By Elizabeth Hernandez

Copyright denverpost

I am acquiring costume paraphernalia for Halloween parties that haven’t even been conceived yet.

If there is a costume contest, I will be there with bells (and wigs and masks and tutus) on.

I have been known to carry a cape and wizard hat in my car just in case of a sartorial emergency. And it has come in handy, thank you very much.

There is an artistry to a good costume. The combination of whimsy and vulnerability necessary for a grown adult to commit to a public game of dress up with an outfit inevitably revealing a glimpse into their spirit is endlessly charming.

Be brave this Halloween. Put down the “this is my costume” T-shirt. You’re better than that. Let me help!

1. Nostalgia factor

There is nothing like dressing up to make you feel like a kid again. If you’re drawing a blank on who to portray, think back to your favorite childhood cartoons, movies, action figures, books, cereal mascots or video game characters. Sure, you might not find a readymade Count Chocula or Junie B. Jones costume available in a big-box store near you, but it’s not hard — and can even be pretty fun, if you ask me — to gather some pieces here and there that get the job done. Make the 7-year-old version of you smile! Plus, there’s nothing like the high of locking eyes with someone who also loved the obscure computer game character you’ve embodied and seeing their face light up, too.

2. Get thrifty and crafty

Once you’ve honed in on who or what you want to be, a thrift and craft store will make it come to life. Dedicate a day to hitting a few thrift spots to find the perfect blue jacket to pull off Cap’n Crunch. Stop by a craft store on your way home to pick up some blue posterboard so you can DIY his hat. If you work better in teams, host a costume crafting party one weekend in October. Invite your friends over, throw on a spooky movie and supervise each other’s hot glue gun usage while you work on your masterpieces. You’d be surprised how much money you can save picking up glasses, jewelry, leather jackets, jerseys or whatever you’re in the market for at a thrift store. I once thrifted a hand-sewn ET costume clearly made with love by a janky seamstress, and it remains a Halloween costume highlight.

3. Shop local for accessories

If the costume you’ve settled on requires accessories that feel a bit too specific to make or thrift yourself — a sword, a certain wig, a mustache, fangs — then Denver is home to great local costume shops that beat out the chain retailers every time. Lakewood houses Disguises, at 10500 W. Colfax Ave., where you can walk through a maze of costumes and accessories all year round. South Broadway’s Wizard’s Chest, at 451 Broadway, offers year-round help with costumes, a professional theatrical make-up counter, and all kinds of aesthetic accouterments. Witch hats just look better when they’re bought locally, folks.

4. Retro is the way to go

If you really want to stand out this Halloween, an easy way to take a basic costume — witch, astronaut, clown, vampire — and give it a unique spin is to style it vintage. Look up old Halloween costume photos, scour eBay for retro plastic masks or do your hair and makeup reminiscent of a bygone decade. A retro space girl! A 1920s clown! A 1950s robot! Check the thrift stores for some of that authentic antique goodness or shop your grandma’s closet. Play with decades and have some good, old-fashioned fun.

When in doubt, zombie-fy yourself. If you’re going to recycle an old costume, paint your face green and rub some eyeliner under your eyes and, voilà, you’re the zombie version. Even better if you’ve got a pretty costume — ballerina, princess, cheerleader, etc. Coming from the gal who was Zombie Jo March (of “Little Women,” of course) a few years ago, anything can be zombie-fied, friends. Unleash the brains-eater within.

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