Halloween Costumes Review: Can Modern Stores Catch Up?

Halloween is slowly creeping up on us. Millennials and Gen Z-ers alike are looking for something spooky but stylish to wear on the 31st and to post on their Instagrams. This is where Urban Outfitters, H&M and many other modern, young adult stores come into play. Shops like these release limited Halloween capsule collections that capture the store’s aesthetic, while still fitting the Halloween theme.

Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters targets upper-middle-class college students and young adults to help with their Halloween collection, and it is nothing less than spooky chic.

Image credit: Daryl Perry for The Campus Trainer

A mixture of costumes, makeup, accessories, decor and “aesthetic” tee-shirts loosely related to Halloween dominate The Halloween Shop’s web page. The online selection is much more vast than the limited options in store. Urban Outfitters’ Georgetown location collection consists of metallic purple cropped tank tops, cheetah print leggings, a blue faux leather jacket with a fur collar and trims and other clothing and accessories.

Image credit: Daryl Perry for The Campus Trainer

Most of the items are vastly overpriced. The Leopard Print Bodysuit Halloween Costume that could easily be duped from Justice — a glittery store in the mall with a target audience of young girls and teens — is a whopping $69, while the most expensive costume in The Halloween Shop section is $99.

The Little Devil Bodysuit Halloween Costume is a sparkly red bodysuit showing the model suggestively leaning up against the door. Urban Outfitters even goes a step further with this costume; the aforementioned price is only how much the bodysuit itself costs. If shoppers want the full Little Devil, they have to buy the Glitter Devil Halloween Costume Accessory Kit which goes for $8. In total, these customers would have spent over $100 for a costume they would most likely only wear once. But, the online shop is better overall because of the variety they have in costumes compared to H&M.

I interviewed two friends about their opinions on the costumes.

“I wouldn’t buy any of it because... I feel like anyone could own it, you could see like anyone everyone wearing it at a party, you know?” Jaqueline said. “It’s like mass produced and also it’s probably really expensive. And I feel like as a college student, I just like stuff that’s cheap, from Goodwill. Also I think it’s kind of ugly.”

Julia expanded on cheaper costume alternatives.

“I’m a big fan of making my own costumes or piecing things together from stuff that I’ve thrifted or clothes borrowed from friends because I don’t want to spend a lot of money for something I’m only gonna wear one night” Julia said. “But I think these are fun for someone who wants to have a trendy costume.’

The biggest plus side to this collection is that there are pet costumes. Come on, who wouldn’t want to see their dog wearing a snapback, red flannel and boxer shorts with the word “HIPSTER” across the waistband? The hipster dog costume is probably the most self-aware of them all. Even though Urban Outfitters has a mediocre collection, it is a good stop if you’re looking for more trend than scare.

H&M

H&M’s target demographic is similar to Urban Outfitters, except it is more modern and trendy than vintage hipster. H&M also hits a lower price point compared to Urban Outfitters.

While at the Georgetown H&M, the only semblance of Halloween I could find was buried in the kids section.

Image credit: Daryl Perry for The Campus Trainer

H&M’s Halloween site also offers more than in store, but it isn't heavily promoted. The link to the entire collection is tucked away under the store’s “Women” category.

The throwaway placement of the section feels like a cash grab. (They also have one item simply named “Ballerina Dress,” where its Halloween aspect is a glittery cobweb.)

One con that both Urban Outfitters and H&M have in their Halloween collections is that the adult costumes are targeted more toward women. The only costumes modeled by men that I could find on Urban Outfitters’ site were the Wacky Wavy Tube Guy Costume and the Creepy Crawler Hoodie Sweatshirt Halloween Costume.

While the in-store Halloween section only carried a boys’ skeleton onesie and various graphic tees, the website selection does better than expected by having a more vast selection of Halloween costumes. The most expensive kids’ costumes are $35, which is reasonable for something they will probably only wear once.

Buying your Halloween costume from H&M will leave you with fewer regrets and a fatter wallet. With their most expensive costume being a $24.99 bodysuit, it is a better bet to shop there. The combination of leggings or black tights underneath the bodysuit quickly fixes the problem of the bodysuit only covering the torso, which is still cheaper than buying Urban’s full bodysuit.

While H&M lacks the adorable pet costumes, site organization and any glimpse of care for its Halloween collection, it is a much less expensive and more accessible line to buy from if you’re on a budget. Additionally, some of the costumes — for both kids and adults — can be worn beyond the 31st.