Costume shop clearance offers Halloween bargains
Double, double toil and trouble. A throng of would-be witches, wizards and all manner of characters beat it to the theater and dance department's costume shop last week to take advantage of the Halloween Costume Sale. It's an annual event that serves not only as a wardrobe opportunity for the denizens of the night, but also as a shop fund-raiser and a chance for inventory clearance.
A buyer finds the perfect item to go with a Halloween ensemble at the costume shop sale. (Photos by Sally Asher)
“It went well. We cleared out most of the costumes,” said shop supervisor Cassandra Paine, who estimated 400 pieces of clothing were up for sale.
The sale, prized by Halloween celebrants, is a fund-raiser for the theater and dance department's costume shop.
The $1,000 in proceeds from the sale will go directly to the costume shop. “We'll probably use it to buy period items like glasses and accessories, which are extremely expensive and not typically what our budget can afford.”
Prices of the garments ranged from $1 to $75, with the highest prices fixed to elaborate costumes donated by Mardi Gras krewe members. Most of the selection, however, comprised pieces of clothing that had seen better days.
“They are great for Halloween for one night, but they are not going to make it through the run of a show,” said Paine.
The sale took place during the afternoons of Oct. 20 and 21, and Paine, who described the event as “wild and crazy,” said there were only a few lulls.
“We had mostly students, but we did have a couple of people from the neighborhood and a lot of faculty and staff come by,” she said.
The winnowing of costumes is part of a larger plan to “get our storage to industry standards,” said Paine.
She anticipates spending a portion of the coming year organizing and cataloging the shop. “I need to label every item with 'Tulane University.' Then I will tag it, size, it and organize it by size, color and period.”
