was probably the proudest thing I’ve ever made because I could say, I made this,” Mitchell said.
Overall, making and buying costumes both have great benefits. It really comes down to how much time you have and how much effort and money you want to put into it. Halloween is a time of expression and creativity, and whether that is buying a costume or making one from scratch, it is still being creative.