I had the opportunity to check in with Karen Bard, eBay's Pop Culture expert. Apparently it is the year of the celebrity costume. Between the death of the King of Pop and the rise of sexy vampires and their associates (think Edward Cullen (played by Robert Cullen) from Twilight or Sookie Stackhouse (played by Anna Paquin) from True Blood), celebrities are hot this year as Halloween choices! And while vintage costumes have been popular in past years (think 1920's gangsters and their molls), vintage is even more in vogue with the popularity of Mad Men characters like John Draper and Peggy Olson.
I was also pleased to hear from Karen that the celebrity wig is a hot item. Last year it was "The Palin". This year, "The Gosselin".
Karen advises that eBay can be a great boon for folks who want to be star of Halloween this year and offers the following tips for finding the just right look for Halloween:
- Search for both the name of the show as well as the character or the name of the celebrity. This way, you'll cover more bases. Also, using words like "style" (e.g. "Mad Men style") will help focus your search.
- Shop early. Costume purchases on eBay peak in mid-October. (So get on it!!)
- If you don't find the precise costume you're looking for, you might be able to someone to MAKE you the perfect costume. A number of the costume sellers on eBay are also makers.
I was also able to get a few more "Halloween costumer trivia" bits from Nazia over at Environics (she provided trivia about Valentine's Day earlier this year).
- ‘Halloween costume’ is the most popular search in the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories category on eBay.ca
- One of the most watched items on eBay.ca is a Michael Jackson Billie Jean sequined jacket and matching pants.
- There are 80 sequined gloves available on eBay.ca. Prices range from $2.33 to over $100.
- Which MJ do you want to be? eBay.ca has costumes based on Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, Smooth Criminal, Bad and other iconic MJ “characters”
- There are over 50 Sookie Stackhouse/Merlotte’s waitressing costumes on eBay.ca – some even come with a bottle of O+ blood beverage.
- According to the National Retail Federation (US), vampires will be popular costumes (think True Blood and Twillight). There are over 1700 vampire costumes and accessories on eBay.ca
- To recreate that Gossip Girl look, there are close to 300 blouses, dresses, headbands and other accessories inspired by the hit show found on eBay.
- The average price for a Halloween costume on eBay is $27.63
In addition to finding elements for a costume, you can also find patterns to sew your own. Both eBay and Etsy are great sources for vintage patterns. I found this great Amidala and Princess Leia pattern set on Etsy.
I asked Karen what she was going as this year for Halloween - she is trying to decide between a character from Saturday Night Live and Cher from the Sonny and Cher days. Rosemary and I have been discussing our costumes. I think we're going to eschew the celebrity trend and go as bees. Like these rappin' Honey Bees.
What are your ideas for a Halloween costume?