For many individuals, Halloween night is a fashion show. And this poses the questions, how easy is finding the ultimate costume, and what is dress code acceptable?

Senior Logan Reitz is an employee at Party City in Bel Air and he assists customers with finding their “perfect” costume. However, this seemingly carefree job is nowhere near easy for him.

“People take it [costumes] very seriously. Most people try on average about three different costumes until they find the one they want,” said Reitz.

During his usual four-hour shift, Reitz typically witnesses more than a few meltdowns from customers having trouble in the fashion department.

“A few days ago, this teenage girl came in with her boyfriend and it took them three hours to find costumes because none of them made her look ‘hot’ enough,” said Reitz.

Reitz believes that this pre-Halloween madness is caused mostly by the costume companies themselves. Every year, he has seen corsets get tighter and dress lengths become shorter.

“I think people spend too much time worrying about having the best costume instead of just having fun and enjoying Halloween,” said Reitz.

So how can people feel fashionable for Halloween while still looking acceptable? Homemade costumes have long been an economically reasonable alternative to store bought ones.

Instead of wearing an undersized plastic dress, decorate an old t-shirt and throw on some colored tights. DIY costumes are a great way to be environmentally responsible, and it also ensures that no two people will be wearing the same costume.

Be smart this Halloween season, and don’t throw money away for an outfit that will only be worn once.