As Halloween approaches, Target has launched a line of costumes from Barney’s New York Creative Director Simon Doonan. In their advertisements, Target is calling the line, “Costume Couture.” This has to be one of the greatest Oxymorons since English poet William Blake wrote about the “marriage hearse” in his poem London. You know, an oxymoron, when you use two words together that are distinct opposites of each other. To me, there is nothing “couture” about a 100% Polyester garment that bears the label “CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts Not for children under 3 yrs.” Of course, if you’re in a terrible rush, and need something quick for Halloween , there are worse options than the $30.00 costumes from Simon Doonan at Target. The Candace Corn costume (see picture above) is cute if you want to dress your daughter up as a piece of Candy Corn. But if you want to get something that might be cheaper, and truly more fashionable, take a look at the costumes at your local Goodwill, Salvation Army , Oxfam UK or consignment/resale store. I took a trip to one of my local shops yesterday, the Palos Verdes resale shop on Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles, and was amazed at the quality of Halloween costumes on display in natural fibers. Most costumes as the resale shops are under $30.00 and the proceeds benefit charity. Something to think about before you purchase a costume this year.
To see the brilliance that is Simon Doonan check out the windows at Barney’s New York or Los Angeles stores. The Target collection, well, not so much.
Since 2008, Mary Hall has been the author of 
One Comment
I'm in total agreement with you about this line (which I wrote about last month). And furthermore, the costumes are cheesy!
In addition to being able to pull together great (and much more original!) costumes from Goodwill and other thrift stores, I have also found that in recent years such stores carry a variety of store-bought costumes. Meaning: your garden variety cat, witch, pirate, etc. found at retail stores. Most of these costumes are donated after 1 use, and many are in childrens sizes (as we all know that most kids only want to be “Spiderman” or “Cinderella” one year in a row!).