I'm looking for a costume tonight on Newbury St in Boston with a couple of my friends. The hour is 8PM, so the number of stores open is limited. The stores to hit: H&M and American Apparel. Going into this search, I had convinced myself that I wouldn't buy anything from American Apparel because two years ago I pledged not to give in to the mindless, pointless trend. Well, I broke my pledge tonight.
The store was mayhem; heinous mesh tights mingled with black lace unitards; crop-tops circa Slater from "Saved By the Bell" clashed with hot pants and thigh-high socks. While the employees wore their normal attire (horribly high-rise jeans and spandex) with casual, almost disdainful, ease, frantic girls in groups of three made these staffers' regular attire seem like novelties (which they are.) After holding up shirts and dresses like I was picking up stinking diapers, I came across a gem; a spandex and mesh dress with a sweetheart neckline. This is the first year I've decided to go "Mean Girls" (see Georgina's Halloween post), with my friend deciding three of us should go as bats. Anyway, this dress seemed perfect and potentially wearable post-Hallow's Eve.
So I bought it. And some feather clips from H&M to put on as ears. Oh, and trashbags will be cut to make wings a la Project Runway (which, by the way, has the least talented group EVER). Though I still disagree with many of the company's images and tactics, this sweetheart dress, well, charmed me. Dare I go into a trick or treat joke? I think not.
Oh, and H&M had some items to choose from (go in and find the Muppet-style knit dress. It's like a dog toy mixed with Studio 54), but many of the clothes were just too in-between fashion and costume. American Apparel works perfectly for Halloween; its clothes are absurd, but in a translatable, spandex way that, well, anybody can see through.
http://store.americanapparel.net/women.html
